Amazon started out as an online bookstore, constantly making news with the number of titles it offered for sale. In the late 1990s, Amazon had more than four million titles after adding CDs, videos, DVDs and games. It continued to add new lines of business including toys, consumer electronics, software, power tools, home improvement products, online auctions and datacenter services (see EC2).
![]() | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Google makes Chrome OS open source today
- I like itThe ChromeOS demo looked pretty cool!I'm almost 100% webapp-based already, so I could see myself using a simple, fast & no maintenance OS like that the majority of the time.I like it too, but, for me, I need to compile and run programs locally. I would imagine that...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-19
- Amazon slashes price of Palm Pre to $79.99, Pixi to $24.99
- I don't want ......ANY misleading bargain with a two or three year contract. Sell me the HW at a fair price and let me select the carrier and package of my choice.I am not an idiot. RE: Amazon slashes price of Palm Pre to $79.99, Pixi to $24.99When you limit...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-19
- What's next for Microsoft's Azure cloud platform?
- So MS is going cloud...Well, well, isn't this interesting. Does MS concede that the era of packaged client software is over? Again, MS is the follower and not the leader, and again, MS is following Google to the clouds. My prediction is that this will be a field day...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-18
- Apple's app approval revolt: Will it matter? Maybe
- Once somebody matches the ease of the App store,Create a desktop application which makes it brain-dead simple to buy, install, arrange, and sync software and multimedia content with the Droid and it will take off like crazy. That's about the only thing the iPhone has over the Droid at this...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-17
- Photos: Top-rated reviews of the week
- Here are a few of Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the Amazon Kindle, HTC Droid Eris and Canon PowerShot S90. by CNET News.com
- Image galleries 2009-11-16
- Amazon's Kindle for PC app available; It's a handy download
- Open formatYou say the Kindle is less open than the Sony or B&N readers. Are you saying that a Sony book can be read on the Nook? Or that a Nook book can be read on a Sony reader? I think you're pretty well mistaken on...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-10
- OpenOfficeMouse - Put an end to button envy!
- it looks like a...parody advertisement on The Onion, it even looks cheesy...can't imagine it being very comfortable and easy to use, how does one remember which button to press?Looks like...A Mouse designed by commitee.A Mouse with ADD.A mouse for a centipede.A mouse named "Sybil"A mouse decorated by color blind kindergardners.Come...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-09
- Now Playing 2.1.0.3 (Mac)
- iTunes allow you to create plugins that can do various tasks for you. The Now Playing plugin monitors the song you are listening to and publishes the data in various ways: Creates a XML file with information on that song. A file called now_playing.xml is created in your iTunes Plug-ins...
- Software downloads 2009-11-09
- Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device (U.S. & International Wireless, Latest Generation)
- On October 22, 2009, Amazon discontinued the U.S.-only version of the Kindle and replaced it with the international Kindle model and set the price at $259. This new model--now called the "U.S. and International Kindle"--runs on AT&T's network and can access content on cellular networks inside and outside of the...
- Product reviews 2009-11-07
- Peek releases $99 gadget just for Twitter
- Dedicated Twitterers (Tweeters?) have a new option for posting their 140-character thoughts to the web: the TwitterPeek. Looking a tad like a very thin Blackberry, Peek's Twitter-friendly gadget features a QWERTY keyboard, color screen and click scroll wheel. Available only on Amazon.com for $99, users get...
- Blog posts 2009-11-06
- Wal-mart preempts Black Friday with HDTV specials this Saturday
- Every year, retailers' ads for Black Fridaythe day after Thanksgiving and the unofficial starting of the holiday shopping seasonmanage to leak out a few weeks beforehand this year being no exception. And every year, said retailers freak out when the ads appear online, perhaps fearing that competitors could...
- Blog posts 2009-11-04
- Headline 2010: e-Reader device failure
- The market knows best, right? Markets are bloody paths to progress. At this writing there are approximately 52 e-reader devices coming to market in the next 12 months. Fifty-two different devices coming to market (Here's what I wrote about Steve Jobs' approach to reader devices when there were just 45...
- Blog posts 2009-11-02
- Water, water everywhere. So why not use it to create steam?
- Here is a lesson on how little we can put in the blog...and still call it our own. Could you write less and still get paid ???sheshEver heard of Nuclear powered ships? They heat water that flashes into steam and thus turns the turbines.This short article.I think the...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-02
- Making a foundation a real solution to the mySQL mess
- Sounds good. Too good?This sounds like a great solution to a problem that is probably costing Oracle, destroying what little credibility Sun has as a brand, while ensuring that every website on the planet virtually retains access to a free, secure and efficient database. If we don't do something, the...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-30
- E-book reader news and releases round-up
- Why e-books ?Using a "normal" paperback book I have indefinite battery life and extreme portability. I have no need to carry a hundred books at one time and can take along a few books for an extended read time just about anywhere and in any travel bag. I...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-28
- How to find a quality film scanner
- ConfusedV500: 6400dpiV700: scan speed(?) from 300 to 600dpi8800F: maximum resolution of 4800?9600Am I ignorant or is this full of errors and inconsistencies in data/spec presentations?More quality film scannersCertainly there are many more than just those three. Microtek, for instance, currently offers five models, all of which support transparencies up...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-28
- E-book reader news and releases round-up
- The last two weeks have been especially busy for the e-book reader industry and probably pretty frightening for Amazon. Here's a quick round-up of what's been released and what we have to look forward to this holiday season: 1. Barnes & Noble Nook:...
- Blog posts 2009-10-28
- Amazon launches relational database service: Think MySQL in the cloud
- Three reasons this is a bad paradigm...Security, security and...let's see, what was that other thing...oh yeah, security. The comment "enterprise customers are likely to take their time moving sensitive data into Amazon?s RDS effort" should be nominated for the understatement of the year award. What's more likely is...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-27
- Get a charge out of this (or, more solar power to go)
- i.Tech Dynamic has added another mobile solar charging gadget to its steadily growing line. Actually, it has taken the solar charger part of its i.Tech SolarSet 905 carkit and broken it out as a separate product that carries a suggested list of $59.99. The latest product is...
- Blog posts 2009-10-26
- Survey: cloud interest grows triple-fold; cost may not be main factor
- buble bust...anyone learns from 2000 and so IT burst?Current interest in private cloudsHi Joean interesting piece, and thanks for the link to my post? This current enthusiasm for private Clouds is also interesting? and I am left wondering how long it will continue.It's presumably a mix of security concerns (real...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-26
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- The more you simplify, the more you save
-
When you transition from your existing Red Hat environment to SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, you can recognize dramatic cost savings, perhaps as much 50%

- Learn more >>
- Keep Up With The Latest In Document Management with The DocuMentor.
-
Doc delivers the scoop on today's enterprise content management, printer maintenance, and all other issues related to document management. It's the DocuMentor Blog.
- Learn more >>
- New Online Dashboard for IT Leaders
-
Read about top issues IT decision-makers face every day, plus get cost-effective solutions to real-life IT problems.
- Learn more >>
- Save time with automated shipping solutions
-
The Business Essentials Guide provides you useful tools and templates to help grow your business and save you time with automated shipping solutions.
- Visit the UPS Business Essentials Guide
SmartPlanet
- Thought-provoking progressive ideas on diverse topics that intersect with technology, business, and life, and matter to the world at large. Visit SmartPlanet
- More from IBM
- Can your business work smarter? Learn more about Lotus Symphony
- Learn how to work smarter and optimize cost using the IBM Smart SOA approach Download the eBook
- Smarter ways to make smarter products Read the brief from IBM





