Amazon Prime = Netflix-Style Streaming

It has been rumored for some time, but apparently it is no longer a rumor. Amazon.Com is now offering unlimited video streaming to all existing (paid) Amazon Prime customers. I was already a customer for the discounted shipping (mostly for Christmas buying) so this is a NICE perk for me. It is likely to keep me a Prime Customer for the next billing cycle, anyway.

I am sure this intended to compete with NetFlix, but I doubt I'll be dropping one to keep the other. I guess we'll see.

UPDATE 7:00 PM: Experiments have proven that only the MAIN Amazon Prime account. Guest accounts are not eligible without upgrade.

Review of the Kindle 3

Prior to the release of the iPad, I was a big fan of the Amazon Kindle. And I am still a big fan of the Kindle service and use it all the time on the iPhone and iPad. The ability to have the same books everywhere is invaluable to me.

But I will admit that the new Kindle 3 due out in a few days is a compelling upgrade. Faster processor, better battery, lighter, and now with Wifi. So, I am looking forward to reviews like this one highlighting the new device. I do believe eBooks are the future - if only as ONE aspect of reading. And Amazon hopes to own the category, even in the age of the iApps.

"Amazon Remembers" has a sense of humor

"Amazon Remembers" is a service of the Amazon iPhone App, where you take a photo of an item that you might want to later buy from Amazon.Com (or which you want to price-compare) and a human being will look at it and find a match (or something VERY close) on their website.

This is what I sent:


This is what the "Amazon Remembers" user recommended.


Clearly, NOT a Phillies fan. :-)

How scared is Amazon of the Apple iPad?

Amazon has been twitchy lately. They suddenly offered new deals to their suppliers for eBooks. Then they offer risk-free Kindles to some high-value customers. Then they de-list Macmillan's books over a contract dispute. All of that tightly around the Apple iPad and their new iBookstore. Clearly, Amazon is terrified of this threat to their business model.

The newest evidence of Amazon's paranoia? They have bought a multi-touch display company called Touchco. This is likely for future Kindles, which would imply that they are abandoning e-Ink technology central to current Kindles in favor of a more Apple-like technology.

The Amazon Kindle & Big Brother

On Friday, some strange news broke: all copies of George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm were being remotely deleted by Amazon from customer's Kindles. This seemed like a huge invasion of privacy - revoking already-completed sales just because they could due to the digital existence of eBooks. And it was made even more troubling by the choice of books being revoked - classic books about abuse of power and control of thought.

In the meantime, CNET has put up an explanation of the situation that is more balanced. Essentially, the books were being sold thru Amazon illegally. The publisher was claiming the books were in the public domain, when they were not. Thus, when the legitimate publisher found out, they objected and demanded all existing copies be repossessed.

While I agree with CNET that this puts Amazon in a slightly better light, it still leaves open the question, "Who is protecting the customer?" A more customer-sensitive decision would have been for Amazon to compensate the true publisher, punish the fraudsters, and allow customers to keep what they paid for.

Amazon has pledged to do better in the future. Here's hoping they do. Otherwise the Kindle may very well go from trailblazer to footnote.

Kindle 2.0 coming Monday?

I am a big fan of the Amazon Kindle. When it first came out, I was skeptical. I had played with eBooks before on Windows CE and Palm devices and they never really were able to deliver the goods. Book selection was limited, the screens have me a headache after a while, and as soon as I upgraded my PDA/Phone/Computer it was all lost, because of Draconian DRM. But I picked up the Kindle last year on a whim when it had a price drop, after looking around my room and realizing how much room I was wasting on books bought at Amazon.Com. And it quickly won me over. The ePaper screen was easy to read, the interface was clunky but worked perfectly for actually READING things, and the ability download books from anywhere was great.

Now, it is rumored that Amazon.Com is ready to release the second Kindle. The upgrades are unclear, but likely include a better form factor, better screen refreshes, and more memory. If they provide an easy upgrade path (which is expected), then I will be sorely tempted.

More Music Now Sold In MP3 Format

Warner Music has joined EMI and Universal by allowing Amazon to sell its entire catalog in MP3 format. (EMI and Universal, I believe, only offer some of their catalog.) What's more, Warner music does not watermark their MP3's. While I don't care so much about the watermarking, some consider it a privacy concern. Sony/BMG is now the only one of the four major music labels not selling their music in MP3 format.

Update 1: My bad, it's all of their digitized catalog. Oh well, that's still something.

A truly UNIQUE gift idea from Amazon.Com

Let me just say, "WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE THEY THINKING?" Oh, well. I guess Iran had to find some way to make its nuclear program profitable.

Hand-On Video Review of Amazon's New eBook Reader

Color me "interested but skeptical" when it comes to the Kindle. I must wonder whether it really is worth it when you can get an Asus Eee PC or OLPC for the same price. And when you can already read lots of books on your iPhone.