Amazon

Amazon has started adding Metacritic review scores to its video game listings—meaning there’s professional reviews of the games to go with the enthusiastic amateur views, too.

Amazon Lockers Now Do Returns, Too

Amazon lockers are amazingly convenient, and they just got a little bit better: the company has just rolled out a new service which allows to return unwanted purchases, too. The Wall Street Journal reports that the new service is very similar to the pick-up one it already offers. For returns, Amazon sends you a code…

Amazon’s Streaming Device: Everything We Think We Know

Amazon is hosting a TV-centric event in New York on Wednesday, where it will most likely reveal a streaming device. So what’s that lil’ thing going to look like? Here are the mostly likely answers to your biggest questions. What will it look like? Most signs point to a dongle, a la Chromecast or Roku’s…

Report: Amazon’s Planning a Free Streaming Service For Original Shows

The WSJ is reporting that Amazon has its sights set on an ad-supported streaming media service that would be available outside of its existing streaming offerings on Prime. Think of it as an all on-demand Amazon TV network. Per the report: The new service, which could launch in the coming months, likely will feature original…

You Might Have Free Amazon Money Waiting in Your Inbox

If you’re a regular buyer of Kindle ebooks, you want to go check your email; inside, there might just be a little present from Amazon waiting for you. And by “present” I mean “legally mandated compensation to make up for years of price-fixing.” Just like Christmas! Here’s the note going around to Amazon customers this…

What Is the Laziest Thing You’ve Ever Ordered From Amazon?

Amazon Prime might be getting a tad pricier, but the truth is that it’s still an incredible deal. I would keep it just for the free two-day shipping, even if it didn’t come with all of those nifty extras like a huge streaming video collection. Why? Because I am the laziest human alive. https://gizmodo.com/amazon-prime-is-still-the-best-deal-in-tech-1542971643 Things…

Today’s Your Last Chance to Get Amazon Prime for $79

If you’ve been on the fence about joining Amazon Prime (and you really shouldn’t be!), today’s your last chance to sign up for a new account without paying an extra $20 for your first year. https://gizmodo.com/amazon-prime-is-still-the-best-deal-in-tech-1542971643 Technically, the Prime price hike doesn’t go into effect until April 17, but since new members get a mandatory…

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Costs Less Than a Kindle Paperwhite Today

While at this point the year-and-a-half old 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD might be showing its age a bit, it’s still one of the best tablets you can buy. Especially considering that you can get one today for just $130—less than an e-ink Kindle Paperwhite. https://gizmodo.com/kindle-fire-hd-8-9-review-good-news-and-bad-news-5962540 The Fire HD that Amazon’s offering as a Gold Box…

WSJ: Amazon’s Streaming Box Will Arrive Next Month

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Amazon’s much-rumored video streaming device will go on sale in “early” April—on Amazon.com as well as through retailers like Best Buy and Staples. Bezos & Co.’s answer to Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast—rumored to be on its way since this time last year—will, according to the Journal, offer…

Explorer’s Awards: Apollo 11 engine recovery; SpaceX

Remember when we told you that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had recovered the Apollo 11 engines? In July 2013, conservationists found the serial number to confirm that yes, it really was Apollo 11 and not any of the other 12 Saturn V rockets. Tonight, the Explorers Club is honouring the entire Apollo F-1 Search and…

Leaked Controller Suggests Amazon’s Set-Top-Box Will Be a Gaming Machine

Zatz Not Funny just posted images of an Amazon-branded gaming controller that supposedly found its way to the world through an overseas regulatory agency. If real, the controller suggests that Amazon could be planning to use gaming to differentiate its long-rumored set-top-box from the Apple TVs and Rokus of the world. Following the success of…

Amazon Prime Is Still the Best Deal in Tech

Today, the fateful news came down that Amazon will finally increase the cost of an Amazon Prime membership. Horrors! Except, not really. Because even at $99 a year, Amazon Prime is still the single biggest bargain in tech. On the face of it, the increase from $79 to $99 seems dramatic. That’s a 25 percent…

Amazon Prime Will Cost $20 More a Year, Starting April 17th

The fateful day has come: Amazon is upping the price of its Prime membership. From April 17th, a year of Prime will cost $99 a year, up $20 from the current $79. Amazon has also changed the price its student members will pay, now asking for $49 a year. Its Prime Fresh membership will cost…

WSJ Reaffirms Rumors That Music Streaming Is Headed to Amazon Prime

Last month, Re/codereported that Amazon was in talks to create a streaming music service to bundle with Prime subscriptions. Now, the Wall Street Journal is reaffirming that rumor. The Journal reports that Amazon is “hoping to offer an on-demand music-streaming service” to Prime customers—but it also cites people familiar with the matter as claiming that…

The first-gen Kindle Paperwhite is finally getting the second-gen software features it’s been waiting for—including Goodreads, kid-friendly FreeTime, improved cloud organization, and a handful of other little benefits.

Report: Amazon Is Gearing Up to Add Free Streaming Music to Prime

Re/code reports the claims of industry sources who say Amazon is in talks to create a streaming music service that it would bundle with Prime subscriptions. The report makes a lot of sense, and if true, it would make Amazon Prime and even better deal than it already is. Think how amazing that would be!…

Rumor: Amazon Is Readying a Web TV Box (Again)

Re/code is reporting that Amazon is getting ready to launch an Android-powered web TV box to compete with Roku and and Apple. Sources tell Peter Kafka that Amazon “is aiming for a March rollout” of the set-top box, which was rumored to arrive last year in time for the holidays. Which it didn’t. Certainly a…

How to Cut the Cord and Ditch Cable Once and For All

The imminent merger between Time Warner Cable and Comcast heralds the start of a new era: one of even more expensive channel bundles, and even longer waits for service. It’s time to make like a rat and get the heck off this sinking ship of cable television. Here’s how you can keep watching your favorite…

Don’t Buy Jewelry on Amazon

Because Valentine’s Day is this weekend, Amazon is heavily promoting jewelry bargains. Makes sense! But are these discounts really a deal? Not exactly. If you can get through all the cheesy heart-shaped stones and necklaces with angel wings, there’s actually a decent selection of jewelry on Amazon. We asked Gemological Institute of America-educated Kristen Dowling,…

A Quick Guide to Amazon’s Latest Streaming Video Pilots

This year’s batch of brand new pilots from Amazon Studios just went live, and there are surprising number of stars in the mix. From a drug-laced drama about classical music with Gael Garcia-Bernal to a dysfunctional family comedy with Jeffrey Tambor (wait that sounds familiar), there’s something for everybody. Oh, and they’re all free to…