Consumerist
kindle 2
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gift cards
Reader Says Amazon's Gift Card Rules Are Stifling
Patrick says Amazon won't let you use gift cards to buy items that come with discounts in the form of gift cards. More » -
warnings
You Can't Use A Barnes & Noble Gift Card For Ebooks
Update: Barnes & Noble says they're changing this policy. If you or someone you know is getting a nook, Barnes & Noble's version of the Kindle, this year and you want to use a gift card to fill it with books, forget it. For mysterious reasons, the retailer won't allow it. (By contrast, Amazon does.) More » -
ask the consumerists
What's Too Much Work For A Price Match?
What do you do when you're unhappy with a transaction and the merchant wants to make things right, but you think their terms are unreasonable? That's what Raymond wants to know. He tells us that Aldo is willing to price match after sending him a marked down item that he paid full price for online, but thinks they want him to go too far to prove it. More » -
ebooks
Sony's Ebook Store Prices Too High? Try Shortcovers
Michael bought a Sony Pocket Reader last month, but with the exception of $10 bestsellers, he's finding that other books he wants are priced higher than he's willing to pay. For example, Tad Friend's memoir Cheerful Money is $10 on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble, but $17.49 from Sony. Michael wants to know if we have any advice on how to get Sony to lower their prices. More » -
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 » -
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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 »
