AMAZON
Is Amazon planning a smartphone?
DigiTimes claims that Foxconn, the company that has become infamous for building Apple's iPhone and its subsequent quality control issues, has won the contract to produce smartphone handsets for Amazon which, a supply-chain source claims, will roll out on to the market for summer 2013.
As with Amazon's other forays into the hardware market, the initial product run will be limited, suggesting that, like with the Kindle, the phones will only be sold in the US to begin with.
Amazon introduces Japanese Kindle Store
Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite e-reader is coming to Japan, along with a brand new Kindle Store with the largest selection of books, Oricon best sellers in books, bunko, and manga, and over 50,000 Japanese-language titles.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO said that after 12 years of selling print books on Amazon.co.jp, the company is finally offering its digital stock to anyone in Japan with a Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire, Android phone, Android tablet, iPhone, or iPad.
HMV launches online marketplace
HMV has launched an online marketplace selling third-party products as it looks to hit back at arch-rival Amazon.
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Amazon fashion: can it become the next net-a-porter?
The web giant is intent on muscling in on the online fashion business. And many feel that, once the kinks are ironed out, success is inevitable
For those who want books, electronics and beauty products quick as a flash, Amazon is a no-brainer for most consumers. If the web giant has its way, high fashion will soon be on that list too. Having hired Cathy Beaudoin, who previously set up Gap's Piperlime retail site, it is now gunning to become the next net-a-porter.
Will it work?
Amazon opens portal for mobile app distribution in Japan
Amazon continues to expand internationally, invites developers around the world to start submitting apps for distribution in Japan later this year
Amazon.com Inc. is set to expand internationally and has invited developers to submit apps for distribution in Japan later this year.
Since the launch of Amazon’s US Appstore last year, millions of customers have been discovering and buying Android apps for their phones and tablets. The company’s merchandising, personalization and recommendation technologies have enabled developers to attract even more customers.
Google struggles to unseat Amazon as the web's most popular mall
Whether you are looking to buy a power tool or neon jeans online, chances are you start your search on Google or Amazon.com. But which one?
Behind the scenes, the two companies are waging a war to become the pre-eminent online mall. And e-commerce sites large and small are caught in the cross-fire. As for consumers, the question is whether they will see a full range of products available online.
Amazon takes on iPad with new Kindle Fire tablet
Amazon on Thursday unveiled a new, larger version of its Kindle Fire tablet computer with a high-definition display, in a move by the retail giant to take on the market-leading iPad.
The new Kindle Fire HD will be offered with 8.9-inch (22.6 centimetres) display, along with an upgraded version of the tablet launched in a smaller format last year, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos told reporters.
The Kindle Fire HD has dual-band Wi-Fi and two antennas, he said, comparing it to the rival iPad from Apple and the Google Nexus 7 tablets.
Amazon launches Kindle store for India
Amazon.com on Wednesday unveiled the India Kindle Store, which showcases over a million books, priced in rupees. The company has roped in Croma, part of Infiniti Retail (a fully-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons), to retail its latest Kindle e-reader, priced at INR6,999 (USD126.13), across 30 Croma outlets and its online store.
Rakuten tries to win over Japanese e-reader market
Japanese ecommerce giant Rakuten Inc looked set to steal a march on rival Amazon.com when it launched its Kobo e-reader and e-book service in Japan last month. For CEO Hiroshi Mikitani, it's the first salvo in a wider war that the ebullient Harvard MBA, called Mickey by everyone including his staff, hopes will transform Rakuten into a global player in digital commerce.
Amazon reports 96pc fall in Q2 profit on robot deal
The online retailer Amazon has reported a 96 percent fall in profits to USD7 million for the three months ending in June, down from USD191m a year earlier.
The company blamed the fall on a USD65m loss from its purchase of robot-maker Kiva systems earlier this year.
Sales rose 29 percent to USD12.8 billion, slightly lower than analyst predictions.
