Amazon is a Seattle-based online retail giant that is best known across the world as the "everything store" where you can buy practically anything you want and have it shipped to you in short order. Aside from its retail business, Amazon is well-known for its digital goods marketplace, where it started by selling books, followed by music, movies, TV shows and eventually Android apps through the Amazon Appstore. Amazon offers a lot of this content for free or reduced prices via its Amazon Prime service, which costs $99 per year but has several benefits including free media and free two-day shipping on most items it sells.
In order to support its digital content business, Amazon has used a dual-prong strategy of launching apps for various platforms that can work with its content library, and selling its own first-party hardware that only offers content from its stores. The first hardware effort is the now-famous Kindle line to read books on, followed by the like-named Kindle Fire lineup that replicated a full-powered tablet experience that many had become familiar with via the iPad and other Android tablets. The Kindle Fires run a modified version of Android called Fire OS, have access to the Amazon Appstore rather than Google Play and are generally considered to be popular choices for specific kinds of users.
Branching out further, Amazon launched the Fire TV, which is a media-focused set top box that's essentially a Kindle Fire without a screen. It is a small, yet powerful, box that streams content from Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and dozens of other providers, while also offering access to Android game titles with an optional Bluetooth controller. In the summer of 2014, Amazon also announced the Fire Phone, which completes its Fire OS expansion to all modern platforms — set top boxes, tablets and phones.
Latest about Amazon
Should you buy the Galaxy S25 Edge at $400 off its normal price?
Should I buy it? Amazon has the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge at a whopping 36% discount. Does that make it worth buying?
Amazon is giving away free $100 gift cards with the new Samsung Galaxy S25 FE - plus complimentary storage upgrades!
New Phone Bundle That was fast.
Labor Day is over, but these noise-cancelling headphones are still 50% OFF at Amazon
$30 ANC Headphones?! That's just $30 for a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
Amazon has suddenly dropped a record-smashing $400 OFF the Galaxy S25 Edge, and I am so confused
Save big on thin Amazon has apparently decided to slash 36% off the Galaxy S25 Edge, one of the most sleek and cutting-edge devices released this year.
I can't believe my eyes: Amazon's Labor Day sale slashes 18% OFF this top-rated Kindle e-reader
Read More Books The 2024 version of the tablet sports a 6-inch screen and up to six weeks of battery life per charge.
Labor Day deals heat up with over 40% OFF some of our favorite last-gen wireless headphones
Wireless Cans The Sony WH-1000XM4s get hit with 43% off at Amazon for Labor Day.
Stop everything! The Google Pixel Tablet just crashed to a RECORD LOW price during Amazon's Labor Day sale
Pixel-Perfect Price Tag Complete your home's Pixel ecosystem with this historic deal.
Finally! The Galaxy Z Fold 7 just scored a historic discount to challenge the Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Decisions As part of its Labor Day sale, Amazon is slashing $300 off the new Galaxy Z Fold 7. Take that, Google!
Amazon's Labor Day sale carves 27% OFF one of our favorite portable storage devices
Tiny Solid State Amazon is offering this portable 1TB Samsung solid-state drive for $30 off the normal price—bringing it down to just $80.
News Weekly: Google teases Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Perplexity bids on Google Chrome, Samsung's XR glasses, and more
News Weekly A round-up of the biggest tech-related news that stood out this week.
These 'supremely comfortable' earbuds changed the way I listen to music, and now they're 17% off at Amazon
Listen up! New Pixel earbuds are expected to be announced next week, but why wait when you can score a sweet discount on their predecessors today?
One of the best Samsung laptops for students just crashed to its lowest price EVER at Amazon
Samsung's Best The 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 offers a touchscreen, a powerful CPU, an S Pen, and more.
Watch this space! Our favorite fitness tracker is on sale at Amazon again, this time for 25% OFF
Fitbit for $120 The Fitbit Charge 6 is a classic fitness smartwatch—$40 off at Amazon helps, too.
Amazon is shutting down its Android app store next week
Going Away Amazon's App Store on Android is shutting down, and the company wants people to prepare.
These Bang & Olufsen headphones are stupid expensive, but a 25% discount from Amazon will lessen the blow
No Strings Attached Our favorite premium wireless headphones are currently selling for under $1,000, marking a 25% discount from their normal purchase price.
Amazon quietly drops HUGE Google Pixel phone sale ahead of the Pixel 10 launch — this is not a test!
Amaaazing This week only!
These student-friendly Beats earbuds just scored a 41% discount at Amazon — but you better act fast
Earbuds = Necessary 4 School The Beats Studio Buds Plus are a solid pair of earbuds for students and others, especially at $70 off.
It's not all that often you can get one of our favorite Samsung tablets for 30% off, so don't miss out
A9, all mine If you're in the market for a cheap Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab A9 Plus might be the one for you. It's on sale for almost 30% off, making it a perfect last-minute Back-to-School pick up.
