Amazon’s Instant Video app now shows your homemade movies
Amazon’s Instant Video isn’t just for watching blockbuster hits (or the occasional original series) any more; you can now use it to watch some of your own content, too. Upgraded Instant Video apps for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and certain TVs from LG and Samsung can show photos and videos stored in Amazon Cloud Drive, letting you both relive your kid’s dance recital and play Frozen without switching apps or devices. The option is only available in Germany, the UK and the US right now, although Amazon is promising at least support for more gadgets in the long. Having said this, there isn’t a big rush for further app upgrades when you can just switch to the Cloud Drive apps on computers and mobile gear — this improvement matters most when you’re glued to the big screen.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage, Internet, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon
Amazon opening second retail store in San Francisco
Seething with jealousy because you live in California and that Amazon retail store in Manhattan is too far out of reach? Well, maybe the news that the online-shopping giant is setting up shop in San Francisco will help allay any envy. Amazon’s City By the Bay pop-up shop is set to open in the Westfield San Francisco CentreOctober 22nd, according to GeekWire. What’s on offer? Mostly Fire devices from the sound of it. It’s too early to tell if this store will carry the same benefits as the Gotham retail location (pick-up, drop off or a return spot, namely), but, if anything, it shows that Bezos isn’t afraid of trying out traditional sales models in more than one spot, either. If you’d rather not traverse into the city, there’s apparently a Sacramento pop-up opening, too.
Source: GeekWire
Google Express shopping service grows: new cities, partners and Prime-style subscriptions
Google started experimenting with same-day deliveries early last year, but now it’s getting serious. Google Express (shortened from Google Shopping Express) is expanding its service areas from just the Bay Area, parts of NYC and Los Angeles — now it’s shipping goods from local merchants to their customers in Chicago, Washington D.C. and Boston. There’s a slew of new retailers on board including Barnes & Noble, PetSmart and Sports Authority, and in the Bay Area it’s added alcohol and fresh foods to the delivery menu. One small catch? Starting today, Google will charge for those deliveries, which used to be free. Nonmembers can can pay $5 per order, or join the service (sort of like Amazon Prime) for $95 a year, or $10 per month.
That membership covers free same-day or overnight delivery on orders over $15 (booze is an extra $3 per order for nonmembers, $0.01 extra, per store, for members), “first dibs” on delivery windows, and can be shared across a household, but the good news is that there’s a three month free trial. By comparison, Amazon is charging $99 per year for its sprawling Prime subscription that covers speedy deliveries, music and even movies, and $299 per year to be a part of its Amazon Prime Fresh service. The Prime Fresh package offers free same- or next-day early morning delivery of orders over $35, with over 500,000 items on offer and the standard Prime service included.
VP of Google Shopping Sameer Samat tells the WSJ in an interview that Google is ” trying to build an experience that doesn’t just focus on the world of the desktop,” and that we should expect more things that blend the online and physical worlds. The tagline is “your everyday delivered” — after search, mail and maps, are you ready to hand your shopping over to Google too?
Filed under: Internet, Google, Amazon
Source: Google Shopping Express
Accessory of the Day: Trade in your old smartphone or tablet for Amazon cash
Have old devices lingering around the house, just taking up dust while you’re salivating for an upgrade? The Amazon Trade-In Program allows folks to turn their tablets, phones, and other electronics into an Amazon Gift Card with ease.
It’s a convenient process. Potential traders simply visit the program’s page and will immediately receive an offer for their goods. Amazon pays for the shipping and you don’t have to hassle with auctions, transaction fees, or unsatisfied customers. You’ll receive your Amazon Gift Card within 10 days of trade-in, allowing you to leverage your old goods toward better buys! Plus, with the ability to gift Prime Memberships now, you could turn your outdated devices into incredible holiday presents this year.
We frequently get inquiries from readers looking for advice on the best platform to sell their used devices, safely. While we usually reserve Accessory of the Day for gadgets, enhancements, or add-ons for your devices, this is a great deal that could put money in your pocket and de-clutter your home. And let’s be honest: what’s a better accessory than extra cash?
Deals, Discounts, Freebies, and More! Click here to save today! |
The post Accessory of the Day: Trade in your old smartphone or tablet for Amazon cash appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Engadget Daily: Amazon’s first store, HTC’s new selfie phone and more!
Today, we go hands-on with HTC’s Desire Eye, learn about Amazon’s first brick-and-mortar store, create a comic strip from text messages, and more. Read on for all our news highlights from the last 24 hours. You know you want to.
Filed under: Misc
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Amazon’s first brick-and-mortar store said to open in Manhattan
It’s hardly a secret that Amazon wants to be your go-to store for everything, but despite it’s big pushes for same-day delivery there’s still nothing like trudging into a physical store when you need something in a rush. Amazon seems to understand that all too well — according to reports from CNBC and the Wall Street Journal, the e-commerce titan is gearing up to open its first brick-and-mortar store in midtown Manhattan in time for the holidays.
The move might seem a little out of character for a company like Amazon, but this isn’t the first time it’s thought about moving off of the internet and into meatspace. Two years ago, rumor had it that Amazon was going to open a physical shop in Seattle devoted to Amazon-exclusive books and its slew of Kindle gadgets. Oh, and who could forget those Amazon lockers you could choose to route your goodies to? Amazon’s vision for its role in the real world has evolved a bit since then — the Journal notes that the New York outpost could act as a way to highlight its own products like Fire TV, but the bigger draw is the space’s role as a same-day product pickup location/customer service hub. Think about it: you’d be able to purchase something from Amazon and schlep down to the store on 34th Street to pick it up. Not exactly what you expected? You’d be able to return it to that very same spot. That sense of physical immediacy is something that Amazon has always lacked — now we’ll just have to wait and see if it’s enough to warrant opening more of these things.
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HTC exec Mike Woodward leaves ahead of a big unveiling and jumps to Amazon
Just a couple of years ago, Mike Woodward left a position as AT&T’s phone portfolio VP to join HTC, and now Bloomberg reports he’s moving on again, to Amazon. At HTC, he was President of the North American division and President of Global Emerging Devices, which would have put him in charge of products like the action camera we’re expecting to see HTC reveal tomorrow. The timing makes this move even more interesting, and he confirmed to Bloomberg that it occurred within the last month or so. Beyond the frequent executive shuffling we’ve seen from HTC over the last few months and years, rumors just last month pinned AT&T as the complication that prevented HTC from building a phone for Amazon.
It’s not clear what Woodward will be working on at Amazon, but it seems unlikely for the company to just give up after the Fire Phone’s disappointing launch earlier this year. It also wouldn’t be surprising if the retailer is considering own-brand wearables and/or cameras to go along with all of the other devices it’s now selling, but for now we’ll be keeping our eyes firmly on HTC. The “Double Exposure” event should kick off around 4PM — we’ll be covering it live and you can expect a video stream on YouTube here.
Tomorrow, we’re focusing on the future. Join us for the announcements at http://t.co/QeL9kwowKs #HTCLive http://t.co/nQZn330xK9
– HTC (@htc) October 8, 2014
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Amazon
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The EU is investigating Amazon for a potentially illegal tax deal
After setting Apple firmly in its crosshairs, the European Commission is now targeting retail giant Amazon’s tax dealings. In a press release this morning, the Commission announced it’s opened an “in-depth investigation” into the company’s tax status in the tiny country of Luxembourg — home to Amazon’s European subsidiary. Since 2003, Amazon has recorded the majority of its regional profits in the country, but those profits are not taxed there. As with the aforementioned Apple probe, the Commission believes that the favorable tax deal is tantamount to illegal state aid, and will now investigate Amazon and Luxembourg in an attempt to prove that. So far, Luxembourg has failed to fully comply with requests for further information, but with the Commission turning up the heat, it’s unlikely that either party will be able to hide from the investigation.
Filed under: Amazon
Source: Europa Press
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Amazon’s new Kindle Fire will come with free news from the Washington Post
Jeff Bezos runs Amazon and owns the Washington Post — is it any surprise that those two entities might start getting a little cozy? According to a new report from BusinessWeek, the a group of folks at the Post are working on a sort of curated Washington Post app that’ll be preloaded on the forthcoming Kindle Fire HD tablet. The kicker? It’s expected to be totally free to those Fire owners, and the app will eventually roll out to other Kindles, as well as iPads and Android tablets… though owners of the latter will have to shell out a subscription fee. This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen Kindles and traditional reporting collide — let’s not forget that Amazon once made a ginormous version of the Kindle meant in part to make newspapers more palatable on an e-ink screen — but it’s a big, smart step for a media company that has its metaphorical eyes set on a national audience.
After all, just look at the numbers. Amazon has been historically cagey when it comes talking device sales, but if this preloading deal pans out, the Post’s readership could just explode. The folks in Seattle once said (years ago) that Kindle Fire sales accounted for 22% of all US tablet sales, and some back-of-the-napkin math suggests that Amazon moved just under 5 million Kindle Fires back then. There’s no denying the tablet landscape has grown and shifted since then but man, that’s still a solid chunk of new readers for a newspaper that has less than half a million daily readers. Our only question: when are other newspapers going to clamor for that same juicy access?
Source: BusinessWeek
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Amazon green lights ‘Hand of God’ and ‘Red Oaks’ for full series
After earning positive reviews during Amazon’s Pilot Season, Hand of God and Red Oaks will become full series. If you’ll recall, the online retailer offered the masses the opportunity to watch a smattering of pilot episodes and offer feedback on which ones should be given an entire season on Prime Instant Video. Hand of God stars Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) as a corrupt judge who believes God is sending him messages through his son (being kept alive by a ventilator), offering clues in his quest for vigilante justice. With executive producer Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven) on the roster, Red Oaks chronicles a teenage assistant tennis pro and his last summer before college in 1985. The pair joins Alpha House, Betas, Transparent and others on the Amazon Originals roster.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon
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