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☆ How Amazon acquires companies, and what makes it want to buy a firm 'right now'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For starters, the company is hosting its second major sale event of the year, its two-day Prime Early Access Sale. Prime members can expect to get some holiday shopping knocked out with deals on everything from Amazon devices to kitchen tools. The e-commerce giant has been on a shopping spree this year, snapping up companies from One Medical to iRobot. As Amazon reaches hundreds of billions of dollars in sales, it needs to move beyond its traditional retail and cloud businesses. The Prime Early Access Sale starts today and will continue until tomorrow, offering early access to holiday deals.

☆ Amazon's latest product announcements are a reminder the company is always watching
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-02 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But the event was also another reminder of just how much Amazon’s many products are watching us. The new Halo Rise sleep tracking device, for example, sits on the nightstand and monitors a person’s breathing and micro-movements as they sleep without the need to wear a sleep tracker. Amazon is far from the only tech company offering products that monitor users or collect data with the promise of improved conveniences, productivity and safety. In the months leading up to the product event, Amazon made two big announcements that could expand its reach into our lives even more. The Halo Rise sleep tracking device, meanwhile, encrypts the collected data and stores it in the cloud, according to the company.

☆ Senator Warren, other lawmakers ask FTC to block Amazon's iRobot deal -Axios
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Amazon logo is seen outside its JFK8 distribution center in Staten Island, New York, U.S. November 25, 2020. Senator Elizabeth Warren is asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to reject Amazon.com Inc's $1.7 billion deal to buy Roomba vacuum maker iRobot Corp (IRBT.O), Axios reported on Thursday, citing a letter. The FTC last week had asked Amazon and iRobot for more information on the e-commerce giant's buyout offer, which was announced in August. read moreWarren and the FTC did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Amazon's smart home dominance and how it could grow with iRobot acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Katie Schoolov | Liam Mays | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAmazon's smart home dominance and how it could grow with iRobot acquisitionAmazon ships more U.S. smart home devices than any other company and says Alexa now works on 140,000 products. After buying video doorbell maker Ring in 2018 and mesh WiFi system Eero in 2019, Amazon's now trying to buy Roomba vacuum maker iRobot. But the FTC is asking for more information before approving the $1.7 billion deal. Ahead of its annual smart home event, CNBC asked Amazon about what really happens to all the data collected by its devices and how it dominates the internet of things.

☆ Amazon dominates the $113 billion smart home market — here's how it uses the data it collects
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Katie Schoolov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Then in 2019, it paid $97 million for a mesh Wi-Fi system called Eero to help connect multiple smart devices in the home. Amazon's Eero mesh WiFi systems are shown inside the Amazon smart lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022. Amazon's Ring Video Doorbell 4 is shown at the Amazon smart home lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022. Or you may have actually told Alexa, 'Alexa, I'm leaving,' and to switch on your alarm system, for example," Koopmans said. Amazon's Smart Thermostat is shown inside the Amazon smart lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022.

☆ Amazon’s $999 dog-like robot is getting smarter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And Astro will now work with a real-time subscription service from Amazon’s smart-doorbell company, Ring, to provide security monitoring to small and medium-sized businesses. Smarter TVsAmazon unveiled a new series of Fire TV Omni QLED models – the first Fire TV to ship with Dolby Vision IQ. Kindle ScribeFifteen years after launching the Kindle, Amazon is introducing a higher-end version that also serves as a writing device. Its Echo Auto device ($54.99) is now smaller, sleeker and can be more easily mounted in a vehicle. A smarter Echo Show 15Amazon also announced a number of software updates coming to its existing Echo Show 15, a device the company said is especially popular in the kitchen.

☆ Everything you'll need to know about Amazon's second Prime Day
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That's right: Amazon has confirmed it's hosting another Prime Day-esque event, slated to take place next month. It's official: Amazon is hosting a second "Prime Day" sales event. Here's what we know so far:The "Prime Early Access Sale," will be held on October 11 and 12. As with Prime Day, the Prime Early Access Sale is exclusively available to Amazon Prime subscribers. But as long as you sign up before the event ends on October 12, you'll be able to partake.

☆ Amazon's second Prime Day is coming in October, and it's called the 'Prime Early Access Sale' — here's what to expect
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( William Antonelli | Tech Reporter For Insider Reviews | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Called the "Prime Early Access Sale," the two-day sales event will feature early access to holiday deals. The Prime Early Access Sale is only available to current Amazon Prime subscribers. It's called "Prime Early Access Sale," and it will run from October 11 to October 12. We also expect some early deals leading up to the Prime Early Access Sale. Like Prime Day, the Prime Early Access Sale is exclusively available to Amazon Prime subscribers.

☆ FTC seeks more data on Amazon's $1.7-billion deal for vacuum maker iRobot
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe logo of Amazon is seen on the door of an Amazon Books retail store in New York City, U.S., February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidSept 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has asked Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and iRobot Corp (IRBT.O) for more information on the e-commerce giant's $1.7-billion buyout of the Roomba vacuum maker. In a filing on Tuesday, iRobot said the FTC had on Sept. 19 requested more details on the deal that was announced last month and would expand Amazon's stable of smart home devices. read moreA group of about 20 pro-privacy and worker organizations have urged U.S. antitrust enforcers to stop the deal, citing concerns about privacy and Amazon's already powerful position in the smart home devices market. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Time for someone else to ride the Peloton bike?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Peloton also announced job cuts at the time of McCarthy’s hiring and revealed more layoffs in August. Peloton is one of several pandemic era winners that are now finding it difficult to keep the boom times going. With that in mind, Nike (NKE) or Adidas (ADDDF) could work out as potential Peloton buyers. Amazon (AMZN) is also compelling as a potential Peloton owner. Nike and Amazon were both mentioned in various media reports as potential acquirers for Peloton in February, just before McCarthy was hired.

☆ In Amazon's future world, robots may detect your screams
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Thirty-one of Amazon's Astro patents mention using the sound of a "human yell" to stop robots. Amazon has been granted 31 patents for Astro, its $1000 home robot, that mention using the sound of a "human yell" to stop the robot. US Patent and Trademark OfficeThe patents say that Astro has safety features that use a "minimum sound threshold" to stop the robot. As an example, the patents say that "detection of sound such as a human yell" would stop Astro. An Amazon spokesperson declined to answer questions from Insider, including whether Astro actually has the feature where a human yell stops the robot.

☆ A robot named Baxter wanted to change the world of work, but his career ended early
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-01 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Rethink Robotics was founded in 2008 with the idea that a cobot — a robot working alongside humans in ways that traditional automation couldn't (i.e. "There is no such thing as the cobot without Rod Brooks," Beane said. "No one needs a two-armed robot," Beane said, describing that design decision as "humans projecting onto a robot their own physical form." The opportunity for robotics technology remains significant, though it is still trailing other automation approaches in market penetration. "Manufacturing is about high throughput and high consistency and you can automate the heck out of it without a cobot," Beane said.

☆ Andy Jassy's Amazon is going shopping, spending billions on iRobot and One Medical. Here are the companies it could buy next.
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-10 | by ( Katherine Long | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is set to buy the robot-vacuum maker iRobot for $1.7 billion, the companies said Friday. And Amazon said last month it would buy the One Medical chain of physician offices for $3.9 billion. The purchases may mark the start of an Amazon buying spree as tech valuations plunge. Amazon hasn't "shown a historic proclivity to buy things," but the iRobot and One Medical deals show "there may be a few more coming," Shmulik added. Here are areas where Amazon could spend big:

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