Amazon To Launch Streaming Video Device

Amazon is readying a new video streaming device similar to Roku and Apple TV.

The e-commerce giant is planning to introduce a device this fall dedicated to streaming video over the Internet and into its customers’ living rooms, according to three people familiar with the project who aren’t authorized to discuss it. They say the box will plug into TVs and give users access to Amazon’s expanding video offerings. Those include its à la carte Video on Demand store, which features newer films and TV shows, and its Instant Video service, which is free for subscribers to the Amazon Prime two-day shipping package. The Amazon set-top box will compete with similar products, such as the Roku, Apple TV, and the Boxee Cloud DVR, along with more versatile devices such as the Playstation 3 and the Xbox. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

Amazon is expected to enable Netflix and Hulu on the new device.

Amazon Launches Cloud Storage

Amazon has launched a cloud-based digital storage service, beating Apple and Google to what industry observers believe will be the next big thing for folks wishing to access their files from any computer or phone.

Amazon has announced its own cloud-based media streaming service. It's called the Amazon Cloud Player and you can start using it right now. It looks like you'll start out with 5 GB of free Cloud Drive storage, but be offered the chance to upgrade to 20 GB with an MP3 album purchase through Amazon. You'll be able to add songs and albums purchased from Amazon, as well as music from your own media library. Plus, documents, photos and video too. Once you've added media to the Cloud Drive, you'll be able to stream it via Amazon's Cloud Player for Web or the Cloud Player for Android app—yes, iOS users appear to be out of luck for now.

Apple is expected to launch a similar service tentatively titled Music Locker.

Amazon Launches "Bookstore Killer" App

Amazon has launched an iPhone app which allows users to scan the barcode of any title found in a bookstore and order it directly from them instead.

The latest version of Amazon Mobile, 1.2.8, contains a bar code scanner in its search screen. As with bar code scanners in other mobile apps, Amazon Mobile uses your iPhone's camera to take in a product's zebra-striped bar code. Amazon's servers then find a match, and after you select the item, you can sign in to your account to purchase the product on the spot. As on the regular Amazon Web site, you've got gift options and a choice of multiple shipping addresses. Just like before, you can also add the product to your wish list or cart for later purchasing.

Price comparison barcode scanning apps have already existed for a couple of years, but this one seems bound to be especially effective. A similar Amazon app was previously launched for the less popular Android.

Amazon Unveils Its First Cell Phone

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos today unveiled his company's first cell phone, the Fire Phone. First-look reviewers are (mostly) impressed. Via The Verve:

The Fire Phone has a 4.7-inch HD display, aluminum buttons, a Qualcomm processor, Adreno 330 graphics, and 2GB of RAM. Bezos talked a lot about the phone's build, from the injection-molded connectors to the chamfered edges. There's a set of stereo speakers that Bezos promised are better than your average phone, and a set of headphones he swears that won't tangle. (That last bit sounds impossible, but we'll have to wait and see.) There's also a 13-megapixel camera, an f/2.0 lens, and optical image stabilization. Bezos compared the Fire Phone to the iPhone 5S and the Samsung Galaxy S5, saying that no matter the situation the Fire Phone will take better shots. There's a quick-access shutter button on the side, and unlimited cloud storage for your photos. That's where Amazon has an advantage, really, its ability to do cloud storage cheaply and well.

More details from Engadget:

Amazon's first ever phone has a 4.7-inch Gorilla Glass display with a HD resolution screen (we're assuming it's 720p). That makes it the same size as the Moto X, which was also supposed to be a phone for the masses. It also has a rubberized frame with aluminium buttons, a quad-core 2.2GHz processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. As for the camera, there's a 13-megapixel rear-facing one equipped with a f/2.0 lens and optical image stabilization. The phone's display will have 590 nits of brightness, dynamic image contrast and a "circular polarizer," though we're not entirely clear on what that means yet. There's also a dedicated camera key and luckily for all you amateur photogs, it'll come with unlimited cloud storage for photos as well. It's available from AT&T for $199 if you want the 32GB version, or $299 if you prefer the 64GB. If you'd rather go off-contract instead, you can get phone directly from Amazon for $649 for 32GB and $749 for 64GB.

The phone has already appeared on the Amazon site, but the product links aren't live at this writing. The shipping date is listed as July 25th.

Amazon Launches iPad-ish Kindle

Via Atlantic:

Tomorrow Amazon will unveil its answer to the iPad, reports TechCrunch's MG Seigler. "On Wednesday morning in New York City, Amazon will unveil the Kindle Fire. Yes, this is the name Amazon has settled on, to help differentiate the product from the e-ink Kindles, which will still be very much alive and for sale." With Amazon's online retail foothold, its tablet could present a threat to Apple's dominance--at least we think so.

Slightly smaller than the iPad, should retail for around $300.

One Million Moms Vs Amazon

What took them so long?

Dear Joe, Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite commercial promotes gay marriage. Instead of Amazon remaining neutral in the culture war while showcasing how their product has no glare even at the beach, they chose to promote sin. The commercial starts off with a guy and a girl sitting on the beach with their Kindles. At the end, the girl mentions her husband is getting her a drink, and the guy says, "So is mine." They both turn around to see their 'husbands' waiting for their drinks. Both men at the bar wave to their spouse. Homosexuality is wrong just like other sexual sins of heterosexual sex before marriage, adultery, and pornography, but Amazon has chosen to promote gay marriage in their advertisement. This ad has been airing during programs such as "American Idol" when children are likely watching. These commercials are airing nationwide and are damaging to the minds of young children and adolescents.

Their attached form letter demands that Amazon "pull this commercial immediately" or "at least" edit out the ending that reveals that the man is gay.

Linda Harvey's Book Pulled From Amazon

Back2Stonewall reports that Linda Harvey's book, Maybe He's Not Gay, has been pulled from Amazon after complaining emails. Harvey has not promoted the book's availability on Amazon and it remains on sale at Next Century, a small self-publishing outlet. Back in October, Amazon pulled thousands of "abuse-themed" e-books, some of which depicted rape, bestiality, and incest. That move was criticized by some as the sweeping deletions apparently included titles that might be considered mere erotica that didn't touch on rape, incest, etc. I'm unaware of any other "ex-gay" books having been pulled from Amazon under their "abuse-theme" rule, if that's why Linda Harvey's book has been pulled.

#AmazonFail

Gay Twitterland blew up over the weekend over the news that Amazon was removing titles with LGBT content from its hotly-followed sales rankings.

The number one word being used over and over on Twitter at this moment is "AmazonFail." Why? Users are angry about a perceived anti-gay policy that removes lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender books from appearing in sales rankings. Author Mark Probst writes on his blog that two days ago, "mysteriously, the sales rankings disappeared from two newly-released high profile gay romance books: 'Transgressions' by Erastes and 'False Colors' by Alex Beecroft. Everybody was perplexed. Was it a glitch of some sort? The very next day HUNDREDS of gay and lesbian books simultaneously lost their sales rankings, including my book 'The Filly.'" Probst eventually got a response from Amazon.com Advantage member services, he says.

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature. Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us. Best regards, Ashlyn D, Member Services,Amazon.com Advantage

All gay content is now "adult"? Michelangelo Signorile notes that all of his decidedly non-erotic books have lost their rankings. Signorile: "In my case it is a clear suppression of political speech. It's that simple." Even the "gay boys growing up" anthology I contributed to a few years ago has lost its ranking.

A petition for Amazon to restore LGBT titles to its sales rankings is here.

UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan reports that his books have been de-listed as well.

UPDATE II: Amazon is now claiming that the whole thing is just a programming "glitch." Anybody buying that? Since they are now backpedaling, I think we have to give the win to Twitter.

Amazon Readies New Kindles

Gizmodo notes that Amazon says it's all out of the Kindle Fire. For the moment.

Staples' U.S. retail chief Demos Parneros recently said Amazon was prepping "five or six" new tablets. What that likely means—if there's any basis to it at all—is several storage options in two different sizes. So theoretically, a 7-inch Kindle Fire with 8GB, another with 16GB, and another with 32GB, as well as a 10-inch Fire with those same configurations. In that same vein, there have also been murmurings of a 4G Kindle Fire. However, that intel comes by way of an analyst and well, analysts say a lot of crap that you'd think they dreamed and said out loud but they wish they hadn't. And while 4G has become table stakes for premium tablets in the last year, it's equally possible that Amazon will forego it to keep the price down.

I'd consider an e-reader but it's all I can do to lug my giant phone around.

TRAILER: Transparent

Via CNET:

Amazon's original-TV-series push, overshadowed by Netflix since its beginning, is taking a couple of pages out of its bigger rival's playbook with Amazon's next show. Amazon said Wednesday that it will release all 10 episodes of "Transparent" on Prime Instant Video in the US and UK on September 26. Like Netflix's programs, the dark comedy has critical buzz and a creator with impressive bona fides. Also like Netflix, Amazon will make it available in a big, binge-able bunch.The half-hour dark comedy from Jill Soloway, an Emmy-nominated writer on "Six Feet Under" who won a directing award at Sundance last year, tracks a Los Angeles family as its patriarch's secret life comes out. Skirting outright spoilers, the series' title is a pun. It stars Jeffrey Tambor -- known for playing George Bluth Sr. in Netflix's "Arrested Development," among his long list of credits -- as well as Judith Light, Gaby Hoffmann, Amy Landecker and Jay Duplass.

Time To Re-Review Matt Barber's Book

Last week I suggested checking out anti-gay activist Matt Barber's new book, The Right Hook, and offering up your reviews on Amazon. Many of you did, to hilarious effect, although most of your reviews were later removed after Barber and his male lover Peter LaBarbera stamped their delicate stilettos on wingnut radio shows and websites.

Reviewers are being highly critical of a book on the culture war -- a book they couldn't possibly have read yet. The book entitled The Right Hook - From the Ring to the Culture War is authored by Matt Barber, who is well known for his analysis of the homosexual agenda. Although the book is on Amazon.com, it will not be available until November. Even so, activists are already ripping it in the comments section. Matt Barber "The homosexual activist blog has turned people loose doing fraudulent reviews, negative one-star reviews of my book, ostensibly to try to discourage people from buying the book and reading it," reports Barber. According to the author, this is taking place even though the book is one they could not have read in advance. Considering this, Barber says, "This just illustrates that the left, liberals, secular leftists, socialists, and homosexual activists...don't want to argue the debate because they know they lose on the merits -- so they have to employ these Orwellian propaganda tactics to keep the message from getting out."

Oh, but hang on a minute, Miss Barberella! A quick check of Amazon today reveals there are now 25 five-star reviews of your book which you claim is not available until early November. Why, it's as if Godly homo-hating Christians are posting reviews of a book they have not read! How "fraudulent"! How "Orwellian"!

RightWingWatch reports that Matt Barber's book is entirely comprised of previously published columns, there is literally "nothing new" there. Go here for a complete chapter-by-chapter linkfarm to every word in Matt Barber's The Right Hook. Read them and resubmit your knowledgable review to Amazon.

Amazon Supports Gay Marriage!

Online behemoth Amazon has publicly stated their support for the marriage equality bill about to be voted on by the legislature of their home state. Wahoo!

"Amazon is joining other Pacific Northwest companies, including Microsoft, Starbucks and Nike, in support of Washington state's marriage equality bills," Amazon said in a statement released by spokeswoman Mary Osako. "The spirit of these bills is consistent with our longstanding employment practices." Gay marriage supporters believe they have enough votes to pass the measure out of both houses, and Gov. Chris Gregoire has said she'll sign it into law.

Do I hear another boycott call? Squeee!

Websites Ordered To Charge NY Sales Tax

In a case that may be headed for the Supreme Court, a New York appeals court has ruled that out-of-state websites such as Amazon must charge state sales tax.

The case, combining two brought by Amazon and Overstock.com Inc, was decided by the New York State Court of Appeals by a vote of 4-1. "It's unfortunate and the (U.S.) Supreme Court ought to look at this," Overstock acting Chief Executive Jonathan Johnson told Reuters by phone. "We have states saying different things," he said, citing a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court that a similar tax was not permissible. The U.S. Supreme Court typically accepts cases where lower courts issue conflicting opinions. "The ruling by the New York Court of Appeals conflicts with both the U.S. Supreme Court's precedents and with contrary decisions by other state courts that have looked at the same issue," an Amazon spokesman said by email.

Amazon already charges sales tax in states where they have physical presence. Eight other states have passed laws similar to New York's.

Kindle 2 Unveiled

Amazon is unveiling the second generation of its Kindle ebook device today. Details are sketchy at the moment, but CNET predicts a few changes.

What the final product will look like is unknown, but if a new Kindle is launched Monday it's easy to imagine it will be lighter, slimmer, and have an updated look. The original design was largely panned for being too bulky and having too many sharp edges, as well as an interface that wasn't as user-friendly as some had hoped. Even beyond that, there are a whole host of tweaks to the device consumers want to see in the next Kindle: wider support of file formats like PDF; a color screen; touch-screen capabilities like swiping to turn a page (as with Sony's Reader); and, more particularly, redesign of the "next page" button, which is located near the spot where many hold the device while reading.

Yahoo Finance is reporting that Amazon is also making its ebook titles available for mobile phones, as is Google.

Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said Friday that the Seattle-based online retailer is working on making Kindle books available "on a range of mobile phones." The company is not yet saying when the books will be available, or on which phones. Another e-book provider, Mobipocket, which is owned by Amazon, already sells titles that can be read on numerous smart phones. And on Thursday, Google Inc. announced that titles available from its Book Search service can now be read on Apple Inc.'s iPhone or a phone running its Android operating system. For now that would just be the G1, which is sold by T-Mobile.

The Kindle is currently selling for $359, but the device is frequently out of stock.

Tomorrow: Watch Transparent For Free

Via Yahoo News:

Transparent is putting Amazon on the map for original programming in a bigger way than any of the company’s other shows have. And there are awards to prove it. Jill Solloway’s series earned two Golden Globes earlier this month. One was for best television comedy or musical; Amazon knocked off Netflix’s Orange is the New Black to win that one. The other went to series lead Jeffrey Tambor, who has received universal praise for his performance in the show’s first season. And on Saturday, Amazon will use all of that buzz to sell a whole ton of new Prime subscriptions. The company will make Transparent's entire first season free to stream for all customers, not just those paying yearly for Prime.

e-Books Outselling Print

For the first time, e-books outsold printed books at Amazon over the holidays.

eBooks, some of them free eBooks, outsold print books this Christmas. On December 26, Amazon announced that, for the first time ever, they had sold more eBooks than physical books on Christmas day. In an interview Jeff Bezos was also quoted as saying that he believes that the print book will eventually disappear. And how much money is Amazon making? How much money are authors and publishers making? When GalleyCat examined the Kindle Store bestsellers, they found that 64 of the 100 bestselling eBooks, the majority, were, in fact, free, including the number one bestseller, "Midnight in Madrid", by Noel Hynd.

I've never been one to save books to put them on display as proof of having read them, but I think I'll always prefer a physical book. How do you share a favorite e-book?

Winners In A Losing Economy

Two companies somehow doing OK these days are Amazon.....

Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest Internet retailer, posted an 8.7 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit after promotions and discounts lured consumers to its Web site. Sales beat estimates, sending the shares up 13 percent. Net income climbed to $225 million, or 52 cents a share, from $207 million, or 48 cents, a year earlier, the Seattle- based company said today in a statement. Sales rose 18 percent to $6.7 billion, compared with an estimate of $6.45 billion in a Bloomberg survey of analysts.

And McDonald's:

US fast-food giant McDonald's said Monday its 2008 net profit soared 80 percent from a year, lifted by growing demand from consumers seeking low-cost meals in a deepening global recession. Net profit for the full year totaled 4.3 billion dollars, compared with 2.3 billion in 2007, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company said in a statement. Excluding exceptional items, earnings per share were 3.76 dollars, widely exceeding consensus market forecasts of 3.63 dollars. The robust annual results came despite a sharp 23 percent decline in fourth-quarter net profit to 985 million dollars, from 1.273 billion in the 2007 fourth quarter. Fourth-quarter earnings per share were 87 cents, above expectations of 83 cents. "2008 was a strong year for McDonald's," chief executive Jim Skinner said in the statement.

RELATED: Much of Amazon's jump is due to the Kindle, which sold out again over the holidays.

OHIO: Parents Sue Amazon After Son Overdoses On Caffeine Powder

Via the Associated Press:

The parents of an Ohio high-school student who overdosed on caffeine powder last May have filed a lawsuit against Amazon and the powder’s manufacturer, claiming they failed to provide suitable warnings. Doctors caution that people can overdose with ease. Dennis and Katie Stiner of LaGrange, Ohio claim the online retailer sold the Hard Rhino caffeine powder to a classmate of their son. Logan Stiner, 18, was found dead inside the family home last May, after consuming the powder. Medical examination declared the cause of death to be “cardiac arrhythmia and seizure caused by acute caffeine toxicity.” Amazon has declined to comment on the lawsuit, but the company did stop selling Hard Rhino after another man died in Georgia last summer. “Parents should be aware that these products may be attractive to young people,” the Food and Drug Agency said in an advisory issued, in December 2014, urging consumers to “avoid powdered pure caffeine” as it is “nearly impossible to accurately measure” a proper dosage at home.

The Hard Rhino powder has 4700mg of caffeine per teaspoon. An average cup of coffee contains about 320mg.

Sao Paulo Is Almost Out Of Water

The world's third-most populous city may be out of water in just a couple of weeks.

São Paulo, a Brazilian megacity of 20 million people, is suffering its worst drought in at least 80 years, with key reservoirs that supply the city dried up after an unusually dry year. One of the causes of the crisis may be more than 2,000 kilometers away, in the growing deforested areas in the Amazon region. “Humidity that comes from the Amazon in the form of vapor clouds - what we call ‘flying rivers’ - has dropped dramatically, contributing to this devastating situation we are living today,” said Antonio Nobre, a leading climate scientist at INPE, Brazil’s National Space Research Institute. The severity of the situation in recent weeks has led government leaders to finally admit Brazil’s financial powerhouse is on the brink of a catastrophe. São Paulo residents should brace for a “collapse like we’ve never seen before” if the drought continues, warned Vicente Andreu, president of Brazil’s Water Regulatory Agency. Dilma Pena, chief executive officer of Sabesp, the state-owned water utility that serves the city, warned last week that São Paulo only has about two weeks of drinking water supplies left.

The region's main reservoir is only at 5.3% of its capacity. According to the above-linked Reuters report. the Amazon lost another 2300 square miles of rainforest just last year.

Amazon Strikes Deal With USPS For Sunday Deliveries In LA And NYC

Amazon has struck a deal with the US Postal Service who will begin delivering their packages on Sundays.

Starting this week, the postal service will bring Amazon packages on Sundays to shoppers' doors in the Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas at no extra charge. Next year, it plans to roll out year-round Sunday delivery to Dallas, New Orleans, Phoenix and other cities. Getting packages on Sundays normally is expensive for customers. United Parcel Service Inc. doesn't deliver on Sundays, according to a spokeswoman. And FedEx Corp. said Sunday "is not a regular delivery day," though limited options are available. The deal could be a boon for the postal service, which has been struggling with mounting financial losses and has been pushing to limit general letter mail delivery to five days a week. Spokeswoman Sue Brennan said that letter mail volume is declining "so extremely," yet package volume is "increasing in double-digit percentages."

Matt Drudge is very upset!