Articles about Amazon

Rumors have abounded for weeks that Amazon would bump up the pricing of its Prime service -- the program that awards free two-day shipping on all purchases, provides a lending library to Kindle owners and a video streaming service that competes with Netflix.

Today, rumor becomes fact as existing customers awake to an email that gives the bad news. While cries of gloom over the price possibly doubling were, thankfully, not true, it is still an added fee to the annual subscription rate.

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I've certainly made no secret of my love for the Kindle product line -- I called the Kindle Fire HDX 7 the best product of 2013 after it replaced my 2012 HD model. I am also on record as being an Amazon Prime subscriber, primarily for the video service, and an Android user to boot. It all adds up nicely, but I am rehashing things you likely already know.

Recent rumors have been popping up around the internet, as these things tend to do, that Amazon will release its own set-top box. While that is unconfirmed -- though The Verge is already reporting a March release -- it is also logical. The company has a thriving streaming service that competes with Netflix, but there is more to it than just that.

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It's already tough times in the Microsoft world, with Windows 8/8.1 under fire and the impending update coming under recent scrutiny for being, well, a mess, to put it much more politely than my colleague Mark Wilson worded things. If a bad time could go to worse then that would be rival Chrome OS invading the market.

While we largely think of these devices as low-priced notebooks, actual desktops are also getting into the game. Now the Asus Chromebox has hit pre-order in the US on the Amazon website.

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Another week, another spate of security related news. In the latest of a recent run of high-profile hacks, Kickstarter announced that it had been hacked, and it was discovered that ASUS routers could be sharing files with more people than users intended. Google is looking to bolster online security with its latest acquisition -- audio-based authentication outfit SlickLogin, while Microsoft's latest partnership with DocuSign looks set to make digital signatures in Office simpler and more secure. If you were under the impression that app security was generally increasing, think again; a new study shows that an almost unbelievable 96 percent of applications have security issues.

Brian got his hands on the Lenovo Miix 2 and was reasonably impressed by what he saw. He also unboxed the much touted Nokia Lumia Icon and found it to be not dissimilar to the 928 -- no bad thing. Anyone looking for an entry-level 4G smartphone now has the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Core LTE to look forward to, complete with "Jelly Bean Plus".

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Amazon Coins have mostly flown beneath the radar -- you don't really hear much about them, but you probably know of their existence. That's because, in the past, they were available only for Kindle Fire tablets. Despite the popularity of those devices, the Coins haven't made big news.

Now Amazon is expanding the service out to encompass all Android devices, no matter what brand of phone or tablet you happen to be using. This does come with a requirement -- you'll need to be running the Amazon Store on your slate or handset, and it needs to be the latest version as well.

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The battle of the streaming video services continues, which is good news for cord-cutters, and those who are potentially considering taking that route. Amazon today scores a new deal with a content provider, allowing for additional material to become available to all subscribers.

The online retailer has teamed with MGM in a deal that will bring viewers such movies as The Terminator, Silence of the Lambs, Raging Bull, and Thelma and Louise. In addition, TV shows like MTV's Teen Wolf are arriving on Prime.

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In tech, subscriptions are all the rage today. This business practice allows companies to have a steadier flow of revenue, as opposed to the traditional (in this field, anyway) one-time payment model. At the same time, consumers can pay less at once in exchange for upscale services and products. Just take a look at Microsoft Office 365. It costs $99.99 per year for a suite that consumers would have to pay at least twice as much to buy outright (not to mention that the former can be installed on four more devices, and it offers exceedingly more features).

US retailer Newegg has decided that it too wants a piece of the subscription revenue pie, as it just launched Premier. The $49.99 per year service is similar to Amazon Prime, albeit cheaper compared to the $79 charged by its rival. It is also currently in beta, most likely for Newegg to gauge customer feedback and adoption before labeling it as ready for prime time (or, maybe, pulling the plug).

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As you would expect, tablets proved to be a popular purchase over the holiday period, with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker reporting a solid rise in global shipments.

According to preliminary data, worldwide tablet shipments grew to 76.9 million units in the fourth calendar quarter of 2013 (4Q13), delivering a 62.4 percent increase over the previous quarter and 28.2 percent growth over the same period a year ago. For the full calendar year, worldwide tablet shipments totaled 217.1 million units, which is up from 144.2 million units shipped in 2012. But despite that good news, things don’t look quite so rosy for the future.

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The Chromebook platform is steadily growing and one of the latest arrivals in this market comes from Toshiba. The hardware maker unveiled its offering during the recent CES 2014 show in Las Vegas, but the notebook wasn’t available at the time of the reveal.

Now the Toshiba Chromebook is up for pre-order on Amazon for $279.99. The device boasts an Intel Celeron 2955U 1.4 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 16 GB SSD for storage and 13.3-inch screen. The company promises nine hours of battery life.

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Since the latest generation of the Kindle Fire family of tablets rolled out, it almost seems the devices are on sale more often than not. Just recently the retail giant celebrated being named number one in customer satisfaction with a promo code for its devices, now it’s using football as an excuse for one more deal.

It’s not hard to deduce why this latest bargain is being given -- Amazon is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, home of the Seahawks who are now Super Bowl-bound to battle the Denver Broncos. In fact, the graphic currently displayed on the homepage illustrates the Seahawks-49ers game this past Sunday.

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If you shop using your smartphone you are highly informed, social and seeking a superior shopping experience -- and retailers want to have your babies.

These (apart from the last bit) are the findings of the latest research by IDC which found that surveyed respondents believe the smartphone is transforming their shopping experience.

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This was a week dominated by CES, and there were a huge number of announcements about upcoming hardware. Lenovo took the wraps off the (slightly) heavyweight ThinkPad Tablet 8, but any excess weight was countered by the ultra-light ThinkPad X1 Carbon ultrabook. HP's range of business desktops even included one device running Android, while Nvidia's new Tegra K1 promises much for the mobile market.

Competitor Qualcomm revealed two processors designed for entertainment while Pure's Connect platform opens up the possibility of using any streaming music service with its wireless speakers. Smart TVs are set to benefit from the addition of Roku software, but it seems that the technology du jour is 4K, with a new 4K laptop from Toshiba joining the streams of 4K TVs and monitors.

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While the world points fingers at companies like Microsoft and Google over recent security matters, in light of the big NSA scandal, one company goes on mostly unscathed. Perhaps it’s our love of shopping and the convenience of doing it online. But maybe, it’s just about making that experience so good.

Amazon announces today that is has been voted number one in customer service satisfaction for the ninth straight year. The online retailer isn’t resting on this laurel, but instead using it as an excuse to drum up more good will.

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Amazon has scored some big exclusives lately, bringing viewers such hit shows as Under the Dome and Vikings. Add those to new original content, and the online retailer is becoming a real competitor in the streaming video arena, taking on Netflix, Redbox and others.

Now the company claims another win, getting the latest series from producer Steven Spielberg, he of E.T. fame. The new show, titled Extant, stars Halle Berry, and is set to premiere this coming June.

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Better last than never. Colleagues Ian Barker, Alan Buckingham, Brian Fagioli, Mihaita Bamburic, Wayne Williams, and Mark Wilson have all picked their favorite tech for the year. I join them. Only things I actually have used qualify for consideration.

My list focuses on one aspect: Value. Which products I see delivering the most value for money spent. Surely your value choices will differ. You can spend 25 cents and get loads of value from something or $2,500 and little at all. With that short introduction, I present my five favorite tech products of 2013 (and one from 2005, newly discovered).

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