Caution: Check Amazon Twice

Last night, I searched for a specific item on Amazon. There were several sellers for the item, and the listing with the lowest price was at the top. I was about to purchase the one with the lowest price when I noticed that it was not being shipped from the manufacturer or from a highly rated seller; both the "ships from" and the "sold by" transaction information were all in Chinese characters. For this particular item, that didn't make sense. Continue Reading →

Are you ready for networked TV?

With the debut of Thursday Night Football on Amazon last week, we passed by a major milestone on our journey from network to networked TV. Amazon enjoyed a record number of Prime signups (the actual number has not been disclosed), and they got their products and services in front of a gigantic audience. It was a big win for Amazon. Continue Reading →
Amazon is shutting down its telehealth service, Amazon Care. They are getting out of the business of telehealth. They're done with it. It's over. Amazon Care is no more. It has ceased to be… and the healthcare industry should be scared out of its wits. Continue Reading →
Amazon just bought iRobot, the company that makes Roomba, for $1.7 billion. Shelly Palmer speaks with Robert Moses and Tashanea Whitlow about what Amazon is going to do with the data -- and whether or not you should be worried. Continue Reading →

Amazon Mapping Your Life

iRobot, the company that makes Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, has agreed to be acquired by Amazon for $1.7 billion, according to a joint statement. If the deal closes, Amazon will have access to the maps a Roomba makes of each room it cleans. Continue Reading →

Amazon Astro: Cool or Creepy?

Cool or creepy? These are the opposite ends of the Shelly Palmer scale for evaluating AI-powered surveillance systems built into robots, IoT, and other tech. With my cool or creepy scale in mind, behold Amazon's Astro. Continue Reading →