A giant plush remote from the Nintendo museum is being sold on eBay.
The Nintendo Museum opened in the company’s hometown of Kyoto, and it is already limiting some gift shop items to one per person in an attempt to discourage visitors from flipping exclusive merch online.
The two-story museum highlights the company’s history dating back to 1889, when Nintendo started making hanafuda playing cards. It also features interactive exhibits letting visitors play Nintendo games in unusual ways, including using oversized NES controllers and Wii Remotes that need two people to operate.
What’s generated even more buzz than the museum’s exhibits are the exclusive items available in the museum’s gift shop. Some of the items, which were available during preview events at the museum, have already shown up on sites like eBay with huge markups. A giant plush Wii Remote is currently going for $474, while a complete set of controller cushions, including the Super Famicom and N64, is asking $1,399.
The Nintendo Museum opened in the company’s hometown of Kyoto, and it is already limiting some gift shop items to one per person in an attempt to discourage visitors from flipping exclusive merch online.
The two-story museum highlights the company’s history dating back to 1889, when Nintendo started making hanafuda playing cards. It also features interactive exhibits letting visitors play Nintendo games in unusual ways, including using oversized NES controllers and Wii Remotes that need two people to operate.
What’s generated even more buzz than the museum’s exhibits are the exclusive items available in the museum’s gift shop. Some of the items, which were available during preview events at the museum, have already shown up on sites like eBay with huge markups. A giant plush Wii Remote is currently going for $474, while a complete set of controller cushions, including the Super Famicom and N64, is asking $1,399.
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"The Achievements of Kamala Harris" have stunned Americans.
A book with the same title about the Vice President is gaining popularity on store shelves in the U.S. "The Achievements of Kamala Harris" consists of 191 blank (!) pages. The annotation states that this is the most comprehensive description of Harris’s 20-year political career, aimed at convincing readers to vote for her as a presidential candidate.
The book has already received a high rating on Amazon, and the Republican PR campaign behind it is rightfully considered one of the most successful of the current election cycle.
A book with the same title about the Vice President is gaining popularity on store shelves in the U.S. "The Achievements of Kamala Harris" consists of 191 blank (!) pages. The annotation states that this is the most comprehensive description of Harris’s 20-year political career, aimed at convincing readers to vote for her as a presidential candidate.
The book has already received a high rating on Amazon, and the Republican PR campaign behind it is rightfully considered one of the most successful of the current election cycle.
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In 2023, Amazon proactively blocked more than 250 million suspected fake reviews from its stores worldwide.
Amazon pursues people who attempt to profit off of fake reviews. The company filed its first lawsuit against fake review brokers in 2015, and continues to pursue fraudsters through legal means. In 2023, Amazon pursued legal action against more than 150 bad actors attempting to engage in review abuse across the U.S., China, and Europe.
In July 2024, Amazon filed its first ever joint lawsuit against review brokers with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The lawsuit seeks to hold an illegitimate business called ReviewServiceUSA. com accountable to the full extent of the law, and prevent them from facilitating fake reviews targeting Amazon’s store, the BBB, and other legitimate companies and organizations.
Amazon pursues people who attempt to profit off of fake reviews. The company filed its first lawsuit against fake review brokers in 2015, and continues to pursue fraudsters through legal means. In 2023, Amazon pursued legal action against more than 150 bad actors attempting to engage in review abuse across the U.S., China, and Europe.
In July 2024, Amazon filed its first ever joint lawsuit against review brokers with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The lawsuit seeks to hold an illegitimate business called ReviewServiceUSA. com accountable to the full extent of the law, and prevent them from facilitating fake reviews targeting Amazon’s store, the BBB, and other legitimate companies and organizations.
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✍️ Join the discussion on e-commerce news in our @ecommerce_Al_chat.
Have you encountered an order switch on Amazon, eBay, or AliExpress? Discovered unusual products on marketplaces? Share your comments, send photos, and videos directly to the @ecommerce_Al_chat.
Have you encountered an order switch on Amazon, eBay, or AliExpress? Discovered unusual products on marketplaces? Share your comments, send photos, and videos directly to the @ecommerce_Al_chat.
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A company called OpenAI sues a company called Open AI.
The case, formally named OpenAI Inc. v. Open Artificial Intelligence Inc., showed up on the docket for the US District Court in Northern California, to zero fanfare, in August of last year. Companies with near-identical names entangled in a lawsuit usually means trademark infringement—more the makings of a one-liner than a riveting story.
Still, it did involve the OpenAI, the generative AI kingpin and maker of ChatGPT, backed by Microsoft Corp. to the tune of (at the time) $13 billion.
The case, formally named OpenAI Inc. v. Open Artificial Intelligence Inc., showed up on the docket for the US District Court in Northern California, to zero fanfare, in August of last year. Companies with near-identical names entangled in a lawsuit usually means trademark infringement—more the makings of a one-liner than a riveting story.
Still, it did involve the OpenAI, the generative AI kingpin and maker of ChatGPT, backed by Microsoft Corp. to the tune of (at the time) $13 billion.
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Amazon Ads launches new AI tools for advertisers.
Аmazon Ads announced a new feature that uses generative AI technology to make it easier for advertisers to create more interesting and relevant video ads for customers.
The new feature, Video generator, creates visually rich video content in a matter of minutes and at no additional cost. Using a single product image, Video generator curates custom AI-generated videos tailored to a product's distinct selling proposition and features, leveraging Amazon's unique insights to vividly bring a product story to life.
Аmazon Ads announced a new feature that uses generative AI technology to make it easier for advertisers to create more interesting and relevant video ads for customers.
The new feature, Video generator, creates visually rich video content in a matter of minutes and at no additional cost. Using a single product image, Video generator curates custom AI-generated videos tailored to a product's distinct selling proposition and features, leveraging Amazon's unique insights to vividly bring a product story to life.
YouTube
AI creative studio
Currently available in beta, AI creative studio brings Amazon Ads AI-powered image and video—and in the future, audio—generation capabilities together within a single experience so that advertisers can conceptualize, create, and refresh content easily, regardless…
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Ecom: The Future. AI, Innovation pinned «✍️ Join the discussion on e-commerce news in our @ecommerce_Al_chat. Have you encountered an order switch on Amazon, eBay, or AliExpress? Discovered unusual products on marketplaces? Share your comments, send photos, and videos directly to the @ecommerce_Al_chat.»
Amazon introduced a new Kindle.
Amazon is introducing an entirely new lineup of Kindle devices, including the first-ever color Kindle, a reimagined Kindle Scribe, the fastest Kindle Paperwhite ever, and a new entry Kindle in a fun, new Matcha color.
The new Kindle Scribe offers a first-of-its-kind in-book writing experience and a more powerful notetaking experience. With Active Canvas, you can write your thoughts directly in the book when inspiration strikes. Your note becomes part of the page, and the book text dynamically flows around it—if you increase the font size, change the font style, or the book layout changes, the note remains visible exactly where you want it so you never lose any meaning or context.
Coming soon, you’ll also be able to write your notes in the side panel and easily hide them when you are done. The all-new, built-in AI-powered notebook enables you to quickly summarize pages and pages of notes into concise bullets in a script font that can be easily shared directly from the notebook tab.
Amazon is introducing an entirely new lineup of Kindle devices, including the first-ever color Kindle, a reimagined Kindle Scribe, the fastest Kindle Paperwhite ever, and a new entry Kindle in a fun, new Matcha color.
The new Kindle Scribe offers a first-of-its-kind in-book writing experience and a more powerful notetaking experience. With Active Canvas, you can write your thoughts directly in the book when inspiration strikes. Your note becomes part of the page, and the book text dynamically flows around it—if you increase the font size, change the font style, or the book layout changes, the note remains visible exactly where you want it so you never lose any meaning or context.
Coming soon, you’ll also be able to write your notes in the side panel and easily hide them when you are done. The all-new, built-in AI-powered notebook enables you to quickly summarize pages and pages of notes into concise bullets in a script font that can be easily shared directly from the notebook tab.
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Apple plans to overtake Amazon in developing home devices.
For years, Apple Inc. has sold the go-to devices for our pockets, wrists, backpacks and desks. But it has struggled to achieve that kind of success in other key areas: the car, the face and the home.
But now the company is setting out to conquer the smart home with an aggressive new strategy: putting Apple screens and software throughout the house in a way that creates an end-to-end experience. The renewed effort follows years of mediocre performance in this category, with Amazon. com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google taking the lead. One reason Apple has struggled is its focus on making premium products that work in a closed ecosystem. That hasn’t been an effective strategy in the smart home, where consumers want equipment that can work with a wide range of other products.
For Apple’s next slate of home hardware to be successful, it has to support as many accessories as possible — and the company is preparing to do just that. It helped develop a smart home protocol called Matter that allows Amazon, Google and Apple devices to all play nicely together.
For years, Apple Inc. has sold the go-to devices for our pockets, wrists, backpacks and desks. But it has struggled to achieve that kind of success in other key areas: the car, the face and the home.
But now the company is setting out to conquer the smart home with an aggressive new strategy: putting Apple screens and software throughout the house in a way that creates an end-to-end experience. The renewed effort follows years of mediocre performance in this category, with Amazon. com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google taking the lead. One reason Apple has struggled is its focus on making premium products that work in a closed ecosystem. That hasn’t been an effective strategy in the smart home, where consumers want equipment that can work with a wide range of other products.
For Apple’s next slate of home hardware to be successful, it has to support as many accessories as possible — and the company is preparing to do just that. It helped develop a smart home protocol called Matter that allows Amazon, Google and Apple devices to all play nicely together.
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Amazon announced financial results for its second quarter 2024.
Net sales increased 10% to $148 billion in the second quarter, compared with $134 billion in second quarter 2023. Excluding the $1 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased 11% compared with second quarter 2023.
North America segment sales increased 9% year-over-year to $90.0 billion. International segment sales increased 7% year-over-year to $32 billion, or increased 10% excluding changes in foreign exchange rates. AWS segment sales increased 19% year-over-year to $26 billion.
Net sales increased 10% to $148 billion in the second quarter, compared with $134 billion in second quarter 2023. Excluding the $1 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased 11% compared with second quarter 2023.
North America segment sales increased 9% year-over-year to $90.0 billion. International segment sales increased 7% year-over-year to $32 billion, or increased 10% excluding changes in foreign exchange rates. AWS segment sales increased 19% year-over-year to $26 billion.
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A Bitcoiner sued the city mayor for $647 million for banning trash dumping.
About 10 years ago, the guy's ex-girlfriend accidentally threw away his hard drive with 8,000 bitcoins, which are now valued at half a billion dollars. And for many years now, he has been coming to the city landfill in search of the lost disk.
The man has assembled a whole team of “gold miners” who turn over the landfill day and night, but the city mayor recently officially forbade him from going there.
About 10 years ago, the guy's ex-girlfriend accidentally threw away his hard drive with 8,000 bitcoins, which are now valued at half a billion dollars. And for many years now, he has been coming to the city landfill in search of the lost disk.
The man has assembled a whole team of “gold miners” who turn over the landfill day and night, but the city mayor recently officially forbade him from going there.
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Amazon has started building mini nuclear power plants.
Data centers consume energy like Netflix consumes your evening — continuously and without remorse. Wind turbines and solar panels? That's last century. Amazon, Google, Microsoft — they’re all in on it: small nuclear reactors (SMRs) are now the main characters in the technological drama.
$500 million. All for what? So that your cat photos keep loading in the cloud. By 2039 — 5,000 megawatts. For reference, that’s the amount of energy needed for an entire city with a population of 2.5 million people in a single day! Not a month, not a year — a day. Imagine — a whole metropolis powered by nuclear energy, all just to keep your servers from overheating and to ensure AI continues generating pictures for you.
Data centers consume energy like Netflix consumes your evening — continuously and without remorse. Wind turbines and solar panels? That's last century. Amazon, Google, Microsoft — they’re all in on it: small nuclear reactors (SMRs) are now the main characters in the technological drama.
$500 million. All for what? So that your cat photos keep loading in the cloud. By 2039 — 5,000 megawatts. For reference, that’s the amount of energy needed for an entire city with a population of 2.5 million people in a single day! Not a month, not a year — a day. Imagine — a whole metropolis powered by nuclear energy, all just to keep your servers from overheating and to ensure AI continues generating pictures for you.
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Amazon helps fight cybercriminals.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed criminal charges against two leaders of a highly disruptive cybercriminal operation, which targeted hospitals, government agencies, telecommunications services, cloud providers, and a range of other organizations.
The DOJ acknowledged contributions from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its security experts to the effort to bring the leaders of this group, named Anonymous Sudan, to justice. Anonymous Sudan is one of dozens of cybercrime-for-hire operations that AWS security teams have been instrumental in disrupting over the past two years. This group, in particular, deployed distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks for money.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed criminal charges against two leaders of a highly disruptive cybercriminal operation, which targeted hospitals, government agencies, telecommunications services, cloud providers, and a range of other organizations.
The DOJ acknowledged contributions from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its security experts to the effort to bring the leaders of this group, named Anonymous Sudan, to justice. Anonymous Sudan is one of dozens of cybercrime-for-hire operations that AWS security teams have been instrumental in disrupting over the past two years. This group, in particular, deployed distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks for money.
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A Seattle entrepreneur shared how he works with Amazon.
For six years now, the entrepreneur from Seattle has been working with the Amazon Flex program.
Amazon Flex is a program that allows individuals to work with Amazon as independent contractors to deliver packages. Drivers can sign up for the program, using their own vehicles to deliver orders. They have access to a mobile app where they can choose delivery blocks (typically 2-4 hours) and deliver packages to customers.
Amazon Flex workers can deliver various items, including:
📍Packages from local Amazon distribution centers,
📍Groceries and items from Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods,
📍Products from other Amazon partner services.
This allows people to earn flexibly by choosing convenient working hours, with pay depending on the number of packages delivered and the time spent on deliveries.
For six years now, the entrepreneur from Seattle has been working with the Amazon Flex program.
Amazon Flex is a program that allows individuals to work with Amazon as independent contractors to deliver packages. Drivers can sign up for the program, using their own vehicles to deliver orders. They have access to a mobile app where they can choose delivery blocks (typically 2-4 hours) and deliver packages to customers.
Amazon Flex workers can deliver various items, including:
📍Packages from local Amazon distribution centers,
📍Groceries and items from Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods,
📍Products from other Amazon partner services.
This allows people to earn flexibly by choosing convenient working hours, with pay depending on the number of packages delivered and the time spent on deliveries.
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Chinese Hackers Broke Crypto — and no, this is not just a sensational headline.
Scientists from China, using a quantum computer, have cracked algorithms used in the banking sector and cryptocurrency.
They employed the quantum annealing method and attacked AES-256, one of the most secure encryption standards today.
Experts are raising alarms: the threat is real, and by 2027, quantum machines could be capable of breaking cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.
Scientists from China, using a quantum computer, have cracked algorithms used in the banking sector and cryptocurrency.
They employed the quantum annealing method and attacked AES-256, one of the most secure encryption standards today.
Experts are raising alarms: the threat is real, and by 2027, quantum machines could be capable of breaking cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.
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Apple admitted its two-year lag in the field of AI.
The company acknowledged that their Apple Intelligence is at least two years behind competitors, according to Apple insider Mark Gurman. According to internal company research, their voice assistant Siri lags behind ChatGPT by 25% in terms of accuracy and question coverage.
Currently, there are three possible ways to close the gap: the company will either develop AI on its own, bring in external developers, or acquire ready-made technologies.
Although Tim Cook claims that for Apple it is more important to be "the best, not the first," the company will need to address this issue in the near future, especially because by 2026 Apple wants to integrate AI into all its devices.
The company acknowledged that their Apple Intelligence is at least two years behind competitors, according to Apple insider Mark Gurman. According to internal company research, their voice assistant Siri lags behind ChatGPT by 25% in terms of accuracy and question coverage.
Currently, there are three possible ways to close the gap: the company will either develop AI on its own, bring in external developers, or acquire ready-made technologies.
Although Tim Cook claims that for Apple it is more important to be "the best, not the first," the company will need to address this issue in the near future, especially because by 2026 Apple wants to integrate AI into all its devices.
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Apple May Halt Vision Pro Production by the End of the Year.
According to The Information, Apple has informed the assembler of Vision Pro headsets about a potential production halt in November. However, the company is leaving open the possibility of resuming production in the future.
It is reported that production of the Vision Pro significantly slowed down as early as the summer, with factories assembling only 1,000 devices per day. This is due to low demand for the devices, driven by their high price and the lack of content for the headset.
Apple has now shifted its focus to developing a budget version of the headset. However, the company does not anticipate overwhelming demand at launch, with plans to produce only 4 million units throughout its lifecycle—half the initial production target for the Vision Pro.
According to The Information, Apple has informed the assembler of Vision Pro headsets about a potential production halt in November. However, the company is leaving open the possibility of resuming production in the future.
It is reported that production of the Vision Pro significantly slowed down as early as the summer, with factories assembling only 1,000 devices per day. This is due to low demand for the devices, driven by their high price and the lack of content for the headset.
Apple has now shifted its focus to developing a budget version of the headset. However, the company does not anticipate overwhelming demand at launch, with plans to produce only 4 million units throughout its lifecycle—half the initial production target for the Vision Pro.
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Amazon urged employees dissatisfied with working in the office to quit.
Amazon urged employees dissatisfied with the five-day office work schedule to quit. This message was delivered by Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman, according to CNBC.
During a general meeting at the company’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, a representative of one of the largest companies in the world stated that working in the office helps teams interact better and be more efficient.
"At Amazon, we want to work in an environment where we collaborate together, and we believe that this collaborative environment is incredibly important for our innovation and our culture," Garman emphasized.
The company plans to abandon remote work, which was introduced during the pandemic, in order to keep up with competitors like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google. Initially, Amazon required employees to spend at least three days a week in the office, but in September 2024, it completely eliminated the option to work from home.
Amazon urged employees dissatisfied with the five-day office work schedule to quit. This message was delivered by Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman, according to CNBC.
During a general meeting at the company’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, a representative of one of the largest companies in the world stated that working in the office helps teams interact better and be more efficient.
"At Amazon, we want to work in an environment where we collaborate together, and we believe that this collaborative environment is incredibly important for our innovation and our culture," Garman emphasized.
The company plans to abandon remote work, which was introduced during the pandemic, in order to keep up with competitors like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google. Initially, Amazon required employees to spend at least three days a week in the office, but in September 2024, it completely eliminated the option to work from home.
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Amazon One Medical launches AI tools to help doctors get back to focusing on patient care.
Amazon’s technology teams work hand in hand with Amazon One Medical providers to develop effective, real-world AI solutions that simplify provider workflows while enhancing patient experiences. Amazon One Medical’s proprietary electronic health record system, 1Life, enables Amazon’s technology teams to continuously iterate, test, and refine the tools available to Amazon One Medical providers.
Here are some of the ways Amazon One Medical’s AI technology, powered by AWS generative AI services including Amazon Bedrock and AWS HealthScribe, helps doctors save time:
✅ Visit notes at conversational speed
✅ Medical history, summarized
✅ Responsive patient communication
✅ Seamless care team collaboration
Amazon’s technology teams work hand in hand with Amazon One Medical providers to develop effective, real-world AI solutions that simplify provider workflows while enhancing patient experiences. Amazon One Medical’s proprietary electronic health record system, 1Life, enables Amazon’s technology teams to continuously iterate, test, and refine the tools available to Amazon One Medical providers.
Here are some of the ways Amazon One Medical’s AI technology, powered by AWS generative AI services including Amazon Bedrock and AWS HealthScribe, helps doctors save time:
✅ Visit notes at conversational speed
✅ Medical history, summarized
✅ Responsive patient communication
✅ Seamless care team collaboration
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