Once a modest online seller of books, Amazon is now one of the largest companies in the world, and its former CEO, Jeff Bezos, is the world’s most wealthy person. We track developments, both of Bezos and Amazon, its growth as a video producer, the popular Prime service, as well as its own hardware, which includes the Amazon Kindle e-reader, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and Amazon Fire TV streaming boxes.
This comes as part of Amazon’s deal to invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic, starting with an initial $1.25 billion last September. Anthropic is the AI company behind the Claude 32 family of models, which the company claims outperforms ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
The ecommerce giant’s latest brand protection report reveals that it identified, seized, and disposed of over 7 million counterfeit products on its marketplace in 2023. It says it also worked with Chinese authorities to carry out more than 50 “successful raid actions,” which led to the identification and questioning of over 100 counterfeit manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors.
Patients in New York City and greater Los Angeles can now get same-day medications through Amazon’s digital pharmacy, joining cities like Austin, Miami, and Seattle. The company also offers one-hour drone delivery in College Station, Texas.
Amazon says this will grow same-day deliveries to over a dozen cities in the US by the end of the year. Pharmacy chains like Walgreens already offer same-day deliveries for a variable fee depending on location.
From now on, anytime anyone wants to understand the chaotic mess that Amazon has become, I’m just going to send them this TikTok.
And Prime Video’s staggering amount of Indian programming is a likely factor. Head of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios Mike Hopkins told an audience in India on Tuesday that the country would be key to the streamer’s growth.
Currently, Indian Prime users sign up for Prime Video more than any other Amazon benefit.
A Twitch help page says it’s ending the feature that lets people watch Amazon Prime Video and chat together on April 2nd, as its usage has “declined over the years” since its 2020 rollout.
The feature lives on for Prime Video subscribers. But if you and your friends want to watch Ricky Stanicky or whatever, the host will need to have an ad-free subscription.
[help.twitch.tv]
One destination may be a shop like Pile ou Face, a store in Brussels that sells unwanted Amazon packages by weight. The operator says he has a contract with Amazon to sell packages that were never retrieved from pickup places, got lost, or were returned. Otherwise, they’d be destroyed.
Sometimes customers score smart watches or other pricey items. But sometimes, things get a little... weird. “A lady got 100 toothbrushes for dogs,” owner Arnaud Userstam told Reuters.
Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry’s production companies are behind a documentary film for Prime Video about the only AI you can trust to be The Answer, Allen Iverson.
Now, through unprecedented access and personal stories, along with intimate interviews with family, friends, and fellow NBA players and coaches, Iverson shares a more reflective side of his present-day self, as he takes us on a journey through his storied history into the present day where he realizes his cultural impact long after his playing days have come to an end.
[press.amazonstudios.com]
Amazon’s robotaxi company is expanding its operating conditions in the two cities where it has been testing its autonomous vehicles, Foster City and Las Vegas. The robotaxis will start driving at night, as well as in light rain and damp road conditions. They will also starting driving at speeds of up to 45 mph on multi-lane roads. And in Las Vegas, it will start tackling roads along the south end of the Strip. Zoox’s purpose-built AVs (no steering wheel, no pedals) will start accepting real passengers later this year.
Filed under:
How smart home technology made my home more accessible
A smart device may be a convenience to one person, but it could be a life-changer to another.
Filed under:
How caregivers are using smart tech to help aging parents
Smart home devices can offer independence, safety, and companionship.
Shira Ovide at The Washington Post got to try Amazon’s shopping chatbot, Rufus. She’s not a fan:
I asked a few similar questions about the best cycling gloves to keep my hands warm in winter. In one search, a pair that the bot recommended were short-fingered cycling gloves intended for warm weather.
Shira never quite figured out what Rufus was thinking, and it led her to the big question: can you believe anything a chatbot tells you, ever, anywhere? And if not, what are we doing here?
[The Washington Post]
The Amazon-owned upscale grocer is launching Whole Foods Market Daily Shop stores.
The Seattle Times reports that, like at the larger stores, customers can pay using a palm print and associate it with their payment method through Amazon One, the biometric payments system Amazon debuted in 2020 that can be used to buy things or even verify you’re old enough to buy beer.
[The Seattle Times]
Filed under:
The Verge’s favorite smart home devices
We clean with low-end robovacs, use Stream Decks as light switches, and enjoy the luxury of smart beds.
How smart is the smart kitchen, really?
For part two of our Vergecast smart kitchen series, we let the kitchen do the cooking. Chaos ensues.
Fourteen Amazon employees can no longer access the European Parliament building without an invitation, WIRED reported Wednesday. And it’s all because they skipped a hearing about working conditions in its fulfillment centers and declined to let policymakers tour them (Amazon blamed the busy holiday period, WIRED said).
Basically, it’s just a better smart home device than the company’s Echo Show smart display, but there’s more to it. The Verge’s Jen Tuohy gives you the rundown. Be sure to check out her full review for more detail.