Proceeds from the handwritten book will go to charity
Bloomberg Dec 14, 07 3:54 PM CST
(Newser)
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The Internet giant of book sales revealed today that it was behind the purchase of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" in auction yesterday. Amazon paid $3.98 million for the handwritten manuscript -- a record for a children's book and for any modern literary manuscript, not to mention JK Rowling herself, reports Bloomberg . The money will go to a charity co-founded by the "Harry Potter" author.
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OPINION
New Republic calls shrinking coverage
a risk to society
New Republic Dec 9, 07 4:51 AM CST
(Newser)
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The book may be in decline in our fast-changing world, one complete with electronic readers and shrinking attention spans, but the editors at New Republic will have none of it. They reject the notion that books must conform to the digital age and take newspapers to task for the decline in quality—and quantity—of book reviews. "We toy with the obsolescence of the book at our mental peril," the editors write.
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Promotion deal pushing music companies to switch to DRM-free MP3 format
Reuters Dec 2, 07 11:55 PM CST
(Newser)
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Pepsi and Amazon aren’t music producers, but they may inspire large-scale changes in the industry, Reuters says. The two companies will launch a music download promotion of MP3 songs during the Super Bowl next year, a deal pushing music titans like Warner Music and Sony BMG to consider distributing songs in the same format, which bypasses digital rights management technology.
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Wall Street Journal Nov 28, 07 5:07 PM CST
(Newser)
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Amazon, Research in Motion and Google led a blue chip advance in the tech sector today, helping to pull the Nasdaq Composite up 3.2%, after a Fed officials reiterated the need for a “nimble” monetary policy, raising hopes the group will lower interest rates next month, the Wall Street Journal reports. Nasdaq added 82.11 points to close at 2662.91.
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Judge bashes request for book-buyers records as 'Orwellian'
MarketWatch Nov 28, 07 7:39 AM CST
(Newser)
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Federal prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking information on thousands of Amazon customers' book-buying habits, MarketWatch reports. The US Attorney's office had sought information on the purchasers of 24,000 used books in connection with a grand-jury probe of a third-party seller on Amazon. But the judge rejected the request, calling it "Orwellian."
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Kindle gets mixed reviews, but it's gone in a flash
Engadget Nov 22, 07 12:34 PM CST
(Newser)
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Amazon’s pre-Thanksgiving launch of the Kindle, an electronic book reader, sold out in just five and a half hours, reports Engadget. The $399 device is able to download books directly from Amazon’s wireless network, which piggybacks on Sprint’s, bypassing Wi-Fi hotspots and making it independent of computers. Instead of a monthly plan, users pay individually for books or newspapers.
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Newsweek looks at changes $399 device could wreak on reading
Newsweek Nov 19, 07 3:24 AM CST
(Newser)
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News that Amazon would debut its new Kindle e-book leaked earlier this week, and a Newsweek cover story has the full hype on what Jeff Bezos and company hope to achieve with it. "This isn't a device, it's a service," Bezos says of of the Kindle, pointing to its "Whispernet" wireless connection, which uses Sprint's EVDO network, as one of its key attributes.
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But similar devices haven't captured the public's imagination
CNET Nov 15, 07 9:58 PM CST
(Newser)
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Online retail giant Amazon.com will unveil its highly anticipated electronic-book reader on Monday in New York, an industry source tells CNET. In the works for more than a year, the Kindle is equipped with a Wi-Fi connection that taps into an Amazon e-book store, which users can access to buy new electronic books.
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Apple Insider Oct 30, 07 2:09 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Apple has moved 2 million copies of Mac OS X Leopard since the long-awaited operating system dropped Friday. The figure is Apple’s biggest for a new OS, far outpacing the sales of its predecessor Tiger, which took 6 weeks to break the same mark in 2005, AppleInsider reports. Steve Jobs crowed, “Leopard will be a huge hit with consumers.”
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Despite 313% jump, stock drops in after-hours trading
CNN Oct 24, 07 12:30 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Amazon reported strong increases in third-quarter sales, citing once again its low pricing and free shipping for success. But investors may have been hoping for an even larger increase, because Amazon's share prices fell over 8% in after-hours trading. The company netted a profit of $80 million for the quarter, an increase of 313% over last year’s figures, according to CNNMoney.
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Tech-heavy Nasdaq outperforms other indexes
Wall Street Journal Oct 22, 07 3:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The markets seesawed today as an afternoon rally faded then revived, led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Friday's bloodbath lingered into this morning, but a speech by Fed governor Randall Kroszner raised hopes for a rate cut, reports the Journal. The Dow closed up 44.95 at 13,566.97, the Nasdaq up 28.77 at 2,753.93, and the S&P up 5.70 at 1,506.33.
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There's no need to throw away cash on these 10 items you shouldn't buy new
MSN Money Oct 20, 07 6:01 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Some things, like lingerie and toothbrushes, are best purchased new. In other cases, used is just as good—and far cheaper. MSN Money gives you the lowdown: Books CDs and DVDs Little kids' toys
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Angry customer started campaign; online seller will get re-draft try
Ars Technica Oct 17, 07 5:16 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Amazon may be one patent poorer after the US Patent Office decimated its claim to the “1-Click” shopping cart emblem yesterday—throwing into question a 1999 infringement settlement with Barnes & Noble. The online orderer will have a chance to re-write its application, Ars Technica reports, but stands to lose the patent altogether after the patent office rejected 21 of its original 26 claims.
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Internet giant's hosting business will offer
99.9% server uptime
Wired Oct 10, 07 12:30 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Amazon.com has upgraded its rent-a-server service to a professional standard, guaranteeing 99.9% server up-time with compensation for excess downtime. "People thought for a while (Web Services) was just an experiment for Amazon,” said one IT manager, but with the new guarantee, “people are taking it more seriously.” The service is popular with startups that have unpredictable server needs.
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Music is unlocked,
but be careful who
you loan it to
Seattle Times Oct 10, 07 11:53 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Amazon's new MP3 store does a lot of things right: lower prices than iTunes, better audio quality and no embedded copyright-protection software. But as the Seattle Times' Brier Dudley warns, the fine print could get you, a real concern following last Thursday's $222,000 illegal distribution ruling against a Minnesota woman. Amazon's user agreement makes it illegal to lend or share your own copies of the songs.
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