eBay’s same-day delivery service stalls out
When we checked in on eBay Now last fall, its leaders were brimming with optimism, announcing plans to bring the same-day delivery option to 25 more cities by the end of 2014. Skip forward to today, however, and it’s apparently a different story. VentureBeat sources claim that the service is in serious trouble; in addition to losing executives and getting rid of first-party drivers, eBay Now is reportedly “blowing a ton of resources” and may be near shutting down. While the speedy courier option has done well during busy holiday shopping seasons, it reportedly doesn’t have enough day-to-day business to stay afloat.
Some of this could be inherent to the business model. Where something like Amazon’s same-day shipping is really just another way to expedite your order, eBay Now is a “personal shopping service,” according to one tipster. Every customer needs special treatment as a result, and that may not be viable under the current approach.
When asked, eBay told VentureBeat that it was “committed to local delivery” and still plans to “test and evaluate” services that connect stores to buyers in their area. However, the company adds that it’s focused on supporting eBay Now in the cities where it operates today, and isn’t headed to new areas “at this time.” The statements don’t rule out future expansion, but you shouldn’t count on eBay’s fast shopping system reaching your ‘burg any time soon.
Filed under: Internet
Source: VentureBeat
Audible Audiobooks Integrated with Amazon Kindle Mobile App
There is still something pretty wonderful about plopping down under a tree or hanging out in your favorite chair and reading a book. Thanks to technology many of us have a huge book collection that doesn’t take up 3/4 of the house collecting dust. On the other side of the coin it can be difficult to find, or make, the time to just read. That is where audiobooks have come in and filled the void. They allow us to listen to the story we wanted to read without having to stop and actually read it. In 2008 Amazon purchase the popular Audible audiobooks company and now, 6 years later they are finally integrating it into the Amazon Kindle App for iOS and Android.
“We’re working hard to help customers find more moments each day to enjoy a great book,” said Russ Grandinetti, Senior Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “Integrating professional narration into our Kindle apps means you never have to put down a favorite book–start reading at home, get in the car and simply tap a button to continue listening without losing your place.”
Integration alone wouldn’t make this much a big deal. However, the integration lets you switch between audio and reading without losing your place in the book.
“We continue to hear from a growing number of Whispersync for Voice converts who tell us the innovation has profoundly changed the way they read–in fact, switching back and forth between reading and listening has become their preferred way of experiencing stories,” said Audible founder and CEO Donald Katz. “And the feature has gotten easier and easier to use, as this exciting integration into Kindle apps attests.”
I know there was a period of time a while back that I was listening to an audio book and then opened the digital copy. It was rather annoying to try and find where I had left off.
The new integration is part of the update that Amazon released today. In addition to the simple toggling between voice and reading, you can also expect a few other additions.
Be sure to hit the Play Store for updated app, if you don’t happen to have it installed yet, use the links below to go grab it.
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
Watch Nintendo’s E3 ‘Digital Event’ right here!
Hey! Nintendo’s annual not quite E3 event is kicking off at 9 AM PT (12 PM ET). As usual the company isn’t holding an in-the-flesh press event. So, why don’t you follow along with us and watch a stream of the company’s big gaming announcements (we’ll be watching right along with you). Mario Kart already out of the way, maybe we’ll get word on some of our other favorite Nintendo franchises. (Zelda or Donkey Kong, anybody?) Only one way to find out. Click on through past the break to watch a Twitch stream of the “Digital Event” or just check back with us throughout the day as we bring you all the latest E3 news.
‘Star Fox’ sets course for Wii U along with smaller projects from Miyamoto
Sure, Star Fox hasn’t seen a home console game of his own since the GameCube, but Nintendo has different plans for the Wii U. Time’s let word slip that the Big N is releasing a game starring the anthropomorphic space canine. While there aren’t many details just yet, players will use the GamePad’s motion controls to aim and fire, while controlling their ship Arwing with thumbsticks. And yes, it’ll still be able to transform into the land tank. In addition to the tried-and-true roving fortress, Nintendo’s baked in a new helicopter-like craft. The aircraft’s movements can be controlled by one player, while another takes control of shooting enemies or directing a small robot that drops down and blasts things independently.
In addition to Fox McCloud’s fresh adventure, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has been hard at work on smaller projects, two of which are called Project Giant Robot and Project Guard. In Project Giant Robot, gamers take the helm of enormous bots and control their torsos using motion controls, while using the GamePad’s thumbsticks for punching and grabbing. In the second experience, players defend a fortress from baddies by using the GamePad to cycle through posts throughout their base and blasting raiders to smithereens. The Star Fox title is “at least a year away” from seeing the light of day, but the other two projects are still experimental.
While the Star Fox game has a clearer timeline attached to it, Nintendo might go the route of an episodic release schedule. “Honestly I don’t have a clear idea myself yet, but one thing I’m thinking is that with this Star Fox we may take a different approach, so that rather than one big title we have multiple releases that are connected through different missions,” Miyamoto told Time. “If I was to describe the Star Fox series up until now as being sort of a movie series, I guess I’d describe this new approach as something that’s more like a TV series for Star Fox.”
[Image credit: Time]
Source: TIME
Open-world ‘Zelda’ game heading to Wii U in 2015
Last year, Zelda tastemaker Eiji Aonuma told us that he wanted to give players more freedom. “I want them to be able to explore more.” Back then, he was talking about A Link Between Worlds; today Nintendo is talking about the franchise’s first game designed natively for the Wii U. Taking the screen during Nintendo’s Digital Event at E3, Aonuma showed a deep, lush landscape and pointed to the horizon. “You can even reach those mountains in the distance if you walk far enough.” It’s the first truly open-world Zelda game.
Aonuma says the new Zelda game is all about removing boundaries, recalling how the original Legend of Zelda allowed players to wander the land of Hyrule in any direction, almost without restriction. Exploration is the game’s new focus, he says, and the first puzzle the player will have to solve is figuring out what direction they want to wander. Nintendo seems to be breaking a few sartorial conventions too: In a brief action clip, Aonuma showed a young, long-haired protagonist garbed in a light blue tunic, as opposed to Link’s traditional green garb.
That adventure won’t be available until some time next year, but there’s still a Zelda game on deck for 2014: Hyrule Warriors, Nintendo’s mash-up between The Legend of Zelda franchise and Dynasty Warriors. This game breaks a Zelda convention too, thanks to its partner franchise’s multiplayer standards: Players will be able to team up as Link, Princess Zelda, Midna, Impa and possibly others. That experience can be had on September 26th, 2014.
‘Super Smash Bros.’ for Wii U lets you bring toys (and yourself) into the game
Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U isn’t just leaning on your nostalgia to clinch a sale; it also has a few technological tricks up its sleeve. Nintendo’s latest brawler will let you bring the characters from its NFC-based toys (now known as Amiibos) into the game by tapping them on the Wii U’s gamepad. They can fight alongside you or in your place, and they’ll gain abilities as they level up. Other titles (including Mario Kart 8, Mario Party 10 and Yoshi’s Woolly World) should support Amiibos in the future, as well. If you’d rather introduce your own persona, though, you can. Super Smash Bros. has an option to add your Mii, giving it both a character class as well as a handful of special moves.
You’ll still have to wait until sometime during the holidays to pick up the Wii U version and try out all its spiffy new features. If you’re impatient for some fisticuffs, though, you’ll be glad to hear that Super Smash Bros. 3DS will be available a bit sooner — it’s now set to launch on October 3rd. You won’t be locked out of Amiibo, either, as Nintendo is promising a peripheral (sadly, due in 2015) that puts your figurines into 3DS games.
Nintendo teases ‘Mario Maker’ for creating custom Mario levels on Wii U
We had a feeling Nintendo was going to announce something called “Mario Maker,” a game that allows you to create your own levels in Super Mario Brothers — after all, Nintendo Enthusiast found a poster for the damn thing in the company’s E3 booth. Indeed, Nintendo just teased it in a press event, though it only provided a scant few details. In a series of screenshots, we saw someone creating custom levels, with the help of the Wii U’s included stylus. Though you can design the level using old-school 8-bit graphics, as in the screenshot above, you can also go with the sort of modern look found in Mario’s newer titles. No word on exact release date, except that it will hit North America and Europe sometime in 2015.
Oculus nabs co-founder of Uncharted developer
More than a few people (including one absurdly rich 30 year old) think that the Oculus Rift is going to change the world. As it turns out, that list just got a little longer today: former THQ president and Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin is joining the Oculus mothership as its head of worldwide studios. What exactly does that involve? Rubin painted us a picture (with broad strokes, alas) in a post on the official Oculus blog:
“I’m excited to bring together a new division dedicated to building high-quality VR content that helps define the platform and inspire others to do the same.”
It’s a interesting move on Oculus’ part, but maybe not a surprising one. Take a look at some of Oculus VR’s other big-name hires — John Carmack (who was accused of stealing VR tech from his former employer) is the Facebook subsidiary’s chief technology officer, while ex-Valvie Michael Abrash now serves as Oculus’ chief scientist. That’s a considerable amount of brainpower dedicated to fleshing out what the Rift (and its eventual descendants) are capable of, but what about the content? What about the games, the worlds, the universes that this new attainable age of virtual reality could bring to the masses? Rubin — who’s had a hand in creating Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter to name a few — is an experienced hand that should help steer this new generation of media in the right direction. And hey, maybe he’ll tap some of those young VR wizards to help out.
Source: Oculus VR
There’s a new ‘Doom’ coming and you can see it right here
You like fighting crazy demon-robot hybrids and, right? Boy do we have some news for you: there’s totally a new Doom in the works and it’s going to be on display at developer id’s annual Quakecon show in Texas this year. If you can’t make it to The Lone Star state, though, we’ve embedded a teaser trailer for the game just after the jump.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Amazon Kindle app update adds professional narration to existing books
So you’ve got yourself a number of books that you’re reading at home and/or at work on lunch break. The problem, as you see it, is that you’d like to listen to these book in the car or on the train while you heading to and from home. Amazon has your back and has today announced a new feature which adds professional narration to 45,000+ books. Yep, it blends Amazon’s Kindle library with their Audible selection.
Called Matchmaker, it’s a service that lets readers switch instantly between reading Kindle book (where applicable) and listening to the companion audiobook from Audible. And, thanks to the Whispersync for Voice capability, it ensures you don’t lose your place when making the jump to or from audio.
Professional narration is available for more than 45,000 Kindle books and growing. Audio upgrades are available for as little as $0.99, with upgrades to bestsellers like the Outlander series and The Hunger Games series available for as little as $3.99.
Head to Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore today and you’ll find the update awaiting you. Actually, the latest version of the Android app brings about a number of handy changes.
- Switch between reading and listening when you add audio to a Kindle book
- Jump directly to previous locations from the progress bar
- Copy a word or phrase, paste into another program
- Multi-color highlights
- Improved notifications
- Improved cross-device sync
The post Amazon Kindle app update adds professional narration to existing books appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AIVAnet 