Amazon has introduced a new program that allows customers to trade-in electronics, books, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and video games. The electronics category includes items such as cellphones, MP3 players, digital cameras, standalone GPS navigators, tablets, and even calculators. After selecting an item to trade in, users can print a free shipping label and receive a gift card after the item is verified.
Amazon has listed the HTC Thunderbolt for $130 for this weekend only. The deal applies to new subscribers to Verizon’s network who purchase the device by midnight Pacific Time this Monday and opt for a 2-year plan. The phone is currently retailing on Verizon’s own website at $250 for new customers signing up to a similar plan. This represents a saving of $120 for the recently released 4G-capable mobile phone.
Shortly after Motorola confirmed plans to launch a Wi-Fi version of its Xoom tablet, some retailers have already listed the device for pre-order. Amazon is currently taking pre-orders for the full retail price of $599. Customers will have to wait until March 27 for the tablet to ship, when it will also arrive at other retailers such as Best Buy, Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart and Radio Shack, among others.
Amazon has released a free public beta of its Kindle application for Mac. The utility allows users to read Kindle books without the standalone device. The company's Whispersync technology enables automatic synchronization of information such as last page reads and annotations.
Amazon on Thursday released its fourth-quarter earnings report, indicating a net income increase of 75 percent to reach $9.5 billion. CEO Jeff Bezos claims that "millions of people now own Kindles," although the company has yet to release specific distribution numbers for the e-book reader.
The American Booksellers Association, a group that represents many independent bookstores, has submitted a letter to the US Department of Justice asking for an investigation into the pricing practices of Amazon.com, Walmart and Target. The organization is accusing the retailers of illegal predatory pricing.
Following the official confirmation of a launch date and pricing information for the upcoming Zune HD, Microsoft has also detailed a number of accessories. The AV Dock can be used to play 720p movies, TV shows and videos from the portable device to an HDTV without sacrificing the HD resolution.
YouTube is integrating functionality for Amazon.com and Apple's iTunes Store into YouTube partner video pages, allowing users to purchase related content from record companies like EMI, or various software packages, books, and other media. The move comes in response to many users' requests of where to find a particular song, or when a game would be released. YouTube says the feature is designed to provide users with a non-obtrusive way to obtain legitimate copies of content.
TiVo on Tuesday announced it has teamed up with Amazon to offer buyers the opportunity to buy items associated with the shows they're watching via their TiVo remote. The new Product Purchase feature gives television advertisers to promote products sold on Amazon.com via in-show pop-ups that are related to mainstream TV shows. The feature would not only allow the possibility of viewers purchasing products featured on shows, such as a new album or book of a guest on a talk show such as Oprah.
