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Amazon Video for Android adds support for SD cards
Amazon just pushed a small, but important update to its Android video app: starting today, users can choose where downloaded files are stored. It sounds insignificant, but for heavy users, this is a really big deal -- until now, Amazon Video would only store content on a device's internal storage, severely limiting how much content one could keep on the device. Not anymore. Now, if you have an SD card, you have room for more movies. The feature is rolling out to customers in the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Japan. It's about time.
Amazon Prime Day was 60 percent bigger than last year's sale
Amazon's Prime Day ended up being more successful than even the company could have predicted, with customer orders surpassing Prime Day 2015 by over 60 percent worldwide and 50 percent in the United States alone.
Amazon adds PBS Kids shows to its children's lineup
Amazon is always looking to pad its streaming library, and that includes new shows for younger viewers. The company announced today that it's now the "exclusive subscription streaming home" for a number of PBS Kids series. Shows like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Wild Kratts, Odd Squad, Dinosaur Train and more are available to Prime members at no extra charge.
Walmart launches free two-day shipping nationwide
After a brief trial run in test cities, Walmart's plan to take on Amazon Prime launched across America this week, Reuters reports. The $49 per year ShippingPass membership now offers free two-day shipping to all shoppers in the US, and to lure away Amazon's Prime members, the big-box retailer is offering a free 30-day trial.
Adele's '25' heads to streaming services now that you bought it
Chances are you've already purchased Adele's 25 if you really wanted to hear it or obtained it through other means. Now that the artist has enjoyed seven months of albums sales, the collection of songs will debut on streaming services tonight at midnight ET. According to Billboard, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, Spotify and Tidal confirmed that the album will be available in their respective libraries this evening. Mashable reports that Google Play is a landing spot for the singer's latest work as well.
The EU might force Netflix and Amazon to show more local titles
The European Union is rewriting its broadcasting rules, and according to Reuters, it could end up requiring streaming services operating in the region to change their practices. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and similar companies could be forced to ensure that EU-made shows and movies make up 20 percent of their catalogues in member countries. They'd also have to prominently feature those titles on their websites and apps. But that's not all: the commission wants to oblige them to make financial contributions towards the production of European shows, as well.
Bezos confirms more brick-and-mortar Amazon stores
Amazon is building more brick-and-mortar stores and beefing up Prime membership perks, company CEO Jeff Bezos has confirmed at the company's annual meeting for shareholders. At the moment, the mostly online-based retailer has a single bookstore in Seattle, but it's already building a new outlet near San Diego. "We're definitely going to open additional stores," he said, "how many we don't know yet." It's unclear if the new location is going to be another bookstore or if it will be selling other items, as well. If you'll recall, reports came out earlier this year that the company could open other types of retail outlets.
Amazon will sell its own food brands to Prime members
Amazon is no stranger to selling self-branded goods, whether they're tablets, USB cables or baby wipes. However, it's reportedly close to venturing into uncharted territory: food. Wall Street Journal sources understand that the internet shopping pioneer is weeks away from a "broad push" into selling its own brands of perishables. The Happy Belly label would offer everything from cooking oil to tea, while the Wickedly Prime badge would focus on snacks. There's also talk of a wider move into around-the-home products like the Presto line (things like laundry detergent) and Mama Bear (baby-oriented goods, including food).
Sprint's Better Choice XXL plan includes a year of Amazon Prime
An Amazon Prime membership will cost you $99 a year, but Sprint is tacking on the two-day shipping subscription for free. Starting today, the carrier is giving new and existing customers who choose its Better Choice XXL plan 12-month access to Prime. The XXL option is $100 a month on its own, giving users 40GB of data and unlimited talk and text. Sprint was already offering customers Prime access for $11 a month, but now it's offering folks who burn through data the chance to nab it at no additional cost.
Brits can get Amazon Prime for £59 this weekend
If you've been weighing up an Amazon Prime subscription, now might be a good time to take the plunge. The Jeff Bezos empire has slashed the price of a one-year plan to £59, down from the usual £79. That's a sizeable saving and puts the subscription just under £5 per month in the UK. Amazon has dropped the price in order to draw attention to The Grand Tour, a new motoring show that debuts on Prime Video this autumn with Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond at the helm. You'll need to be quick though - the Prime discount ends at midnight on May 16th.
Computer vision is key to Amazon Prime Air drone deliveries
For all of Amazon's grand plans regarding delivery drones, it still needs to figure out concepts we take for granted with traditional courier methods. Namely, figuring out how to drop off your latest order without destroying anything (including the UAV itself) during transit and landing. That's where advanced computer vision comes in from Jeff Bezos' new team of Austria-based engineers, according to The Verge. The group invented methods for reconstructing geometry from images and contextually recognizing environmental objects, giving the drones the ability to differentiate between, say, a swimming pool and your back patio. Both are flat surfaces, but one won't leave your PlayStation VR headset waterlogged after drop-off.
Amazon locks top games behind a Prime paywall (updated)
Update: Some of the UK listings are starting to switch back, suggesting the Prime block was a mistake. At the time of writing Grand Theft Auto V remains Prime-only in the US, however. Our original article follows below. For many, Amazon is the go-to place to buy video games. Now, the company is using that influence to incentivise Prime by requiring a subscription for select game orders. As VideoGamer reports, this applies to top titles such as FIFA 16, Far Cry Primal and Battlefield Hardline on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the UK. Similar restrictions are also live in the US -- we've spotted the Amazon Prime label on Grand Theft Auto V, for instance. The requirement is only in place, however, if you want the order to be fulfilled by Amazon. At the moment, you can sidestep the problem by selecting a third-party merchant on the site instead.
Amazon needs to simplify Prime Video to compete with Netflix
You can now buy a monthly subscription to Amazon Prime Video, a move that puts the service in direct competition with Netflix. In a lot of ways, Amazon comes out looking like a strong option. For starters, it's cheaper: $8.99 per month gets you an arguably better movie catalog than you'll find on Netflix these days, not to mention Amazon's own slate of original programming and access to most of HBO's back catalog.
Amazon Prime Video is now a standalone monthly service
You no longer need to pay $100 in one shot to get a year of Amazon Prime. The retail giant now offers a monthly option for its full Prime service at $10.99 per month, with the option to cancel at any time. More interestingly, it broke out its Prime Video service for $8.99 a month if folks want streaming but don't need free shipping, music streaming and other perks. With the service, Amazon appears to be making a concerted effort to take on Netflix, which recently increased its price for new users from $8.99 to $9.99.
Amazon Prime same-day delivery expands to 11 more US cities
You know what's better than free two-day shipping? Free same-day shipping, and folks in 11 more US metro areas can now take advantage of Amazon's speedy delivery times. Prime members in Charlotte, Cincinnati, Fresno, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, central New Jersey, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Stockton, and Tucson are now privy to free same-day shipping on over a million items. For those keeping track at home, the latest additions bring the tally to 27 cities for the online retailer's quick delivery. There is a $35 order minimum, so you'll want to keep that in mind if you're hoping to receive something before the end of the day.
Postmates adds 'free delivery' subscription for $10 a month
Attempting to bring the delivery fight to Amazon, Postmates is launching Plus Unlimited, a delivery subscription service that costs ten bucks a month and gives both customers and companies using it free delivery on all orders over $30. The delivery startup is also celebrating 1 million deliveries a month -- so there's definitely some demand. There's no service fee if you're paying monthly, and the company is promising no surge charging when all of a sudden, everyone in your neighborhood wants a burger.
Sprint is now selling monthly Amazon Prime subscriptions
Sprint announced on Thursday that it will begin selling Amazon Prime subscriptions to its customers for $11 a month. That's slightly more than what you'd pay if you purchased Prime on your own but this is the only way to get the service for less than a year -- and $100 -- at a time. Interested Sprint customers can sign up through the company's website.
'Top Gear' gets its cast as Clarkson begins filming for Amazon
At last, we know who will be standing alongside Chris Evans for the highly anticipated Top Gear reboot. Former Friends star Matt LeBlanc had already been confirmed, but now we've got another four faces to divulge. Motorsport pundit Eddie Jordan joins from the BBC's Formula 1 team, while Rory Reid comes across from Recombu Cars -- his career highlights include this impressive rap review for the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II. Joining them are German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, best known for her white-knuckle lap of the Nurburgring in a van, and Chris Harris, a successful motoring journalist that now runs his own YouTube channel.
Amazon brings one-hour Prime Now deliveries to Liverpool
After launching one-hour Prime Now deliveries in London last summer, Amazon brought the option to Birmingham, Newcastle and Manchester before year's end. The retailer has grand plans to take the convenience to "many more cities in 2016," today announcing Liverpool and nearby areas as the latest expansion. Customers living in eligible postcodes in Liverpool and adjacent settlements including Birkenhead can now pay £7 to have any of over 15,000 products delivered within one hour, or select a same-day, two-hour window for free.
Amazon Prime gives you 20 percent discounts on new games
If you're a big video game fan with an Amazon account, there's a real chance that you have a few games on pre-order. Wouldn't it be nice if you could get a break on those games without waiting for a special promo or (gasp) dealing with a traditional retailer? You can after today. Amazon has started a discount program that gives you 20 percent off of newly released (within 2 weeks) and upcoming games if you're a Prime subscriber. It's a bit like similar options at Best Buy and GameStop, but you're getting a bunch of extra services beyond gaming -- you can catch up on Mozart in the Jungle while you're waiting for Uncharted 4 to ship.