Author

Topic: 2013-02-05 -- Introducing Amazon Coins (Read 2154 times)

hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
February 07, 2013, 04:12:56 PM
#14
It is really strange how most of the reports I've seen say that Amazon is introducing their own "currency". I have a hard time believing that these reporters really believe it's anything of the sort. Even the most casual of citizens know the different between a real currency and Amazon/itunes/farmville points.
member
Activity: 114
Merit: 10
You can't be Serious?!?
February 07, 2013, 04:01:26 AM
#13
If it isn't Bitcoins is pretty much a moot subject.  Same as Canadian Tire dollars, Itunes gift cards, Air Miles, etc...  Just another silly gimmick.  *laughs*
legendary
Activity: 1904
Merit: 1002
February 06, 2013, 10:22:28 PM
#12
Not a single reference to Bitcoin in this article...though it seems somebody is promoting awareness of Amazon virtual currency. Why should we care? This is not even a cryptocurrency and it has central control just like Linden Labs has over the Linden Dollar so in practical terms Amazon = Linden Labs. Both centralised powers, and we know how it goes for currency systems with central powers.

We on the other hand use an open and free protocol. We have the decentralised potential that the internet itself has. They no threat, lol haha  Cheesy

You are right they are no threat.  But if they are transferable and transactions are harder to reverse than other transfer methods than they may help interface with more traditional financial systems.
legendary
Activity: 980
Merit: 1020
February 06, 2013, 04:22:51 PM
#11
They're not really an independent currency. Just US dollars by another name.
legendary
Activity: 3920
Merit: 2349
Eadem mutata resurgo
February 06, 2013, 04:17:20 PM
#10
Ugh ... amazon dollars, how original.
hero member
Activity: 560
Merit: 500
February 06, 2013, 03:03:42 PM
#9
If I can't mine'um, F#%K'um  Grin

Live by the code, die by the code.
sr. member
Activity: 378
Merit: 250
Magic Staff
February 05, 2013, 06:37:39 PM
#8
Not a single reference to Bitcoin in this article...though it seems somebody is promoting awareness of Amazon virtual currency. Why should we care? This is not even a cryptocurrency and it has central control just like Linden Labs has over the Linden Dollar so in practical terms Amazon = Linden Labs. Both centralised powers, and we know how it goes for currency systems with central powers.

We on the other hand use an open and free protocol. We have the decentralised potential that the internet itself has. They no threat, lol haha  Cheesy
legendary
Activity: 1106
Merit: 1001
February 05, 2013, 06:34:52 PM
#7
I don't understand all that mama-jambo yet, but it sounds like another MintChip or Farmville money or something?  Huh

Doesn't sound like anything that will compete with Bitcoin?

The only thing it means to me is that Amazon is not planning to accept Bitcoin directly any time soon.
...and that doesn't matter to us either.

Maybe they won't accept BTC directly, but if someone opens an Amazon/BTC exchange, it really won't matter all that much, will it?
sr. member
Activity: 386
Merit: 250
February 05, 2013, 05:21:28 PM
#6
If I can't mine'um, F#%K'um  Grin
hero member
Activity: 702
Merit: 503
February 05, 2013, 05:18:45 PM
#5
I don't understand all that mama-jambo yet, but it sounds like another MintChip or Farmville money or something?  Huh

Doesn't sound like anything that will compete with Bitcoin?

The only thing it means to me is that Amazon is not planning to accept Bitcoin directly any time soon.
...and that doesn't matter to us either.
legendary
Activity: 2408
Merit: 1121
February 05, 2013, 04:27:16 PM
#4
Makes you wonder how fast it will be exploited for double-spending.
hero member
Activity: 504
Merit: 500
WTF???
February 05, 2013, 12:27:32 PM
#3
Already posted.

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/amazon-releases-amazon-coins-reactions-141308

It looks like they are pegged to the US dollar. You could think of it as an itunes balance.
legendary
Activity: 1106
Merit: 1001
February 05, 2013, 12:25:57 PM
#2
Oooh, and they're giving away millions of them to get the ball rolling, lets see how long they can compete with free and unregulated Wink

How long till MtGox opens the BTC/Amazon exchange?
newbie
Activity: 56
Merit: 0
February 05, 2013, 10:55:21 AM
#1
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57567652-93/amazon-unveils-new-virtual-coins-for-kindle-fire-users/

Quote
Coming in May, Amazon Coins is a new virtual currency for purchasing apps, games, and in-app items on Kindle Fire

Amazon Coins is an easy way for Kindle Fire customers to spend money on developers’ apps in the Amazon Appstore, offering app and game developers another substantial opportunity to drive traffic, downloads and increase monetization even further

Amazon will give customers tens of millions of dollars’ worth of Amazon Coins to use on developers’ apps in the Amazon Appstore—apps and games must be submitted and approved by April 25 to be ready when Amazon Coins arrive in customers’ accounts

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2013-- (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced another new way for app and game developers to make money on Kindle Fire—introducing Amazon Coins—the new virtual currency for purchasing apps, games and in-app items on Kindle Fire. Amazon Coins is an easy way for Kindle Fire customers to spend money in the Amazon Appstore, offering app and game developers another substantial opportunity to drive traffic, downloads and increase monetization. When Amazon Coins launches in the U.S. this May, Amazon will give customers tens of millions of dollars’ worth of free Amazon Coins to spend on developers’ apps on Kindle Fire in the Amazon Appstore. Amazon will also make it quick and easy for customers to buy additional Amazon Coins using their Amazon accounts.

Amazon Appstore developers will earn their standard 70 percent revenue share when customers make purchases using Amazon Coins. Developers with apps and games currently in the Amazon Appstore for the U.S. don’t need to do anything with their apps to capitalize on this new opportunity. Developers not yet in the Amazon Appstore should submit their apps soon—only apps submitted and approved by April 25 will be ready when Kindle Fire customers have Amazon Coins to spend across the Amazon Appstore. Developers can learn more about Amazon Coins today at http://www.amazon.com/amazon-coins.

“Developers continue to report higher conversion rates on Amazon compared to other platforms,” said Paul Ryder, Vice President of Apps and Games for Amazon. “Now we have another new way to help developers reach even more of our millions of customers. Amazon Coins gives customers an easy way to spend money on developers’ apps on Kindle Fire in the Amazon Appstore—and we’re giving customers tens of millions of dollars in Amazon Coins to get started. Developers who aren’t yet in the Amazon Appstore will want to make sure their apps have been submitted and approved by April 25 so they’re ready for customers to start spending their Amazon Coins.”

"We've already found that the average revenue per user on Amazon is higher than other Android platforms," said Keith Shepherd, CEO of Imangi Studios. "We're very excited about the monetization opportunity with Amazon's new virtual currency."

"Everyone recognizes Amazon's success in the e-commerce world – now the Amazon Appstore has become a major player in the mobile app marketplace," said Misha Lyalin, ZeptoLab's CEO. "Amazon's new virtual currency is designed to open new opportunities for developers and make things easier for customers. This is a great example of appstore innovation and we want to support it."

"We've been extremely pleased with how well our games monetize on Amazon," said Michael Grobe, Chief Financial Officer of GameCircus. "We're very excited about the launch of Amazon's new virtual currency."

Amazon Coins is the latest in a series of new features and services for developers that make Amazon the most complete end-to-end ecosystem for building, monetizing and marketing their apps and games. Recent announcements include:

    In-App Purchasing for Mac, PC and web-based games, enabling developers to let customers use their Amazon accounts to purchase virtual goods and currencies from games on those platforms
    Game Circle, which includes capabilities like Achievements, Leaderboards, Friends, and Whispersync for syncing games across devices, and leads to better engagement with games
    Game Connect, which lets developers marry the ease and security of shopping on Amazon with the convenience of having virtual goods delivered directly to customers' game accounts
    A/B Testing, a service that helps developers improve app functionality, retain customers and increase monetization
    Adobe AIR Native Extensions, which makes it simple for Adobe Flash developers to add In-App Purchasing and Game Circle features to their apps and games
    Amazon Mobile App SDK Eclipse Plugin (beta) allows developers to rapidly and reliably integrate Amazon APIs into their Android projects, speeding up development and cutting down on project setup time

Developers can get started at the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal (https://developer.amazon.com/welcome.html).

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support, dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and downloads, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics engine—and it is available in two display sizes—7” and 8.9”. The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available with 4G wireless, and comes with a groundbreaking $49.99 introductory 4G LTE data package. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.es and www.amazon.com.br. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

Source: Amazon.com, Inc.

Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
www.amazon.com/pr
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