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Amazon adds Spanish options to its kid-friendly FreeTime Unlimited
Amazon is expanding its kid-friendly FreeTime and FreeTime Unlimited features by adding Spanish-language media. FreeTime Unlimited is a subscription service starting at $3/month that includes a range of content for kids to enjoy, while parents can control what their youngsters can see and do.
Amazon refunds $70 million your kids accidentally spent in apps
Last year, a federal judge ruled Amazon was on the hook for tens of millions of dollars worth of unauthorized in-app purchases made by kids in free-to-play apps. This week, the online retail giant officially started issuing over $70 million in refunds to eligible customers as part of its settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
Amazon will donate Kindles to promote digital reading
Amazon aims to promote digital reading around the world and has established a new program called Kindle Reading Fund to achieve that goal. The Fund will be in charge of donating Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets and ebooks to various recipients, such as reading programs in developing nations. To make sure its devices reach the people who need them, the tech titan has joined forces with Worldreader, a non-profit that provides e-books to children and families in the developing world to promote literacy. The two already worked together in previous projects, according to TechCrunch, including bringing digital reading materials to 61 Kenyan libraries.
Target starts selling Kindles again after a four-year break
Years ago, visiting a Target was one of the best ways to check out Amazon's Kindle products in person before plunking down your hard-earned cash. But in 2012, Target stopped selling Kindles both online and in its stores. That's changing, however -- as of today, you can buy the Kindle Paperwhite and standard Kindle from Target online. And a report from Bloomberg indicates that you'll soon be able to buy them in Target's physical retail stores, as well.
Sky Go finally comes to Amazon Fire tablets
For more than three years, Brits have been able to enjoy the Sky Go app on their Android device. Sky's been quite clear that as long as you own a smartphone or tablet running Android 4.0 (and you have an active Sky subscription), you can get involved -- as long as you aren't trying to download it on an Amazon device. Sky's aversion to the world's biggest online retailer has persisted, but as it gets ready to unleash Sky Q on the world, the company has finally relented and decided now is the time to slot in the missing piece of the Android puzzle.
'Doctor Who' coding game for kids arrives on tablets
You no longer have to fire up your computer just to give your children some programming lessons from Doctor Who. The BBC's educational coding game, The Doctor and the Dalek, is now available on iPads and Android tablets (both through Amazon and soon Google Play). You'll get largely the same instruction-based Boolean logic puzzles as before, but with a few new levels and new abilities for your one-of-a-kind Dalek companion. The catch? While the game is still free, it's only available in the UK for now -- here's hoping that the BBC makes it available worldwide so that more kids can help their favorite Gallifreyan.
Amazon's acquisitions and experiments are erasing its profits (updated)
In case you didn't know, here's the crazy thing about Amazon: it isn't really known for turning a profit. Just think about that for a second. The company that wants to sell you everything, get it to you by any means necessary and serves as the backbone for a considerable chunk of the internet doesn't usually make money at the end of the day. And even with that financial truth entered into the record, people -- from Wall Street types to armchair prognosticators -- cheer whenever Amazon avoids losing as much money in a quarter as they expect it to. Today is not one of those days.
Amazon's Kindle Fire will come with free news from the Washington Post
Jeff Bezos runs Amazon and owns the Washington Post -- is it any surprise that those two entities might start getting a little cozy? According to a new report from BusinessWeek, the a group of folks at the Post are working on a sort of curated Washington Post app that'll be preloaded on the forthcoming Kindle Fire HD tablet. The kicker? It's expected to be totally free to those Fire owners, and the app will eventually roll out to other Kindles, as well as iPads and Android tablets... though owners of the latter will have to shell out a subscription fee. This isn't the first time that we've seen Kindles and traditional reporting collide -- let's not forget that Amazon once made a ginormous version of the Kindle meant in part to make newspapers more palatable on an e-ink screen -- but it's a big, smart step for a media company that has its metaphorical eyes set on a national audience.
More HBO and Showtime channels can now stream via the FiOS app
Attention all ye FiOS subscribers: Verizon's announced more new channels for the service's mobile app. While you're still at home, now you can stream FOX Sports 1, HBO Latino HD, MAX Latino HD and More MAX HD to the Android, iOS or Kindle Fire device of your choice. If you're out and about, you'll be able to check out Showtime's Family Zone, Showcase HD and Women channels in addition to Encore's Black and Western channels. Need more? How about making your autumn family road-trip a little easier with Starz's Kids & Family HD option? That's an almost sure-fire ticket to backseat silence. Sure, there are still plenty of channels missing, but it's pretty hard to complain when you can delay hearing "are we there yet?" for at least a little while.
Microsoft OneDrive arrives on Amazon's Kindle Fire and Fire phone
Folks who fancy Amazon's Kindle Fire and/or newfangled Fire phone just got another option for go-to cloud access. Microsoft has released a OneDrive app outfitting both of the aforementioned devices with easy access to stored files from the slate or handset. Of course, we'd surmise most OneDrive users have hitched their wagons to Redmond's own fleet of OSes. At any rate, apps now exist not only for the web retailer's gadgets, but for PC and Mac with mobile options on Android, iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10. Bases covered. Microsoft's OneNote also sorts those trusty reminders and to-do lists across the Fire fleet, too. Ready to employ this version? Head over to Amazon's Appstore to do just that.
Amazon Deal Center is a one-stop shop for discounted Kindle Fire apps
Looking for a deal? Amazon's trying to make it a little easier for you. The company just announced on its developer community page that the Amazon Appstore is getting a new section: Deal Center. The feature is exactly what it sounds like -- a central location that lists discounted apps and special offers, such as apps that give customers Amazon Coins with purchase. Amazon says the deal page was designed to help developers broaden their customer base, and developers don't have to do anything special to be featured in the Deal Center; it's mostly automatic. If you installed the Amazon Appstore manually, however, you're out of luck: Deal Center is only visible on Kindle Fire HDX and HD devices, at least for now.
Grand Theft Auto III series lands on Amazon's tablets and Fire TV
The Grand Theft Auto games have been on seemingly every platform known to humankind, but those with Amazon devices have had to make do without Rockstar's vehicular mayhem. That changes today: you can now snag Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas on both the Kindle Fire tablet line as well as Fire TV. You'll be very familiar with the experience if you've used any of the earlier mobile versions, although that's no big complaint given the quality of the ports. With that said, the real allure may be the pricing. Each game normally costs $5 a pop, but purchasing San Andreas currently gets you enough Amazon Coins to buy the other two releases -- this could be a good way to get started in the crime-filled world of GTA without making a big investment.
Tablet demand hits a wall as many are happy with the devices they own
It looks like Apple wasn't the only tech firm to see its tablet business take a hit this winter; according to IDC, others suffered a similar fate. The analyst group estimates that overall tablet shipments grew just 3.9 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, a sharp contrast with the breakneck pace of the past few years. Amazon took a particularly severe blow, as its shipments dropped almost 50 percent. So what prompted the suddenly chilly market? If you believe researchers, many are happy with the devices they've got -- they either have a good-enough tablet or a big-screen smartphone that will do in a pinch. Simply put, there was no compelling reason to splurge on something new.
Dish's TV streaming app is now available for newer Kindle Fire tablets
Dish subscribers are no longer stuck if they want to catch up on TV shows from one of Amazon's tablets -- the satellite provider has released a version of Dish Anywhere for Kindle Fire HDX devices. As with the regular Android app, HDX owners using Sling-equipped Dish DVRs (such as the Hopper with Sling) can watch live, on-demand and recorded TV from any reasonably fast internet connection. There's no word yet on support for the lower-cost Kindle Fire HD, but those who own Amazon's latest and greatest hardware can grab Dish Anywhere today.
Amazon's Q4 profit more than doubles year-over-year to hit $239 million
Amazon clearly didn't have any problems generating a profit this holiday. The online retail powerhouse says that it made a tidy profit of $239 million in the fourth quarter of 2013, or more than twice as much as it managed a year earlier. That's on top of a year-over-year revenue increase, to boot -- Amazon raked in $25.59 billion during the quarter versus $21.27 billion at the tail end of 2012. The only sour note is a full-year profit of just $274 million, although that's still much better than the $39 million loss from 2012. The company hasn't said just why it did so well, although we wouldn't be surprised if the Kindle Fire HDX launch and a recently introduced Sunday delivery option played important roles.
Amazon might launch Kindle-powered checkout system and cloud-based payment service
Amazon might still be working away on its far-out delivery drone project, but it's also reportedly cooking up something else, admittedly a little tamer, too: a Kindle checkout system and a P2P payment service. Yes, the former's exactly what it sounds like -- a Kindle tablet equipped with proprietary software and a credit card reader (like Square), at least according to the Wall Street Journal. Amazon supposedly acquired GoPago (a mobile payment platform for merchants) in 2013 to nudge this venture forward, though TechCrunch says it's not the only payment solution the firm's developing. Apparently, the company's also creating a cloud-based P2P payment system that might be accessible not just on mobile phones, but also on desktops, making it a veritable PayPal competitor. We just hope it doesn't tie up with Amazon's plans to "ship before you buy" if it does launch, because surprise credit card charges are a nightmare.
Amazon puts Kindle Fire HDX on interest-free payment plan, starting at $57
Short on cash? Amazon wants to sell you a Kindle Fire HDX anyway. As of today, you can pick up the shopping giant's flagship slate on a quarterly payment plan. Naturally, the amount of each installment varies based on the size and configuration you choose; a 7-inch model with WiFi, 16GB of storage and Special Offers, for example, runs $57 per payment. A similarly equipped 8.9-inch model on the other hand, costs $95 every three months. If you're worried about financing fees or interest, don't sweat it -- Bezos and pals aren't charging either of them. That doesn't mean Amazon is a completely forgiving money lender, though: miss a payment, and the shopping giant will block any access to its content library and possibly delete your account. Harsh, but at least it's better than a broken leg.
Engadget's 2013 Holiday Gift Guide: E-readers
Welcome to Engadget's holiday gift guide! Head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Weighing your e-reader options isn't as difficult as, say, deciding on a new smartphone. There are fewer models to sift through, for one, and your allegiance to Amazon or B&N could further narrow things down. Still, you have a range of options in every camp -- from barebones devices meant for reading and nothing else to full-fledged tablets with the higher-end specs to match. Below, we make the case for some of our top picks.
Amazon launches Fire HD, HDX and Kindle Store in Australia
It's a good day for you, mates from down under -- or at least for those with a hankering for Amazon's Kindle devices. The e-commerce giant is bringing the Kindle Fire HD and HDX to Australia, following the Paperwhite's release in the country. As things often go in the continent, the devices cost a bit more than their counterparts in the US: the Kindle Fire HD, which is now available at retailers Dick Smith and Big W, sells at AU$189 (US$176). The 7-inch Fire HDX will arrive on November 26th, with its most basic model priced at AU$329 (US$306), while the 8.9-inch HDX will land on December 10th and begins at AU$479 (US$445). In addition to its tablets, Amazon's also launched the Australian Kindle Store curated especially for the country's audience, which features works from local authors and publishers. Finally, Kindle Direct Publishing is now active on the Amazon AU site, enabling indie authors to sell their work in the land of kangaroos, koalas and Chris Hemsworth.
Your Kindle Fire HDX's blue-tinged screen edge is perfectly normal
If you've been curious why the screen on your Kindle Fire HDX has a blueish tint around the edges, wonder no more. To help achieve the HDX's vaunted color accuracy, Amazon used blue LEDs to light the display, which is why you see an azure hue peeking out around the screen's sides on books and web sites. The shopping giant further explains that this lighting technique increases battery life by 20 percent too. The "we want you to know" heading on the HDX's product page has the full details, and our video review is a click away if you're still on the fence about buying one.
