PayPal, MasterCard
In a move to extend its reach and boost its brand faster, the alternative online payment services provider, PayPal, has partnered with credit card giant and sometimes rival MasterCard, reports CNN Money.
PayPal, a unit of Internet auctioneer eBay, will introduce a new service that allows its 164 million account holders to make payments on e-commerce sites that take MasterCard, but have not agreed to accept PayPal.
The service is part of the unit`s strategy to reduce its dependence on eBay auction transactions. However, some observers said PayPal`s move is a gambit that could, over the long-term, diminish its brand and reduce profit margins.
Amazon unveils reading device
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos has introduced Kindle, an ambitious $399 e-book device that lets users wirelessly download bestsellers for $9.99 each. It is designed to be simpler to use and more comfortable to hold than similar devices, says New York Times.
Most significant, Amazon has made it easy to shop for and buy books through Kindle without using a computer. The device connects to a high-speed wireless data network from Sprint, and wireless delivery is included in the cost of books and other products. Downloading a book takes less than a minute.
Bezos said Kindle was most likely to appeal to travellers and others who want to carry several books with them.
Make a beeline for Wii
Those who missed out on buying a Nintendo Wii during the holiday season last year, and have it on this year`s list, had better start shopping now, reports USA Today.
Even before holiday shoppers invade, retailers can`t keep the still-popular game system in stock a year after its debut. The Wii is the top-requested game system on holiday wish lists, according to a new Weekly Reader Research survey of 1 000 eight- to 17-year-olds for retailer Game Crazy.
The Wii was on 32% of wish lists, the Sony PlayStation 3 on 19% and Microsoft Xbox 360 on 17%.
Flickr adds tools
Online photo-sharing community Flickr has rolled out two new mapping features that the company said would provide users with more ways to explore photographs being taken across the globe, reports Computerworld.
The Yahoo unit said the offerings include a new user interface for its mapping tool that allows users to hover over specific locations throughout the world and see the tags of what people are photographing at the time.
Users can click on the tag to be taken to a stream of current photos from that location, Flickr said. The unit noted that there are now more than 30 million public geotagged photos on its site.
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