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Amazon is the largest Internet company in the world. Originally started as an online book store, there is now almost nothing you can’t buy at amazon.com.

In addition to its ecommerce store, Amazon offers video streaming, music streaming, a publishing company and cloud services. It has also diversified into manufacturing its own branded consumer electronics products, ranging from Amazon Basics cables to Kindle ebook readers, Fire tablets and TV boxes and Echo speakers.

Amazon has its own intelligent assistant, Alexa. Created for its Echo range of smart speakers, Alexa is also supported by a wide range of third-party products, including speakers, TVs, printers, phones, laptops, cars and more. Over 100 million Alexa devices had been sold as of early 2019.

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USB-powered, versatile, touch-sensitive LED lamp hits the market

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re8xpaWuTIM?rel=0]

A neat new accessory from Satechi has hit the market: a USB-powered LED lamp. As the name implies, this lamp plugs into any USB 2.0 or 3.0 port for power. That means, as shown in the above video, that your MacBook could power up the lamp that lights up your desk. The lamp is also versatile in that the LED lights can plug into any base (such as a real lamp base or even a bottle). The system does not come with a standard base. The lamp has a life of 50,000 hours and consumes 1.2W of power. Users can turn the light on and off by simply touching the device. The LED lamp is available at Amazon for $24.99. (via Engadget)


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Amazon Cloud Player app gets support for Ford’s voice-controlled SYNC AppLink platform

Following Spotify’s update early last month, Amazon has updated its Cloud Player iOS app today with support for Ford’s voice-controlled SYNC AppLink platform that allows users to control supported apps on their smartphones through voice commands and buttons on the steering wheel. The update brings Ford SYNC compatibility to the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as improved VoiceOver support and other enhancements.

The updated app will allow users with access to Ford’s SYNC platform in their vehicles to stream songs, albums, and playlists straight from the cloud or stored on the user’s device.

What’s New in Version 2.1.0

– Now supports Ford Sync on iPhone and iPod touch
– Improved experience when adding songs to a playlist
– Improved VoiceOver support

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Amazon updates Kindle iOS app with new accessibility features, VoiceOver support for the visually impaired

Amazon announced today that it is updating its Kindle mobile apps, starting with an update to the Kindle iOS app,to include new accessibility features for the blind and visually impaired. The updated app now includes VoiceOver support and new accessibility features, the addition of the Hiragino Mincho ProN (Serif) font selection for Japan, and an enhancement to the app’s ‘Before you go’ feature that now offers “the ability to download a free sample and email yourself a reminder about recommended books.”

A full list of new accessibility features available in today’s update below:

  • Read aloud over 1.8 million titles available in the Kindle Store using Apple’s VoiceOver technology. Over 300,000 of these books are exclusive to the Kindle Store. Over 900,000 books are less than $4.99; over 1.5 million are less than $9.99.
  • Seamlessly navigate within their library or within a book, with consistent title, menu and button names; navigate to a specific page within a book and sort books in the library by author or title.
  • Read character-by-character, word-by-word, line-by-line, or continuously, as well as move forward or backward in the text.
  • Search for a book within their library or search within their book and navigate to specific text.
  • Add and delete notes, bookmarks, and highlights.
  • Use customer-favorite features like X-Ray, End Actions and sharing on Facebook and Twitter.
  • Look up words in the dictionary and Wikipedia.
  • Customize the reading experience including changing the font, text size, background color, margin, and brightness.
  • Use iOS accessibility features like Zoom, Assistive Touch, and Stereo to Mono, as well as peripheral braille displays.
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Amazon reportedly plans to get into the set-top-box game this fall

Following in the footsteps of Apple and Google attempts at the set-top-box market, Amazon is planning to release a set-top-box, according to Bloomberg

They say the box will plug into TVs and give users access to Amazon’s expanding video offerings. Those include its a la carte Video on Demand store, which features newer films and TV shows, and its Instant Video service, which is free for subscribers to the Amazon Prime two-day shipping package. The Amazon set-top box will compete with similar products like the Roku, Apple TV and the Boxee Cloud DVR, along with more versatile devices like the Playstation 3 and the Xbox. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

The device is reportedly being developed in Amazon’s Cupertino based labs and could launch this fall. The project is reportedly being spearheaded by a former Apple and Cisco employee:

The project is being run by Malachy Moynihan, a former vice president of emerging video products at Cisco (CSCO) who worked on the networking company’s various consumer video initiatives. Moynihan also spent nine years at Apple (AAPL) during the 1980s and 1990s.

Perhaps this future product is the reason that Apple and Amazon have no deal for Amazon content streaming on the Apple TV.


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Netflix is now larger than HBO, now offers $12 family plan

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Netflix, the streaming media company who just announced huge gains in its quarterly numbers, is now larger than HBO, according to Quartz.

After several strong quarters of growth, Netflix now has 29.2 million people in the US subscribed to its $8-a-month streaming plan, which is, for the first time, greater than HBO’s domestic subscription base of 28.7 million.

Quartz notes that Netflix, while not a cable network in the traditional sense, is now viewed more than any traditional U.S. cable market.

From an internet service standpoint, Netflix is also fairing quite impressively, making up 33% of all downstream traffic, which is more than services like YouTube, Amazon Video, and most impressively, iTunes.

As part of the earnings announcement, Netflix also noted that it would begin offering a $12 monthly family plan that would allow 4 simultaneous streams.


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Amazon reportedly acquires Evi, the Siri-like iPhone/Android voice assistant app

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMBD4dymDRg?rel=0]

According to TechCrunch, Amazon has acquired Evi, a Siri-like voice assistant application currently available for both iOS and Android. While the application remains available on both platforms, the report seems to have significant evidence to back up its acquisition claims:

At UK Companies House all the Evi Technologies Ltd directors have been replaced by Amazon’s UK legal representative, and this is confirmed by the Octopus Ventures annual report. The annualreports of all Octopus Ventuers’ funds allrefer to the disposing of their shares in Evi Technologies.

Companies House records show all directors at Evi have beed replaced and loans paid off, while a small loss of £19,000 was recognised.

The new Company Secretary for Evi Technologies is also Amazon’s: Mitre Secretaries Ltd are the corporate secretary for Amazon.co.uk (and Amazon’s London software development company).

As seen in the video above, Consumer reports created a video showing the differences between Apple’s Siri and Evi. In early 2012, Apple threatened to remove Evi from the App Store because of similarities to Siri, but the application seems to have stayed inside of the App Store’s bounds since then.

Cross posted on 9to5Google.com


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Apple’s 27-inch iMacs hit the refurb store but you can often get a new one for less

From 9to5toys.com  (Twitter, Feed, Facebook), today:

Apple today started offering a couple new models of its latest generation iMac through its refurbished online store. Previously Apple was offering refurbished units of the new 21.5-inch iMac only, but we hadn’t seen any 27-inch models hit yet, which we assumed was likely due to yield issues and significant delays experienced in the iMac’s first few months of launch. Today Apple has finally started offering both the entry level 27-inch iMac and the higher end iMac, in addition to a couple of BTO models. However, taking tax into account, you might be about to score a new one for around the same price…

You might not be able to entirely beat Apple’s refurbished price, but taking the tax into account, you can almost get a brand new 27-inch iMac for the same price. 9to5Toys breaks it down. 

For instance, the high end 3.2GHz model is currently available for $100 off on Amazon for $1,899. If you’re paying 8% tax on the refurb unit, that brings your total up to $1834.92. In many cases, buying new for around the same price or slightly more might be worth your while.

Mega Review: The absolute best portable Bluetooth speakers you can buy

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Updated for 2015! The Best Bluetooth Speakers review has now moved here! 


TL;DR: Overall winner (updated), Best Value, Best soundBest Portable/Sound, Charger tooApps/Updates, more

Spring is finally here and it is time to bring our music and speakerphones outside. There’s no better way to enjoy sound outside than with a portable bluetooth speaker. But as Jordan noted to me during our CES coverage, there must be 100,000 Bluetooth speakers to choose from including a growing horde of no name brands OEM’ed from fly-by-night Chinese companies.

We’re here to help you pick the right speaker with the right features on the right budget. (Update: We’ve since reviewed the JBL Charge and Bose Soundlink Mini, both of which merit attention.)
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Preview the first chapter of the official Steve Jobs manga series available today

An officially licensed Steve Jobs manga comic series from artist Mari Yamazaki is set to hit shelves today as part of the May issue of comic anthology Kiss, and now a preview of the first chapter has made its way online. Crunchyroll.com pointed us to the preview of the series based on Walter Isaacson’s Jobs biography now available on Yahoo Japan. It can also be viewed below:

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Study finds iCloud/iTunes Match on top in cloud storage wars with 27 percent market share in US

According to a recent survey by research firm Strategy Analytics (via Engadget), Apple is dominating the cloud storage space with 27 percent of respondents picking iTunes Match and iCloud as their go-to service. Closely behind is Dropbox at 17 percent, Amazon Cloud Drive at 15 percent and Google Drive at 10 percent. The report is quick to point out that Dropbox is the one major player that has gained its share of the market without actually selling content associated with its service. It might not be entirely accurate of usage worldwide, as the survey included around 2,300 people only in the United States.

Usage of cloud storage is heavily skewed towards younger people, in particular 20-24 year olds, whilst Apple’s service is the only one with more female than male users. Amongst the big four, Google’s is the one most heavily skewed towards males.

Cloud storage is overwhelmingly dominated by music; around 90% of Apple, Amazon and Google’s cloud users store music. Even Dropbox – which has no associated content ecosystem – sees around 45% of its users storing music files. Dropbox’s recent acquisition of Audiogalaxy will add a much needed native music player to the platform in the coming months.

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Amazon announces massive game sale, up to 75% off many great Mac titles: Borderlands 2: $29, Black Ops: $18, Assassin’s Creed II: $5, many more

From 9to5toys.com (Twitter, Feed, Facebook), today:

Amazon is holding a “Farewell to February” sale on much of its digital game downloads for Mac and PC that includes over 850 games up to 75 percent off. Amazon is also offering an extra 25 percent off one item per customer with the checkout code “CAGROCKS”. While it might take you a while to flip through the hundreds of games Amazon has on sale, we decided to put together a list of some of the more notable Mac titles on sale today. Enjoy!

Bioshock 2 | $9.99 (was $24.99)

Call of Duty: Black Ops | $17.49 (was $49.99)

Rezurrection DLC- $7.49 (was $14.99)

Annihilation & Escalation DLC – $11.99 (was $24.99)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | $9.99 (was $39.99)

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood | $7.49 (was $29.99)

Assassin’s Creed II | $4.99 (was $19.99)

Borderlands 2 | $29.99 (was $59.99)

Driver San Francisco Deluxe Edition | $12.49 (was $24.99)

Sid Meier’s Civilization V | $7.49 (was $29.99)

Quake 4 | $4.49 (was $19.99)

Duke Nukem Forever | $4.99 ($19.99)

RAGE: Campaign Edition | $4.99 (was $29.99)

Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition | $5.99 (was $29.99)

Prince of Persia (2009) | $4.99 (was $49.99)

Dragon Age 2 | $14.77 (was $19.99)

You can check out all Mac games that are 70 percent off or more on Amazon.

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Amazon compares Kindle Fire HD to iPad’s Retina display in new TV ad (Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XtJBQHLdcM4

Amazon has not been shy about comparing its Kindle Fire devices to iPads. When it released its earnings report in October, Amazon compared the two devices spec by spec and noted the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD has 193 percent more pixels than the iPad mini. Amazon’s latest advertisement for its Kindle Fire boldly put the 8.9-inch HD model up against a full-sized Retina iPad. While noting both offer “stunning HD” and “you may not be able to tell the difference,” Amazon ended the ad by highlighting the $299 price point of the Kindle Fire as being significantly under the latest $499 iPad with Retina display. With Amazon knocking an additional $30 to $50 off the Kindle Fire HD this week, you can grab one for $250 less than an iPad 4.

While the price might be compelling, most reviews (including our own) agreed the Kindle Fire’s software is keeping it from being a true competitor to the iPad and pure Android tablets.

Our newest commercial shows iPad with Retina Display and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ side-by-side. Both have large, stunning HD screens. In fact, you may not be able to tell the difference… but your wallet definitely can. Meet the new, larger Kindle Fire.

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Save over 60% off of SanDisk USB, SD Card storage at Amazon: 64GB starting at $32

From 9to5toys.com  (Twitter, Feed, Facebook), today:

Today only, Amazon offers significant savings on a wide variety of SanDisk portable storage products. Best Bets are the 64GB SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash drive for $31.99 and the speedy 30MB/S 64GB Ultra SDXC Card for $41.99. Both ship free and are the lowest pries we’ve seen.
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Amazon expands in-app purchasing to games on Mac, PC, and Web platforms

Amazon just announced it would expand in-app purchasing to games on Mac, PC, and Web-based platforms, according to a press release, letting folks use their Amazon accounts to buy “virtual goods and currencies”.

Amazon’s customers can use any credit card, Amazon gift card, or Amazon credit when buying in-app items. The online retailer also offers its in-app purchasing API and services to Android and Kindle Fire, so developers from a variety of platforms can offer a “trusted and secure buying experience.”

When Amazon launched in-app purchasing for Android and Kindle fire last year, the company’s appstore director, Aaron Rubenson, explained it would take a 30-percent cut from transactions, similar to how Apple and Facebook does, but Amazon can also set pricing so developers can still receive 30 percent of the list price.

Amazon noted other benefits to today’s expansion include opening its fraud detection technology to developers, providing transaction and customer service support, and offering marketing options like in-app items available on Amazon.com via best seller lists, recommendations, campaigns, etc.

Get more information at Developer.amazon.com/games/in-app-purchasing, or check out the press release below. Amazon’s introduction video from last year on in-app purchasing is also after the break.


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Apple and Amazon ordered to enter settlement talks in ‘App Store’ trademark case

Following a court dismissal of Apple’s false advertising claims against Amazon earlier this month as part of the ongoing “App Store” trademark lawsuit, Bloomberg reported last night that a court has now ordered the two companies to hold settlement talks ahead of trial. A trial in the lawsuit is slated for August 2013, while U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Laporte yesterday requested the two sides attempt to settle the case on March 21, 2013:

U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Laporte in San Francisco directed the companies to confer on March 21 and to bring their lead attorneys and people who have full authority to negotiate and settle the case, according to a court filing today.  … Apple is seeking a court order to block Amazon from using the term Appstore in its service to sell software for devices running Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system. Apple alleges the online retailer infringes its trademark and violates unfair competition laws.

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Amazon’s AutoRip is too little, too late

From a bygone era, Amazon today announced AutoRip. It is a service that will let customers that purchase AutoRip enabled CDs from Amazon access MP3 versions from Cloud Player. The service isn’t just for newly purchased CDs, it includes over 50,000 albums for CDs since the launch of Amazon’s music store in 1998, but we’re not sure how many people have stacks of CDs lying around since ’98 that they’ve yet to rip. If for some reason you’ll still purchasing physical CDs from Amazon’s music store, and you’re located in the U.S., you can start taking advantage of the AutoRip service today.

Patent troll Personal Audio LLC sues iTunes’ top podcaster Adam Carolla’s Ace Broadcasting

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In July 2011, a federal jury in Texas awarded “patent licensing company” Personal Audio LLC $8 million in its patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. The jury found Apple infringed two valid patents related to downloadable playlists with its iOS devices as far back as the original iPod. One covered an “audio program player including a dynamic program selection controller,” while the other covered an “audio program distribution and playback system.” 9to5Mac has now learned Personal Audio LLC is attempting to target content creators directly, starting with a new patent infringement case in Texas against one of iTunes biggest podcasters, Adam Carolla’s Ace Broadcasting.

If the outcome of the case is anything like Personal Audio’s previous cases, it could have a major impact on podcasters and other content creators on iTunes and elsewhere. Personal Audio also sued and entered licensing agreements with Sirius XM Radio, Archos, Coby, RIM, Samsung, Amazon, and Motorola related to its downloadable playlist patents and others.

The new patent, issued just last year on Feb. 7, 2012, is quite broad and describes a “System for Disseminating Media Content Representing Episodes in a Serialized Sequence.” Personal Audio is also suing the popular Howstuffworks.com series, which like Ace Broadcasting, is a large podcasting presence on iTunes and across the web…


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Amazon Instant Video apps add seasons of popular shows from A&E, HISTORY, and Lifetime

Following the launch of A+E Network’s dedicated iPad apps for A&E, History Channel, and Lifetime last month, Amazon announced in a press release today that it also licensed content for its Amazon Instant Video service. It sounds like Amazon is only getting access to old seasons of popular shows from the network, but any additional content will surely be welcomed by iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users taking advantage of the service through the Amazon Instant Video iOS app.

Amazon.com, Inc. today announced a content licensing agreement with A+E Networks to add prior seasons of popular series from A&E, bio, HISTORY and Lifetime to the Prime Instant Video service…The deal with A+E Networks will bring Prime customers more TV episodes from some of their highest rated television programming including Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and Dance Moms, which are also available for purchase through Amazon Instant Video.

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Lexar, Crucial, SanDisk storage and memory: 64GB USB: $30, 512GB SSD: $350, 16GB RAM: $63, more

From 9to5Toys.com:

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Amazon’s Deal of the Day today is a wide range of storage products from Lexar and Crucial. Notables are Crucial’s 16GB of Mac RAM for $62.99 (which work in most recent Macs), Lexar USB sticks for less than $.50/GB  and half off Crucial SSDs in large sizes for over half off.

Best Buy is also offering a solid deal on 8GB SanDisk Cruzer USB Sticks at $4.99/ea.

 

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Printable/Email-able gift cards for Christmas shopping slackers everywhere

So you waited too long and you need a last second gift for that last person on your shopping list? No problem Apple fan! We’ve got some great options for you.

1. Head over to the iTunes store and either email or Print a gift card in $10, $15, $25, $50 or $100 denominations. Or save a few bucks at Walmart/Sams Club.

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2. Amazon has a load of Printable and email-able gift options including embedding your own photos and videos for a personal touch. You can even send gifts over Facebook if that is your thing. Amazon carries lots of Apple products and peripherals which your giftees will love. Best Buy offers the same services.


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Gmail 2.0, Kindle X-Ray for books, Foursquare, Netbot, Uber, Jingu Friends, more

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Gmail version 2.0: Google has just released a major update to its Gmail iOS app, introducing multiple account support, a new look that appears to be partly inspired by its Sparrow acquisition, search predictions and much more. The update also brings interactive Google+ posts support, an infinite scroll inbox, new welcome screen, and  the ability to respond to Google Calendar invites. Google walked through some of the new features of the overhauled Gmail app in a blog post noting the app was six months in the works:

Six months ago, our team set out to completely rebuild the Gmail app for iPhone and iPad to give you you a faster, sleeker, and easier experience on iOS. The result? Version 2.0. With version 2.0 of the app, you’ll get a totally new look and feel, plus a bunch of improvements like profile pictures in messages, numerous new animations from swivels to transitions and infinite scrolling in the message lists.

[tweet https://twitter.com/gmail/status/276023586265919489]

Kindle version 3.5: Amazon previously rolled out its X-Ray feature, which used to be exclusive to Kindle devices, to iOS devices back in October. At the time, it was only making the feature available for textbooks on iOS. Today, Amazon has updated the Kindle iOS app to extend the X-Ray to all books. The update also includes “Manga Image Rendering Improvements”:

• X-Ray for Books – see the “bones of the book”. X-ray helps you learn more about notable characters, places, and phrases with descriptions from Shelfari.com and Wikipedia.
• Manga Image Rendering Improvements

Uber version 2.1.0: iPhone 5 support and localizations:

-Uber app now supports iPhone 5. Also in this release are Dutch localization, and an enhanced look for top riders.

Netbot for App.net (iPhone): Tapbots updated its Netbot client for App.net today with some new features and improvements. The iPad edition is available here.

– Added support for Stream Marker
– Added Unified Stream option
– Added support for img.ly as an image service
– Performance improvements for older devices
– Better support for image annotations

Foursquare version 5.3.5: 
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Holiday Shopping Guide: The best docks, stands, cases, & cables for your iPad mini

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With iPad mini introducing a brand new set of dimensions for case manufacturers, most have not been as quick as with previous iPad launches to get products on the market. In the first couple of weeks of the product’s launch, only a handful of well-known accessory makers were taking orders, and we unfortunately saw many cheap 7-inch Android cases repurposed and sold as iPad mini compatible.

Apple’s new Lightning connector standard was of course another hurdle, and means there are not nearly as many available third-party docks, keyboards, adapters, etc., as iOS device owners have come to expect.

Below, we have put together a guide to the best of the best iPad mini accessories we could find that are currently available to order and shipping before the holidays:


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Apple Australia hit with $28.5M in back taxes after questionable use of tax havens

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Days after executives from Google, Amazon, and others were grilled by regulators in the United Kingdom over the issue of tax avoidance in Europe, The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that Apple’s Australian arm has been hit with a $28.5 million bill for back taxes in the country:

APPLE AUSTRALIA has been hit with a $28.5 million bill for back taxes, statements lodged with the corporate regulator in April show… News of the Tax Office bill comes as European governments put global technology companies under intense pressure over their complex ownership structures that rely heavily on a network of tax havens… Apple’s Australian arm reaped $4.9 billion in revenue last year through the sale of its computers, iPads and iPhones. The bill takes its total tax tab for the year ending September 24, 2011, to $94.7 million.

Earlier this year, The New York Times profiled how Apple uses tax havens, such as Nevada, Ireland, and Luxembourg, to sidestep taxes in both the United States and Europe. The U.K. isn’t the only country putting pressure on technology multinationals over tax avoidance schemes, SMH also noted the French government requested $252 million USD in back taxes from Amazon, a company that also uses Luxembourg as a tax haven for its Europe operations, earlier this week.
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One day Amazon SD Card and USB3 sale, prices from $28 for 64GB

From 9to5Toys.com:


Click to enlarge

Amazon today has a big sale on storage with notable deals on Transcend storage products. Whether you are adding an SD Card or USB stick to your Mac for some extra sneakernet or backup space, or using it for a camera or peripheral, pretty much any size and speed is covered here.

Standouts include the 64GB and 32GB Jetflash USB2 Flash Drives for $27.99 and $13.99 respectively.

More deals at 9to5Toys.com
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