Amazon drone delivery plans remain on course despite reports of US ban June 25, 2014 Amazon will continue with plans to make deliveries by drone a reality, despite widespread reports that US regulators have banned the unmanned aerial vehicles. The e-commerce giant responded to CNET saying that the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) guidelines, published yesterday, did not address the use of drones for commercial purposes and were not relevant to [...]
Amazon joining with Doddle to start railway station collections June 23, 2014 AMAZON customers will soon be able to pick up parcels from railway stations as part of a new deal between the online retail giant and Doddle, the click-and-collect joint venture between Network Rail and Travelex millionaire Lloyd Dorfman. Doddle is currently running a pilot operation at Milton Keynes station, with plans to expand the service [...]
Amazon’s Fire smartphone looks set to light up mobile market June 18, 2014 Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos last night put Apple, Samsung and legions of online retailers on red alert with the launch of its new Fire smartphone, with the promise that the online giant would once again revolutionise shopping. Bezos, in a rare media appearance, demonstrated Firefly, a service that lets the $199 (£117) phone identify [...]
Tesco backs Blinkbox with Clubcard rewards in fight against Netflix and Amazon June 17, 2014 Blinkbox, the Tesco-owned TV and film streaming service, is introducing customer rewards to attract and retain customers. Tesco is putting the weight of its Clubcard loyalty scheme behind Blinkbox in a bid to stand out from rivals such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video. The scheme is the biggest tie-up between the two [...]
Amazon takes on Spotify with Prime Music service June 12, 2014 Amazon launched a music service yesterday that came free with its £79-a-year Prime membership programme, but offers a smaller selection of songs than Spotify. The new feature, Prime Music, allows subscribers to stream or download over a million songs without added fees or ads. This is one of many steps Amazon has taken in recent [...]
Barclays fears Amazon and Google threaten traditional banks June 10, 2014 Customers will soon use tech firms like Amazon, Google and PayPal instead of banks, Barclays’ chief Antony Jenkins said today, promising to innovate more to compete with digital giants. The sector is already being shaken up by new banks being established, and big firms like Tesco offering current accounts. But Jenkins believes the [...]
PayPal boss David Marcus out as Amazon starts rival June 9, 2014 THE PRESIDENT of payments firm PayPal has quit to join Facebook, parent company EBay said last night. David Marcus has led PayPal since April 2012, having joined when the firm took over his payments start-up Zong. He will leave on 27 June to lead Facebook’s messaging products. His departure was announced on the same day [...]
Amazon’s boss expected to lift lid on new phone June 4, 2014 AMAZON’S chief executive Jeff Bezos will host an event on 18 June in Seattle at which he is expected to unveil a smartphone capable of displaying a 3D interface controlled via body movement. In April Amazon launched the Fire TV, the online retail giant’s first foray streaming content into the living room, following its previous [...]
Netflix now more popular than iPlayer, 4OD and Amazon Prime Instant Video May 14, 2014 Netflix is now the second largest driver of online traffic in the UK and Ireland, just two years after it launched, and it now accounts for 17.8 per cent of traffic, according to new research. The television and movie streaming service is beaten only by YouTube’s 19.9 per cent share of traffic, according to Sandvine. [...]
The Peruvian Amazon: in search of the anaconda May 11, 2014 Steve Dinneen takes to the world’s second longest river to find its longest snake ON MY first morning on the Amazon the sun acted as a natural alarm clock, lighting up my room through gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. As I came to, blinking through the fug of the previous night’s pisco sours, pink [...]