Tag: amazon

‘Twas the week before Christmas, so FINISH YOUR SHOPPING.

Amazon still has four days left for free two-day, so get on that. Link here.

It’s interesting, by the way, just how quickly this paradigm changes.  I’ve gotten used to the idea that, yeah, sure, when I wake up in the morning there’s going to be a bunch of Christmas presents out on the front porch because Amazon’s having a really busy month.  And I no longer feel even vaguely guilty that I’m skipping all that brick-and-mortar shopping.  I had to hit the Target a couple of times this week, and… hoo, brother, even weekday morning shopping is all nerve-jangling now.

[snip]

I almost wrote out Amazon is getting close to becoming a public utility, there.  Which should probably worry Amazon: when pundits start making that assumption, watch out. That kind of thinking is like a lure to the spirits of Creative Destruction. …But that’s going to happen before next Wednesday, so go finish your shopping.  Again: link here.

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day: Dragon Age Inquisition.

Because it’s Cyber Monday, and because I’ve been playing Dragon Age Inquisition since it came out and it’s been damned fun to play, so that 25% off is a good deal even if you do have to wait for the patch like I’m doing right now.  Reminder via Instapundit: and, remember.  If you’re buying stuff on Amazon this holiday season, make sure that you buy it via an affiliate link from your favorite site.  This goes for lurkers, too: even if you hate me there’s certainly somebody out there who you do like who could use the ad revenue. Every little bit helps.

I’d say, ‘Amazon buries the Hachette,’ but that’s not really what happened.

Interesting.

Hachette Book Group and Amazon have settled their dispute over terms and are returning to “normal trading” immediately and Hachette titles “will be prominently featured in promotions,” the two companies jointly announced yesterday.

The multi-year agreement for e-book and print sales in the U.S. takes effect early next year and leaves the agency model for e-book pricing intact. The companies said that “Hachette will have responsibility for setting consumer prices of its e-books, and will also benefit from better terms when it delivers lower prices for readers.” They also said that Hachette titles “will be prominently featured in promotions.” The phrasing resembles that of the recent agreement over terms between Amazon and Simon & Schuster.

Via AoSHQ: unlike OregonMuse, I do wonder who won. First take is that nobody’s entirely happy. But I figure that I’ll find out eventually.  Not like I own stock in either company (I am an Amazon Associate, of course).

My review of the Amazon Fire Phone.

Bottom line is… the Amazon Fire Phone is a phone, sorry. I don’t speak uber-tech, or whatever: I can tell you that the phone is big enough to be able to see things on it; that it recharges pretty quick; that Twitter has been known to freeze more than that it does on my iPod; and that the map function, thankfully, works fine and can get you somewhere else even when you’ve gotten seriously lost. The layout is a lot like the Amazon Kindle Fire itself; it pulled my Kindle books over, no problem.

And, you know, you can make calls on it.

Bottom line is, there are glitches to the thing – I actually largely use it as a phone, because email and Twitter both are still a little hesitant to interface with it – but while it’s not as flashy as an iPhone the Amazon phone is also a danged sight cheaper, while doing the same basic tasks. God knows why I needed yet another electronic gadget to keep me wired, but this one hasn’t made me regret buying it yet. Although, admittedly, I need a cell phone these days anyway (and I don’t like that at all)…

I need a recommendation on a portable power pack for a CPAP.

I’m going camping, I have sleep apnia, and I need something that can provide power overnight for a 120-240v ~ 50/60Hz, 2.1A [12V – 5.0 A] device.  Assume that I can recharge during the day from a power socket.  Please bear in mind that while I know that V = volts, Hz = Hertz, and A presumably = amps, my eyes will glaze over when we go deeper into those weeds (I have apparently subconsciously decided that anything engineering-related is to be filed under ‘let my wife take point on that’).  The more it costs, the harder it will be for me to justify spending the money, although a portable power pack isn’t a bad thing to have around the house generally.

Available on Amazon?  Definite plus.  I need this before the end of the week.

You know, this might be a viable alternative to getting a JesusPhone.

God knows it’ll almost certainly be cheaper.

Amazon is planning to announce a new phone June 18 that will use lots of cutting edge mobile technology to unite real-world shopping with Amazon’s online marketplace.

Not surprisingly, the phone is ideal for shopping with a large screen and multiple 3D cameras and sensors built in, a source with knowledge of the device told VentureBeat.

I wonder if it’ll support a decent text editor? It’s supposed to be a little larger than usual, the better to help people use it for shopping.

I hope that True Detective is part of this deal.

Because if it is: sweet.

I assume that they’ll price it accordingly and this way I wouldn’t have to wait for the DVD set to come out*. The way TV works is funny these days, huh?

Moe Lane

*I’m not getting cable just to get HBO, although if they offered it separately I might change my mind on that.

See, this is why I don’t buy stuff via iTunes.

In theory it’s a viable alternative to Amazon; in practice it’s turning out to be a royal pain in the rear.

The basic situation: I wanted an album. It was there on iTunes. iTunes supposedly took PayPal: I had funds that were parked in PayPal; this seemed a good match. So I pay via PayPal, they give me the item, and… my PayPal account was not charged. Continue reading See, this is why I don’t buy stuff via iTunes.

So, it’s Christmas Eve, and you’re insanely behind on your shopping. #dontpanic

I’m not gonna ask you why that happened; I’m not gonna judge.  But I am gonna tell you how to get out of this hole:

Personalized Amazon.com Gift Cards.

…This is perfect: you add a photo to the card, send it to your target, and voila! It looks like you meant to give an Amazon Gift Card all along. And nobody will ever know.  It’s foolproof!

No, no need to thank me: I’m a giver.

Moe Lane