Mobile Technology Science / News

Amazon Web Services announced today that its latest high-performance cloud virtual machines are generally available for customers. That means businesses will be able to spin up C5 instances in the cloud that are built to handle applications requiring large amounts of compute capacity. For example, the new instances will be well-suited to applications like video […]

(Reuters) — Amazon is cutting prices of products from third-party sellers on its website, moving beyond its more typical method of discounts on items it sells directly. The “discount provided by Amazon” applies to products including board games and technological gadgets offered by other merchants as the holiday season approaches. The retailer has been trying […]

Below find a carefully chosen selection of five Alexa skills worth trying from new, trending, and otherwise noteworthy voice apps available in the Alexa Skills Store on Amazon.com, which now has more than 20,000 skills. In case you missed it, Alexa Routines for the creation of scheduled tasks or custom commands launched for the first […]

ANALYSIS: Google announced a notable update to YouTube Kids this week, one that gives parents a range of tools to tailor the app for their kids. Among the new features is one that lets parents create individual profiles for each of their offspring. They can set each kid up with their own passcode to keep siblings […]

Amazon’s Alexa is getting the ability to respond to custom phrases, schedule actions by smart home appliances, and give you a rundown of the weather, traffic, or news. Routines first began to roll out to Echo device users a few days ago, an Amazon spokesperson told VentureBeat. Customizable voice commands and routines can be made […]

GUEST: The healthcare industry is abuzz over consumer engagement and empowerment, spurred by a strong belief that when patients become more engaged in their own care, better outcomes and reduced costs will result. Nevertheless, from the perspective of many patients, navigating the healthcare ecosystem is anything but easy. Consider the familiar use case of booking a […]

Bringing together two of its major offerings for the first time, Amazon has announced that all Prime members with an Alexa-enabled device now get up to six additional questions when they play Jeopardy on weekdays. Everyone can play Jeopardy and get six new questions a day for free, but Double Jeopardy is only free to […]

Though the October 19 application deadline may have passed, the conversation around Amazon HQ2 is far from over. As my VentureBeat colleague Chris O’Brien reported yesterday, 238 cities submitted bids — meaning that we have to wait for Amazon to narrow down a list of 238 contenders to one. As the deadline inched closer, the publicity stunts […]

(Reuters) — Amazon launched a cash payment service in Mexico on Tuesday, aiming to expand its customer base in a country where shoppers are wary of credit card fraud and often earn their living in paper currency. The strategy could also help it to win market share from rival Wal-Mart de Mexico, known as Walmex, […]