Amazon

[CityFarmer]

Is this a wise move? It might reduce the perceived credibility of the Goodreads IMO

Amazon plans to buy social network for book fans

NEW YORK — Amazon.com Inc, the world’s biggest online retailer that got its start in bookselling, said yesterday (this morning, Singapore time) that it has agreed to buy book recommendations website Goodreads.

In buying Goodreads, Amazon gets a community of bibliophiles primed to buy and recommend books — one of its key areas of business.

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/amazon-p...-book-fans

[Dannyer]

I agree with you right there. Won't be too surprised when Goodreads starts to constantly remind all of us that we can buy all those books from Amazon, and things will never FEEL the same.

On a separate and unrelated note, this is my first post on VB after months of reading what I perceive as very useful insights and advice from all the buddies here. So I'll take this chance to thank everyone, especially the frequent laojiao posters for "educating" buddies like me. (Haven't been posting as I'm very inexperienced.)

[CityFarmer]

Another player in already crowded smartphone market?

Amazon hires former Windows Phone boss

LONDON — Amazon has hired former Windows Phone boss Charlie Kindel for an undisclosed project, prompting speculation that it may enter the smartphone market.

Mr Kindel updated his LinkedIn profile to say he is director of “something secret” in “a totally new area” for the online retailer. He goes on to hint that the project may be mobile-related by saying “I’m building a new team ... for Amazon. I’m hiring cloud and mobile developers and testers, program managers, and product managers”.

At Microsoft, Mr Kindel was general manager with responsiblity for generating interest in the Windows Phone operating system with developers. When he left, Microsoft’s operating system had more than 25,000 apps available.

Bloomberg reported that Amazon was developing a smartphone last July, which the company did not confirm or deny. The world’s biggest online retailer has already moved into the tablet market with its Kindle Fire launched last year

http://www.todayonline.com/mobile/amazon...phone-boss

[CityFarmer]

Less advantage as online store. No good for Amazon and ebay, and good for Walmart?

US Senate passes online sales tax Bill

WASHINGTON — The United States Senate sided with traditional retailers and financially strapped state and local governments yesterday by passing a Bill that would widely subject online shopping — for many, a largely tax-free frontier — to state sales taxes.

The Senate passed the Bill by a vote of 69 to 27, getting support from Republicans and Democrats alike. But opposition from some conservatives who view it as a tax increase will make it a tougher sell in the House. President Barack Obama has conveyed his support for the measure.

Under current law, states can only require retailers to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state.

http://www.todayonline.com/world/america...s-tax-bill

[CityFarmer]

Another digital currency, Amazon Coins? Not sure how it will be exchanged? Will it the same as company's voucher? Interest to know more detail...

Amazon buys Liquavista from Samsung, launches digital currency

SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon.com said yesterday (May 13) it had acquired Liquavista NV from Samsung to help the world’s largest Internet retailer develop new displays for mobile devices.

Amazon also launched its own digital currency, Amazon Coins, yesterday, allowing people to buy apps and games in its app store and on its Kindle Fire tablet computers.

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/amazon-b...l-currency

[CityFarmer]

a trend worth a deeper look, and monitor... If it works on US, it doesn't mean applicable to Asian country wholesale IMO.

Next on Amazon’s shelves: Groceries?

SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon.com is planning a major roll-out of an online grocery business that it has been quietly developing for years, targeting one of the largest retail sectors yet to be upended by e-commerce, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

While food is a low-margin business, Amazon could outperform similar online grocery services by delivering orders for higher-margin items like electronics at the same time.

http://www.todayonline.com/business/next...-groceries

[CityFarmer]

A good news for those Singapore's shopper of amazon...

Amazon.com announces free shipping to Singapore

SINGAPORE - Amazon.com has announced a free shipping scheme to Singapore for packages over US$125 (S$155).

The announcement, made today (June 7), sees products under the AmazonGlobal Saver program eligible for free shipping to Singapore if the total shipment is worth over US$125, excluding taxes.

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/ama...-singapore

[CityFarmer]

I am surprise on the result, maybe due to new tax rule...

On the other hand, the result showed similar trend, US market growth recovery while flat globally...

Amazon reports surprise Q2 loss as foreign sales lag

SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon.com forecast disappointing income and revenue as it grapples with a weaker international market, overshadowing improving profitability and economic conditions in the United States.

Amazon and other multinational companies are being pressured by a declining European economy that is sapping consumer spending across the region. While North American net sales jumped 30 per cent in the latest second quarter, its international segment barely broke even with revenue rising 13 per cent.

http://www.todayonline.com/business/amaz...-sales-lag

[CityFarmer]

Newspaper businesses still are attractive for investors....

Amazon founder to buy the Washington Post for S$317 million

WASHINGTON - Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos will buy the Washington Post newspaper for US$250 million (S$317 million) in a surprise deal that ends the Graham family’s 80 years of ownership and hands one of the country’s most influential publications to the businessman whose Internet company has transformed retailing.

Mr Bezos, hailed by many as technology visionary, called his acquisition a personal endeavour and reassured employees and readers of the 135-year-old newspaper he will preserve its journalistic tradition, while driving innovation.

The acquisition, the latest in a flurry of deals for print publications including the New York Times’s sale of the Boston Globe for US$70 million, is a another sign of the unprecedented challenges newspapers face as advertising revenue and readership decline.

Shares of the Washington Post climbed more than 5 per cent to US$599.85 after hours - their highest level in almost five years.

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/amazon-f...17-million

[CityFarmer]

Amazon also down for minutes...

Amazon annual volume was S$110 billion, while annual turnover of Tmall.com and Taobao.com, two major Chinese online shopping platforms was 630 billion yuan in 2011 (from the link below) i.e. S$126 billion (exchange of S$1=5 RMB).

Hmm... Amazon serves internationally, while Tmall.com and Taobao.com serve mainly China market...

http://english.sina.com/business/p/2012/...33664.html

Amazon.com down for 15mins in US, Canada

NEW YORK — Amazon.com, the website of the world’s largest online retailer, went down for about 15 minutes yesterday (Aug 19) in a rare outage for many users across the United States and Canada.

It was unclear what triggered the rare disruption. The company, whose Amazon Web Services is designed to ramp up server capacity for customers to prevent outages, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Earlier on Monday, users from New York and Toronto to San Francisco got only error messages when trying to access the popular shopping website. The news came less than a week after the website of the New York Times went down for about two hours.

Amazon has S$110 billion in annual gross merchandise volume, including its business through third-party sellers, according to consultants at RetailNet Group. Going by that estimate, Amazon processes some US$163,622 in transactions per minute on average. REUTERS

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/amazonco...-us-canada