Amazon Wallet shut down after six months of activity
When Amazon Wallet launched in July, its purpose was to be a digital wallet that stored gift cards and loyalty cards from various retailers. It could not, however, be used as a mobile payments solution because of the inability to store debit and credit cards. The amount of installs for Amazon Wallet was presumably low even with the Fire Phone having it pre-installed.
The Amazon Wallet app appeared in the Play Store’s search results this afternoon:
But selecting it leads nowhere:
Amazon Wallet is gone.
Existing users of Amazon Wallet can continue using the app in a limited capacity. The app will not allow any additional cards to be stored and balances will not be updated. There are plenty of options available in the Play Store that match Amazon Wallet’s functionality and can store debit and credit cards.
Source: CNET
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Amazon Prime subscribers in Canada get unlimited cloud storage for photos
Subscribers of Amazon Prime in Canada now have another incentive to stick with the service. Aside from offering free two-day shipping on a massive amount of items, Amazon will supply unlimited cloud storage for photos. Subscribers get 5GB of Cloud Drive storage; however, photos will not have any affect on that number. Upload as many photos as you want and it will not make a dent in the 5GB of storage.
Hit the break for the full press release.
Amazon Prime Members in Canada Can Now Enjoy Free Unlimited Photo Storage with Prime Photos
Amazon Student, Amazon Family and Prime members can upload unlimited photos to Amazon Cloud Drive and rest easy knowing they’re safe and accessible
Prime benefits continue to grow as Prime shipments in Canada nearly tripled in 2014
SEATTLE—January 20, 2015—Amazon today introduced Prime Photos for customers in Canada, providing free unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive. Most people have a lifetime of birthdays, vacations, holidays, and everyday moments stored across numerous devices. And, they continue to create billions of photos every year. Now, Prime, Amazon Student and Amazon Family members in Canada have a simple, secure place to store their photos — all for free.
Starting today, members can securely store their existing photo collections, automatically upload new photos taken and access them anytime, anywhere, at no cost. Members can start using the Prime Photos benefit by visitingwww.amazon.ca/primephotos.
Tens of millions of members around the world already enjoy Prime. And this past holiday season, more than 10 million new members worldwide tried Prime for the first time. In Canada, the number of orders shipped via Prime nearly tripled last year. Since the program was introduced in Canada in 2013, Amazon.ca customers ordered millions of items with Prime. In fact, customers ordered enough items via Prime that if each were packaged separately, they would cover nearly 1,000 hockey rinks.
In Canada, membership includes unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items, discounted One-Day Shipping for as low as $3.99/item and Same-Day Delivery in Toronto and Vancouver for a flat fee of $6.99 per-order.
“With a brand new year ahead of us, it’s the perfect time to organize all of your photo memories – from photos of last year’s holiday parties, to recent and past family gatherings, birthdays, graduations and more,” said Alexandre Gagnon, country manager for Amazon.ca. “With free unlimited photo storage, we’re giving Prime members in Canada one more reason to use Prime every day. Prime has helped members save time and money, and now with Prime Photos they can save special memories too.”
Prime Photos will now enable Amazon Student, Amazon Family and Prime members in Canada to:
- Upload photos from their iOS and Android devices, Fire tablets, and Mac and Windows computers—and have them stored for free in the Amazon cloud.
- Access their photo collections at any time from nearly any device—phones, tablets, and computers.
- Add photos to Cloud Drive in their original version so customers never have to worry about losing the full resolution image.
- Rest easy knowing that their photos are protected in the Amazon cloud.
Prime Photos is extended to all Canada Prime members. Members can access their photos on the following devices: Fire tablets, iPhone, iPad, as well as Android phones and tablets.
About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.
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10 best Android fashion apps
Fashion and technology had a long history of remaining totally separate. Over the last decade or so, smartphones have become status symbols which allowed technology into fashion. The best part is that very same smartphone can help you find, shop for, and stay up to date on the latest trends. Here are the best Android fashion apps to help you stay in style.
Amazon Shopping
[Price: Free]
First on the list is the venerable Amazon Shopping. Even though its touted as a store where you can buy anything, Amazon actually has a fairly solid selection of fashion items. The tricky part is finding them which you can do with some creative searching and a keen eye. You’ll also easily find less expensive options to high-price fashion items which is good enough if you don’t make that kind of money. It may not be for the fashion elite, but it’s still worth a gander.
eBay
[Price: Free]
You wouldn’t think it, but eBay is actually a pretty good fashion app. It’s a great place to try to find one-of-a-kind items and items that are no longer sold in stores. Much like Amazon, eBay has a large range of products available for purchase and you can almost always find something that you’re looking for or at least something close enough to it. It’s a free platform and the things listed for sale changes constantly. It’s a good place to scope out that great bargain or that rare item.
Etsy
[Price: Free]
Etsy is one of those sites that is a sanctuary for hipster style. Pretty much everything on sale on Etsy is limited run, limited edition, or one of a kind and that’s the kind of stuff that drive some fashion-minded people nuts. More often than not you’ll find jewelry and other accessories but there are some clothing items strewn about. It currently boasts around 800,000 artists selling over 17 million unique items and one of those may be a permanent addition to your fashion inventory.
The Hunt
[Price: Free]
The Hunt was originally an iOS app that was ported to Android. It’s a trends and fashion app that allows you to snap a picture of an outfit or some cloths and other users will tell you where you can buy that outfit and how much it (probably) costs. Of course, you can return the favor and browse photos of fashion items that other people have posted as well. A lot of the more recent trends end up here and it’s a great way to browse for some fun stuff to wear.
KicksOnFire
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
KicksOnFire is a shoe store that carry many of the latest fashions in shoes. It’s aimed almost exclusively at men who love sneakers but there are women who use it as well. KicksOnFire is one of the more comprehensive fashion apps on the list. It shows a variety of shoes that you can purchase but also has a blog that talks about sneaker fashion, a section just for new releases, and a “hype” section that shows what’s popular right now.
Overstock
[Price: Free]
Overstock has long been known for their bargain prices and rotating stock and that has not changed. With the app you can browse a number of things and clothing and accessory items are among them. You won’t find the top name brands here generally but the sheer number of options in style and taste help make up for it. Those who have to have the latest in name brands should steer clear but bargain fashion shoppers could definitely find some great stuff here.
Polyvore
[Price: Free]
Polyvore is kind of like The Hunt mixed with Amazon. There is a community of people that spend their days building outfits and the like but the app actually gives you the option to buy them right there in the app. It’s the ultimate window shopping experience on Android for the fashion-minded. The items available are actually fairly expensive and seem like name brand items. You can follow people who create trends or you can start creating your own in the app. The choice is yours but this app is a lot of fun if you like cloths shopping.
Pose
[Price: Free]
Pose is kind of like a mixture between eBay and Polyvore. There is a community of people who put together fun outfits and you can go buy them if you prefer. However, the unique part is that Posh allows people to buy and sell their own stuff. That means it’s conceivable to clean out your closet and fill it with the contents of someone else’s closet. There is also a section dedicated to keeping you up to date on what the latest trendsetters and celebrities are wearing.
Poshmark
[Price: Free]
Poshmark is like eBay except instead of trying to sell you everything, it focuses mostly on clothing and accessories. Much like Pose, you can sell things from your closet and buy things from other closets if you prefer. However, unlike Pose, that is the sole purpose of this application. They boast that you can find pretty much whatever you’re looking for and pay less than you would retail which is something a lot of fashion-minded people would love to do.
Zappos
[Price: Free]
Zappos is an online clothing store with a large inventory and free 1-day shipping available to some people. They boast having the latest styles from companies like The North Face, Nike, and Stuart Weitzman in a retail setting so it’s essentially like going to the mall on your smartphone. They also offer you the ability to return items for a different size if you need to which, given the lack of dressing rooms when you go online shopping, is a really nice bonus.
Wrap up
If we missed any good android fashion apps, shopping apps, or any other trendy apps, let us know in the comments!
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
Google’s Play Store eclipses Apple’s App Store in number of apps and developers for first time
Given the differing business models being employed by Google and Apple in getting their mobile operating systems into the hands of consumers, it should be no surprise that despite a jump start by Apple, Google is ahead in many measures. Even in areas where Apple has a lead, Google is steadily marching toward dominance. An example of this occurred in 2014 according to app metrics tracking firm AppFigures whose latest numbers show Google’s Play Store has surpassed Apple’s store in terms of both number of apps and developers.
According to AppFigures, the Google Play Store now boasts 1.43 million apps compared to 1.21 million available in Apple’s App Store. There are some who may counter that Apple is much more strict about what gets into their store, which keeps the numbers down. Nevertheless, there will be many Android fans who will point to this change in app figures as a major milestone for Google’s business.
Meanwhile, the number of developers who are working on apps for each store continued to grow faster for the Play Store than it did for the App Store. In terms of actual numbers, Google has been in the lead for a few years now and has now reached 388,000 developers compared to Apple’s 282,000 developers.
As a whole, app development continues to grow at a very strong clip. All three major app stores – Google’s Play Store, Apple’s App Store and Amazon’s Appstore – all saw at least 50% growth during 2014. This kind of expansion should continue during 2015 as manufacturers work to expand their ecosystems to a whole variety of new platforms, especially wearables, that will push developers to consider new ways to support interaction with apps.
source: 9to5Google
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Amazon signs Woody Allen for his first TV show
Even Woody Allen is getting into the streaming content game. The prolific writer and director has scored a deal with Amazon Studios to produce his first-ever television series. Unfortunately, there’s no word on a title, casting, or even what the heck the series is going to be about. But we imagine there’ll be plenty of idle chatter and an overwhelming sense of ennui. Amazon says Allen will write and direct the half-hour show, and it’ll premiere on its Prime video service next year. Ever the professional, Allen seemed prepared for the challenge of television in a statement: “I don’t know how I got into this,” he said (and yes it’s real). “I have no ideas and I’m not sure where to begin. My guess is that [Amazon Studios VP]
Roy Price will regret this.”
Of course, Allen is downplaying his freakish ability to pump out a new film every year for the past few decades. He’s likely got plenty of ideas that never quite fit into the format of a single film. Signing Allen is also a surprising move for Amazon, as he’s still dealing with the fallout from some nasty sexual abuse allegations from his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. It’s certainly Amazon’s biggest get yet, but just like with Netflix’s cancelled Bill Cosby special following his career implosion, there’s a chance that further controversy may kill the project outright.
[Photo: Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images]
Source: Amazon
Amazon is currently offering the Nexus 9 for $50 off
Many users tend to think that Google’s Nexus 9 is too expensive. If you’ve been waiting for the next promotion to arise so you can get your hands on one, now may be your chance. Amazon has the Nexus 9 in both storage options and both colors at a $50 discount. That means the 16GB model is only $349.99, and the 32GB model is $429.99. Both colors and both storage options are currently available, so you may want to act fast before they sell out. Additionally, the Nexus 9 is eligible for free shipping, sweetening the deal a bit more.
If you’re in the market for a new Android tablet, this may be the one for you. The Nexus 9 is fast, has a nice sharp screen, loud front-facing speakers and has a battery that can get you through multiple days on a single charge. If you’d like some more information on the tablet, head to our full Nexus 9 review.
We’re not quite sure how long this deal will last, but you better hurry before the deal is over!
Buy now on Amazon
LG G Flex 2 priced at €599.99 on Amazon.de
The LG G Flex 2 was recently unveiled at CES 2015 and comes packing plenty of cutting edge hardware, including LG’s latest flexible display and Qualcomm’s new high-end processor. According to a listing on Amazon.de, the LG G Flex 2 will retail for around €599.99 off-contract. This will probably work out to around $600 in the US, give or take, based on the usual price differences.
This puts the G Flex 2 just on the cheaper side of your typical flagship smartphone and certainly isn’t an unreasonable price for a handset featuring a 5.5-inch 1080p flexible display, 13MP OIS+ camera, Snapdragon 810 processor, and a self-healing cover. However, what isn’t clear is whether this is the 2GB RAM/16GB storage or 3GB RAM/32GB storage variety of the handset, although the price probably suggests the former. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of a release date either, although pre-orders are available now via the link.
If you would like a closer look at what the G Flex 2 has to offer for €599.99, check out our coverage of the launch announcement and our time spent going hands-on with the handset at CES.
What do you think about the price tag?
You can now pre-order the G Flex 2 from Amazon Germany
Following LG’s unveiling of its flagship phablet of 2015, the G Flex 2, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week, the 2nd generation G Flex is now available to pre-order from Amazon Germany for €599 ($708).
The G Flex 2 is a beast of a device packing a 5.5-inch curved P-OLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing shooter.
Straight out of the box, the device will run the latest build of Android 4.4.4 KitKat with LG’s Optimus user interface plastered over the top. The handset is, however, expected to receive the much-anticipated and eagerly-awaited Lollipop update when it’s finally distributed by the South Korean company sometime later this month.
If you like the sound of the G Flex successor and want to pre-order one — click the source link below.
Source: Amazon
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Amazon scores two Golden Globes, Netflix debuts House of Cards trailer
Tonight’s Golden Globe Awards were a triumph for internet TV services, as Amazon and Netflix scored wins for their original series — all on a night when the big four broadcast networks didn’t win any. Amazon had two awards to Netflix’s one, and won their head to head battle as its hit Transparent triumphed in the “Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy” category that included Orange is the New Black, Silicon Valley, Jane the Virgin and Girls. Series star Jeffrey Tambor collected the other award for Best Actor in a TV Comedy. Netflix won a single award (Kevin Spacey, Best Actor in a TV Drama, House of Cards) but might have given us the best moment of the evening by releasing the trailer for House of Cards season three. It’s embedded after the break if you need a taste of the Underwoods before the series debuts worldwide on February 27th.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/sU9QTLXYCCc?rel=0
That time @KevinSpacey swore at the #GoldenGlobes, featuring @UzoAduba: pic.twitter.com/IKfrI54uMx
– Netflix US (@netflix) January 12, 2015
.@transparent_tv wins #GoldenGlobes Best TV, Musical or Comedy! Great job @Amazon_Studios @jillsoloway @jeffreytambor pic.twitter.com/bkmqNULhQa
– Amazon Instant Video (@AmazonVideo) January 12, 2015
.@transparent_tv wins Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy at the #GoldenGlobes! Congrats @jeffreytambor pic.twitter.com/SIM65U7H3X
– Amazon Instant Video (@AmazonVideo) January 12, 2015
Kevin, you make everything better. Congratulations! @KevinSpacey #HouseofCards #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/Rrf14WaVzM
– Netflix US (@netflix) January 12, 2015
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Golden Globes
Alcatel Onetouch to sell devices in the US through online storefront
Alcatel Onetouch is launching a new online store to directly sell devices to American consumers this year. The company has had moderate success in European countries, but so far hasn’t made much headway in the key US market. Selling a variety of phones online might just change that.
The store is actually powered by Amazon, so customers can pay for devices with their Amazon account. You can currently purchase the Idol X+ and Idol 2S, as well as the new Pop 7 and Pop 8 tablet that were announced at CES this year. Their planned smartwatches should also be available on the store, whenever those are released.
Alcatel Onetouch plans on making the store available to Canadians early this year, but for right now it’s pinned to the US only. For everything else that’s happened at CES this year, check out our full coverage.
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – CES – ALCATEL ONETOUCH today announced the inaugural launch of its first-ever e-commerce channel for North America, allowing consumers to purchase unlocked smart devices and accessories directly. Beginning today, consumers looking for affordable unlocked smart devices and accessories can visit www.alcatelonetouch.us to begin shopping in the U.S. A new e-commerce channel for Canada will be available later in Q1 2015.
“Launching this e-commerce channel allows us to form a more direct relationship with our customers, while providing them greater access to affordable, feature-rich technology,” said Steve Cistulli, Senior Vice President of North America for ALCATEL ONETOUCH. “Bringing our key global devices to consumers, unlocked, is a natural progression of our growth in North America and is another step we’re taking to ensure consumers have the choice and opportunity to buy the smart devices they need at affordable prices.”
This first for ALCATEL ONETOUCH in North America is an expansion of the online channel shop.alcatelonetouch.com which went live in Europe in November 2014 offering a full range of accessories for customers in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. In 2015, the European e-commerce store will expand to include other countries in Europe.
In the U.S. this new online sales channel, powered by Amazon, gives consumers the opportunity to experience the best of ALCATEL ONETOUCH’s global technology with the flexibility to choose what fits their needs best. These are the first unlocked devices and accessories offered directly to shoppers online in the U.S. by ALCATEL ONETOUCH, which includes some of our most popular smartphones and tablets. Accessories available on the webstore range from device covers and NFC tags, to 1800mAh power banks and Bluetooth headsets.
SMARTPHONES AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
IDOL X+ (4G):
- 5-inch Full HD IPS 1920×1080, 440 PPI capacitive touch display
- 2.0GHz octa-core MediaTek processor
- 13MP rear camera with auto-focus, LED flash, 4x digital zoom and EIS video stabilization
- Ultra-slim, lightweight design, weighing only 4.5 ounces
- 2500mAh battery for up to 16 hours of talk time and up to 600 hours of standby time
- 2GB RAM / 16GB of storage (Expandable to 32GB via MicroSD)
- Android 4.4 KitKat operating system
- Available starting at $275 (USD)
IDOL 2 S (LTE):
- 5-inch (12.7 cm) HD IPS 1280 x 720 16M color display
- 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
- 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash and 4x digital zoom + 1.3MP HD front camera
- Lightweight design, weighing only 4.4 ounces
- 2150mAh battery for up to 7 hours of talk time and up to 400 hours of standby time
- 1GB RAM / 8GB of storage (Expandable to 32GB via MicroSD)
- Android 4.3 operating system
- Available starting at $198 (USD)
CONNECTED TABLETS AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
POP 8 (4G):
- 8-inch IPS 1280×800 16M color capacitive touch display
- Quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek processor
- 4060mAh battery for up to 3.5 hours of gaming, 5.5 hours of video playback and 350 hours of standby time
- 1GB RAM / 4GB of storage (Expandable to 64GB via MicroSD)
- 2MP main camera with additional front facing camera
- Lightweight, thin design, weighing just over 11 ounces
- Available starting at $199 (USD)
POP 7 (4G):
- 7-inch TFT 1024×600 16M color capacitive touch display
- Dual-core 1.3GHz MediaTek processor
- 3240mAh battery for up to 8 hours of browsing and 280 hours of standby time
- 1GB RAM / 8GB of storage (Expandable to 32GB via MicroSD)
- 2MP main camera with additional front facing camera
- Lightweight, thin design, weighing just over 10 ounces
- Available starting at $149 (USD)
To shop the new ALCATEL ONETOUCH web store in the U.S., or learn more about the company, visit www.alcatelonetouch.us.
About ALCATEL ONETOUCH
ALCATEL ONETOUCH is simple, unexpected, down to earth, irreverent and colorful. We believe that what makes technology smart is what you can do with it rather than what it can do.
ALCATEL ONETOUCH is a brand within TCL Communication, an international multicultural company which designs, develops, and markets globally a growing range of mobile and Internet devices. TCL Communication is a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (2618.HK) and part of TCL Corporation, one of the largest consumer electronics companies in the world.
ALCATEL ONETOUCH is a SMART MOVE.
For more information, please visit www.alcatelonetouch.us.
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140730/131980
SOURCE ALCATEL ONETOUCH
Come comment on this article: Alcatel Onetouch to sell devices in the US through online storefront
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