Consumerist
kindle 2
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video wars
DVD Price War: Harry Potter, Star Trek For $10
Walmart announced yesterday that it will be slashing prices to below wholesale on 10 of the most popular DVDs that will be released soon, says the LA Times. Target announced that it will be matching Walmart. Amazon has not yet responded. More » -
amazon payphrase
Amazon.com Thinks Reader's Balls Are Splendid
Amazon's new PayPhrase service has its advantages and disadvantages, but one curious feature is that the system generates sample phrases for you. Usually these are pretty innocuous and uplifting—"Laura's Amazing Effort" and the like. But not for Gil. The PayPhrase system took the opportunity to comment on his private parts, and generated the phrase "Gil's Splendid Balls" for him. More » -
price war
Walmart, Amazon, Target Rationing Below-Cost Books To Keep Independent Bookstores From Cashing In
Independent book stores can't even buy new releases for the low prices that Target, Walmart, and Amazon are offering them to the public — which has led to rationing in order to keep the independents from buying and reselling the books at a profit. More » -
payphrase
Amazon Launches PayPhrase: Buy Stuff By Typing Two Words
Amazon has a launched a new way of paying online called PayPhrase that only requires you to enter a two-word phrase and four-digit PIN. More » -
music
Google's New Music Search Launches, But Your Buying Options Remain The Same
The new music search capabilities that Google introduced today will make it easier to quickly find a song you can't remember the name of, or sample some tracks from an artist you're interested in. But it's not so much a new service as a more efficient combination of a bunch of services already scattered around the web. More » -
deals
Give Amazon $80, Get Video Games And $40 Credit
If you have $80 and a lust for video games, Amazon has a deal for you, which was spotted by Joystiq. Spend the money on pre-selected video games and you get a $40 credit. More » -
fraud prevention
Kindle Fees Trigger Fraud Alert On Visa Card
Considering the growing amount of credit card fraud, it's not surprising that banks are becoming more and more vigilant about identifying suspicious transactions. It's too bad they haven't been as successful at filtering out false positives or promptly notifying customers, as James Fallows at The Atlantic recently discovered when he got his account frozen for sending files to his Kindle.
"Maybe Amazon and Visa should talk?" [The Atlantic]
(Photo: TheTruthAbout...) -
Kindle coming to a PC near you next month. Amazon's Kindle software will be available as a free download for PC users starting next month. Versions for Macs and BlackBerrys will be available next year. All will have DRM, though users will be spared the pain of having to download their locked-down lit via AT&T's 3G network, which has replaced Sprint's more reliable data network in recent hardware Kindles.
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ebooks
B&N Ebook Reader Lets You Loan A Book Just Once
One of the big selling points about the Nook, the new ebook reader introduced this week by Barnes & Noble, is that unlike Amazon they'll let you virtually "loan" your ebook to a friend for up to 14 days (if the publisher allows it). What they don't tell you—some smart readers over at MobileRead sussed it out—is that you can only do this one time per book. You'd better lend wisely—and your friend had better finish that book within 14 days. More » -
follow ups
Amazon Makes Up For UPS's Flattened Package Mishap With $10 Credit
Even though it most likely wasn't Amazon's fault that Lucas's iPod arrived in a hippo-flattened package, a company rep stepped in and gave him a $10 credit to say sorry. More » -
handled with care
UPS: iPod Touch Delivered In Box Looks Like Hippo Sat On
Lucas opened his door one day to find this mangled package, containing an iPod Touch that was a birthday gift for his wife. No doubt he had the same expression as Rosemary when she saw her baby for the first time. More » -
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price wars
Walmart Now Offering New Hardcovers For $9
Walmart just tried to undercut Amazon on, of all things, books. They've announced that they're now selling the "top 10 pre-selling books" for $9 each, with free home delivery. Amazon has responded by dropping its price to $9 on the same titles, but their free shipping doesn't kick in until you buy $25 worth of merchandise (or pay the annual fee for Amazon Prime). Price war! More » -
i want it now
Amazon Same Day Delivery: Will You Ever Leave The House Again?
If you live in New York, Seattle, or a handful of other cities, and you've got to have that book, DVD or Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Funhouse right now, Amazon has a deal for you. The mega-etailer is now offering same-day delivery — for a price that may just send you out to the nearest subway: as much as $19 to get a single book delivered. More » -
follow-ups
Man Twists Amazon's Arm, Gets It To Accept Money It Gave Away
Joshua had a problem with Amazon. He and his wife bought Kindles, broke one and went for a return/exchange, in which the couple ended up with a new Kindle and $300 of Amazon's money in its account. More » -
wondrous tales of the amazon
Amazon Is Just Giving Money Away Now
It's not often that we get an email from a reader complaining about a company that gives him money and won't take it back, but with Amazon, anything is possible. More » -
honesty
Virtuous Amazon Customer Uses Same Gift Certificate Twice, Fesses Up, Keeps Cash
Some people who got away with using a $60 gift certificate on two separate Amazon orders would take the merchandise and run, hoping to get to use it a third time. More » -
hilarious overpricings
$12.6 Million Seems Like A Lot For A TV, But Think Of The Savings
Unbeatable Sale, Inc. is offering a deal on a 47-inch HDTV befitting of its name on Amazon. The company is charging $12,555,000 for the TV which seems a bit outrageous until you consider the following factors: More »
