901am

New Media News Every Morning

Amazon.com wraps up 13th holiday with best season ever

By

Amazon.com announced the 2007 holiday season finished as its best ever, with its busiest day being December 10. On that day, Amazon customers ordered more than 5.4 million items, which is 62.5 items per second. In addition, the company wrapped up its second year of Amazon Customers Vote, with more than 4.6 million votes cast during the promotion.

Here are some Amazon.com 2007 Holiday Facts:

• Amazon.com sold Nintendo Wii systems at approximately 17 per second when they were in stock.

• Amazon.com sold enough high-def DVD players to cover seven football fields.

• If you lined up all of the GPS units Amazon.com sold this holiday, they would make a trail from New York to Philadelphia; however, a new trail wouldn’t be necessary with the use of a GPS.

• Amazon.com sold enough auto wrenches to stretch all the way around the Daytona 500 track.

• Amazon.com sold enough Hannah Montana wigs to outfit the entire audience at her December 20th show in Providence, RI.

• Amazon.com’s One-Day Shipping was extended an extra day through Sunday, December 23rd for Prime members this holiday season.

• The last Prime order placed on December 23 in time for Christmas delivery contained “Futurama, Vol. 1” DVD, “Lost in Translation” DVD, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” CD, “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand paperback, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” CD, and “Pulp Fiction” (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition) DVD delivered to Herndon, VA on December 24th.

amazon.png

Originally posted on December 27, 2007 @ 5:38 am

Amazon MP3 adds DRM-free music download from Warner Music Group

By

wmg.pngAmazon.com and Warner Music Group announced that DRM-free music audio downloads are now available to customers on Amazon MP3, Amazon’s a la carte MP3 digital music store where every song and album is playable on virtually any personal digital music capable device. Beginning today, songs from WMG’s digital audio catalog will be available for purchase and download from Amazon MP3. In addition, Amazon and WMG will make available to consumers digital music products such as album bundles containing exclusive tracks.

Originally posted on December 27, 2007 @ 10:09 am

Amazon.com buys J.K. Rowling’s rare book

By

rowling.jpgAmazon.com, Inc. has purchased J.K. Rowling’s “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” at an auction held by Sotheby’s in London. The book of five wizarding fairy tales, referenced in the last book of the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is one of only seven handmade copies in existence. The book was purchased for £1,950,000, and Ms. Rowling is donating the proceeds to The Children’s Voice campaign, a charity she co-founded to help improve the lives of institutionalized children across Europe.

“Even before establishing her charity, J.K. Rowling had done the world a rare and immeasurably valuable service—enlarging forever our concept of the way books can touch people—and in particular children—in modern times,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “When we deliver Harry Potter, kids are camped out at the post box, and the drivers get hugs.”

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is handwritten, extensively illustrated, and autographed by the author. It is written in an Italian handmade notebook, bound in brown Moroccan leather and embellished with five individually hand-chased hallmarked sterling silver ornaments and mounted moonstones. It is 157 pages long. One of the five original stories included in the book, “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” is told in the final Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” This copy of “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” purchased today is one of only seven copies handwritten and illustrated by the author. The six other copies have been given to friends of Ms. Rowling in appreciation of the support they provided her throughout the writing of the Harry Potter series.

Amazon customers around the world are invited to visit to read editorial reviews of the five fairy tales, and to join the online discussion of these and other Harry Potter stories with other fans of the bestselling series.

Originally posted on December 14, 2007 @ 10:06 am

Amazon.com enhances payment options with Bill Me Later

By

billmelater.pngAmazon.com has signed an agreement with Bill Me Later, Inc., a provider of alternative payment technologies, to make the Bill Me Later payment option available on the Amazon.com website. The company also announced it is making an equity investment in Bill Me Later, Inc.

Bill Me Later is among the most widely adopted alternative payment technologies for the largest online retailers. Bill Me Later enables consumers to shop online without using a credit card and helps retailers simplify the payment experience.

The terms of Amazon’s investment have not been disclosed. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008.

Originally posted on December 11, 2007 @ 12:55 pm

Amazon.com launches Askville.com for sharing knowledge

By

askville.pngAmazon.com launched Askville.com, a website where users ask and answer questions, and discover answers to thousands of questions on everything from how to buy an HDTV to the best way to lose weight. Askville.com users who share their knowledge by answering questions will receive Quest Gold, which, for a limited time and while supplies last, can be redeemed for $100 or $50 Amazon.com Gift Cards.

Askville.com is now available to all Amazon customers around the world. Askville.com had been open to a select number of users since its initial beta launch last December. Users who are not Amazon customers and have a cell phone in the U.S. and Canada can still gain access to Askville.com by authenticating themselves via mobile phone.

Askville.com users who ask or answer questions earn Quest Gold. The amount of Quest Gold a user earns is tied to how well they answer questions on Askville.com and what level of expertise they have reached in a particular topic. Askville.com plans to launch another website called Questville.com where users will be able to use their Quest Gold for various activities and a chance to get other rewards.

Originally posted on November 29, 2007 @ 5:10 pm