Articles about Amazon

Jeff Bezos may have his hands full with a pending divorce and alleged blackmail, but that is not going to slow Amazon down. Today, the popular retailer and Echo-maker announces a very intriguing acquisition. Surprisingly, Amazon will be buying eero for an undisclosed sum of money.

Not familiar with that company? That's not surprising. While eero is fairly popular with in-the-know consumers, it is not exactly a household name. Just know eero makes well-received mesh systems -- essentially a router and a series of access points that work together for superior coverage. But really, the company Amazon is acquiring isn't that important. The real story is that Amazon sees value in entering the home network business. Why is that so significant? Well, there are obvious privacy concerns -- will Amazon use these devices to track/log/monetize user traffic?

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Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos may be having a difficult time in his personal life right now, but professionally, the multi-billionaire is doing phenomenally. Amazon's stock is through the roof, and  there seems to be no slowing down the online retailer. Long gone are the days when the company just sold books and other manufacturers’ products -- these days, Amazon offers its own hardware and services. Not only is its line of Echo speakers wildly profitable, but there is Kindle, Fire HD tablets, and Fire TV media devices too.

One of Amazon's greatest devices is the Fire TV Stick. This little HDMI dongle is insanely affordable at just under $40, while offering access to many popular streaming media services, like Netflix, Hulu, and its own Prime Video. Seriously, folks, even though this particular model doesn't offer 4K video playback, it is still a great value. Today, Amazon announces that the popular Fire TV Stick will soon come with the amazing Alexa Voice Remote. That must mean the company is raising the price, right? Actually...

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As another year starts, I wanted to look back on my favorite products of the previous 12 months. I’m not talking just 2018 products here, as it has to be said, some things I use most aren’t that new.

In the past I’ve been called everything in the comments. My favorites have been a Microsoft fanboy and Microsoft hater. I haven’t figured out how I could be both. The reality of what I use may surprise the people who have said those things.

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Shopping at physical retail stores is insufferable these days. Have you been to a Walmart lately? Not only is it a soul-crushing experience all year, but during the holidays in November and December, it becomes particularly hell-like. Kids running around screaming, people sneezing and coughing without covering their mouths, plus generally dirty and disorganized aisles and shelves. It's gross. It gets better at stores like Target and Kohl's, but still, being around fellow humans can be an exercise in frustration. Thank goodness for online shopping.

As is typical, many people around the world turned to the web to buy Christmas and Hanukkah gifts this year. No retailer is more used than Amazon in this regard -- the undisputed king of online shopping. Once again, the company proclaims (brags) it has broken records this year -- without sharing exact numbers, of course. Ultimately, we can be confident that, records aside, Amazon sold a ton of stuff.

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If you want a custom PC, there's a lot of fun to be had building your own rig -- or even just upgrading your off-the-shelf PC. But while you can save money as you create your perfect computer, there is the headache of ensuring that all of the components you buy are compatible with your system.

While hardware compatibility is not quite the problem it was in years gone by, it can still be an issue. Help is at hand, however, albeit from an unlikely source. Amazon has launched a compatibility checking tool that will help you to buy the right components. It is an extension of its Part Finder tools which launched earlier in the year.

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This time of year in the United States is full of excess and commercialism. It starts with Thanksgiving -- a day that should be about giving thanks and spending time with family, which has morphed into overeating and watching football for many. The following day is Black Friday, where people spend huge amounts of money to buy things they probably don't need -- sometimes even fighting with fellow shoppers. Yesterday was Cyber Monday -- yet another holiday focused on buying things. Sigh.

Thankfully, there is one day that Americans can use to atone for their sins of greed and gluttony -- Giving Tuesday. Yes, the day after Cyber Monday is celebrated by donating to charities and being an overall better person. Today, Amazon announces that people can donate to Toys for Tots using its popular Alexa voice assistant. Not familiar with this charity? Well, the name is quite descriptive -- it is literally donating toys to needy children.

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Holiday shopping is now in full effect. Black Friday may only be a memory at this point, but Cyber Monday is just a day away.

Here's the cool thing, though -- stores are not waiting until Monday to launch their special "Cyber" deals. For instance, Amazon -- the king of online retailers -- has tons of amazing deals live right now. Not only are there discounts on the company's own offerings, such as Fire TV and Echo, but on products from Netgear, Ecobee, and more. To make your shopping even easier, we have compiled the top "tech" related deals.

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If you're an Amazon customer you may have received a rather strange email this morning. It states that the company has, "...inadvertently disclosed your name and email address due to a technical error."

It then goes on to say, "The issue has been fixed. This is not a result of anything you have done, and there is no need for you to change your password or take any other action."

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Stunningly, Microsoft lost the smartphone wars despite getting a huge head start with Windows Mobile, and going back even further, Windows CE. Despite having a stranglehold/monopoly on desktop computing, the company made too many missteps with mobile, and ultimately, has been forced to exit the very profitable business. Microsoft even took down Nokia in the process, destroying a once beloved company.

Following smartphones, the next big thing was voice assistants, and Microsoft was ready with Cortana. Unfortunately, unlike Apple and Google who had successful mobile operating systems to push their assistants, Microsoft was once again left trailing behind since consumers passed hard on Windows Phone. Online retailer Amazon came out of nowhere and dominated this field too. Ultimately, Cortana has become a thing that exists solely to annoy Windows 10 users. This is a shame, because Cortana is actually pretty good.

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Earlier this year, I was on the fence about renewing my Amazon Prime account. Don't get me wrong, it's a great value, but I have been on a quest to save money. Then life happened, and I totally forgot about the upcoming Prime decision. In August, the service auto-renewed, and rather than fight for a refund, I decided to just keep it. Why? Well, besides enjoying the streaming video service, I love the "free" shipping aspect. I justified it by telling myself that with the holidays soon approaching, I would be thankful to have Prime for gift buying.

Well, today I feel sort of like a fool. You see, Amazon announces that all shoppers will get free shipping with no minimum dollar amount required. In other words, one of the biggest perks of Prime service -- not needing to spend at least $25 for free shipping -- is just being given away to all.

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Nearly two-thirds of all advanced email attacks used emails impersonating Microsoft or Amazon, according to new research by Agari, the email protection specialist.

Microsoft was impersonated in 36 percent of all display name impersonation attacks in the third quarter. Amazon was the second most commonly impersonated company, used in 27 percent of these attacks.

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Ciao. Hola. There are many ways to say hello around the world, even in dead and nearly dead languages. If you own a smart speaker, there's a good chance you greet it by saying 'Alexa'.

Amazon's Echo products have been a huge success, bringing the retail giant's smart assistant to millions of homes around the world. Amazon isn't resting on its laurels though. As well as rolling out new versions of Echo Dot, Echo Plus, and Echo Show it has expanded the list of countries where you can buy them.

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Amazon has launched a new version of its Kindle Paperwhite. The latest incarnation of the ebook reader is not only thinner and lighter than its predecessors, but also waterproof.

The new model boasts twice the storage space of previous Kindles, and the screen is not only the highest resolution offered by Amazon (300ppi), but also flush with the front of the reader's bezel for a higher-quality finish. Anyone buying the device can enjoy six months of Kindle Unlimited for free, giving plenty of opportunity to test the battery, the life of which Amazon says is "measured in weeks".

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Traditional cable TV providers should be very worried. These days, it is easier than ever to cut the cord. Thanks to streaming media, a small box, dongle, or stick can deliver high-quality movies, TV, and music over the internet. Using myself as an example, I leverage YouTube TV, Apple Music, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix for all of media needs. The local TV provider no longer gets my money -- except as my ISP, that is.

Believe it or not, 4K content is becoming more and more common, and lately, 4K streaming devices have become very affordable. Last month, for instance, Roku unveiled new 4K devices starting at just $39.99 -- $10 more if you want the voice remote. Not wanting to be left out, today, Amazon unveils the Fire TV Stick 4K and it looks like an insane value. Not only does it come with an all-new Alexa Voice Remote, but it features Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10+ too -- all at a rock-bottom price.

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Microsoft has announced that Skype is coming to a range of Alexa devices.

At its hardware event yesterday, Amazon revealed the updated Echo Show with integrated Skype, but later this year voice-activated Skype calling will be landing on other Alexa devices. The feature will make it possible to place and receive Skype voice calls, video calls and SkypeOut calls.

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