Commerce

The First Book Ever Ordered from Amazon Is Equal Parts Appropriate and Unexpected

Above is the first book-and first packing slip-ever to leave Amazon’s online warehouse. Well, other than the ones employees bought on test runs, or beta users. It was purchased by computer scientist John Wainwright on April 3rd, 1995. It’s not a classic, nor was it on any bestseller list at the time. It’s the liner…

Presented Without* Comment

THIS IS A SCANDAL!Apparently the Kindle Fire HD versus iPad Mini comparative ad in Amazon’s front page has “FLUNKED THE REALITY TEST”! Stop the fucking presses! As some astute [journalists/fanboys/amateur PR people] have discovered, everything is correct except for the fact that the iPad has stereo speakers, not mono! Goddamn cheaters! I’m glad someone called…

Amazon Sold the Most Kindle Fire HDs since Launch the Day After the iPad Mini Was Announced

If you’re wondering if the iPad Mini had an effect on its competitors, it did. Just not the one you were thinking. The Kindle Fire HD actually had its biggest day of sales since its launch, the day after the iPad Mini was announced. In a statement sent to AllThingsD, Amazon said: “Wednesday was the…

Amazon Somehow Lost $274 Million Selling $13.8 Billion Worth of Stuff

If you thought Amazon’s prices seemed too good to be true, well, it turns out they might be—for Amazon, at least. The company managed to turn $13.8 billion of revenue into a $274 million loss this past quarter. And while a big chunk of that was due to losses at LivingSocial and foreign-exchange rates, all…

You Don’t Own the Books on Your Kindle

On a dark and stormy night, an employee of your local bookstore strolls into your home, starts tossing books you’d purchased over the last few years into a box, and – despite your protest – takes them all away without saying a word. Thankfully that’s not what happened to Linn Jordet Nygaard. Well, not exactly.…

Amazon continues its push for world domination, rolling out the Kindle Store, Paperwhite and Fire in Japan. [Amazon]

Amazon Discontinuing the Kindle Touch

Just a week after the Kindle DX was axed, seems Amazon is trimming its product line further: evidence suggests that its Kindle Touch is to be discontinued, with the Paperwhite filling the gap. https://gizmodo.com/amazon-quietly-discontinuing-the-kindle-dx-5951729 Paid Content reports that the Touch is “currently unavailable”—but crucially a link points to “a newer model of this item” which…

Amazon Deletes Woman’s Account and Kindle Data, Refuses to Explain Why (Updated)

Amazon’s terms of service grants it basically god-like authority over its domain, but we all buy in because we believe that the company will be benevolent with its power. That’s not always the case. Here’s the story of a user whose account was deleted and her Kindle wiped with no explanation whatsoever. Tech blogger Martin…

Amazon’s Binder Pages Are Now Full of Funny Romney-Related Reviews

It had to happen: there are now whole Amazon binder pages full of humorous reviews ridiculing Mitt Romney and his “whole binders full of women” phrase, from yesterday’s debate. Some of them are ok. Some are really funny. Check them at [Amazon] http://gawker.com/5952447/those-binders-full-of-women-turns-out-romney-didnt-commission-them-compile-them-or-pay-particular-attention-to-them

Amazon in Talks to Buy Texas Instruments’ Mobile Chip Division

Amazon is apparently in “advanced negotiations” with Texas Instruments, in an attempt to buy its smartphone and tablet oriented OMAP chip division. The news was reported by Calcalist.co.il (Hebrew) and hasn’t been confirmed by either company yet. However, Assaf Gilad, the journalist behind the story, has correctly spotted industry buy-outs in the past. According to…

Amazon Quietly Discontinuing the Kindle DX

Amazon has been busily updating its Kindle lineup over the past few years, and now its flagship Fires and Paperwhite have media consumption covered. Along the way the massive Kindle DX has been ignored—and now it seems the device is being discontinued. https://gizmodo.com/kindle-fire-hd-review-everything-a-tablet-should-be-an-5942283 The eBook Reader points out that the DX is no longer available…

You’re About to Get Some Money Back on Your Kindle Books

Book publishers and the Department of Justice reached a settlement regarding that whole eBook-price fixing scheme last month, and now the savings are being passed on to you. If you bought one of the affected, overpriced Kindle books between April 2010 and May 2012, you’re about to get some money back. https://gizmodo.com/e-book-prices-should-start-dropping-soon-5941354 The settlement hasn’t…

Amazon Admits That the Kindle Paperwhite Has Some Problems

The Kindle Paperwhite is an awesome, awesome e-reader. But it’s not without problems! Users have been complaining about uneven lighting in the Paperwhite and other issues and it’s gotten so loud that Amazon has decided to respond. https://gizmodo.com/kindle-paperwhite-review-forget-everything-else-this-5947435 In a statement, Amazon talked about three problems people are complaining about with the Paperwhite: the lack…

Amazon Literally Makes No Money When You Buy a Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Fire HD

Jeff Bezos revealed to the BBC that Amazon makes no profit off the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Fire HD. Both devices are sold at cost, which means, both devices’ price is how much it costs Amazon to make them. That selling hardware for no profit is certainly much different from Apple’s strategy (they make a…

This E-Book Subscription Service Could Be Great for Amazon-Hating Avid Readers

Bibliophiles on a budget may have some bright news on the way: a burgeoning startup is getting ready to hit the literary world with the Spotify-style book service, Oyster. A yet-to-be-determined monthly fee will give the voracious readers of the world unlimited access to Oyster’s library. And while the launch date remains a mystery, we…

Author Rank lists Amazon’s bestselling authors. Now you can shop as intelligently as the herd! [Forbes]

Amazon is now giving sellers loans now with interest rates as high as 13 percent. What happened to going to the bank?

The Nook GlowLight Gets a Price Cut to Match the Kindle Paperwhite

With the new Kindle Paperwhite on the horizon, Barnes and Noble is making a move to try and keep its backlit e-ink reader relevant. In order to do that, they’ve dropped its price to $119, the same as the ad-supported Kindle Paperwhite. Both Target and Walmart are advertising the new, lower price for the Nook…

How the Kindle Paperwhite Got Its Shine

We know first-hand that the new Kindle Paperwhite is a stunning little device, but how did it get so good? The Amazon employee’s who developed the reader have gotten together to explain. Interestingly enough, they cite the ultimate goal as being able to make a device that sort of “disappears” as you use it. That’s…

JK Rowling’s New Book Is a Total Disaster on the Kindle (Updated)

JK Rowling’s new book The Casual Vacancy—her first for adults—is a pretty big deal in the publishing world. So is the Kindle. And that is why it is so very funny and great that the Kindle version of the ebook seems to be a woefully misshapen train wreck. So this is obviously a file formatting…