Amazon's Prime membership program is highly popular among consumers but the cost can be prohibitive for some. The company has just launched a low-cost version to address this issue. This new offer will be provided to US residents who hold a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer card. The EBT card is often used for the disbursal of various government assistance funds. Now it can discount the use of Prime, though not cannot be used to pay for membership or make purchases on the site.

Prime's regular cost is $10.99 per month. The card can slash this to just $5.99. Despite the discount, membership will still come with full perks such as free photo storage, content streaming, Kindle library access, and many more. The goal is to take Prime closer to low-income households, breaking the notion that the Amazon membership program is a luxury. The company believes that it can provide value to this segment of the population, particularly when it comes to shopping for essential items.

Kindle 2.0 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Amazon's New Kindle Fire HDX

24/7 Live Help, A Lighter Design And A Faster Processors Are Just A Few Of The Features You Will Find With Amazon's New Kindle Fire HDX

The Kindle Fire has been one of the major surprises in the tablet market since it was first introduced. It has surpassed sales expectations, and consumers have rushed to get them. Now, Amazon has done it again with the release of the Kindle Fire HDX, which has many improvements. These improvements include a 24/7 live help feature that allows users to get help when they need any time of the day for technical issues.

English: A Picture of a eBook Español: Foto de eBook Беларуская: Фотаздымак электроннай кнігі Русский: Фотография электронной книги (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Barnes & Noble's Nook Sales Down 34%

The battle of the e-Readers rages on, with a clearer picture of how the market is likely to stand in years to come. While Amazon and Apple seem to be benefitting greatly from the new market, industry giant Barnes & Noble is taking a tumble.

Nook sales themselves are down 34%, with Barnes & Noble digital sales dropping over eight percent in the same year. While the Nook has never been the most successful e-Reader, its overall losses are severe - over a million dollars more for the fiscal year than previously seen. This leaves Barnes & Noble in the precarious position of owning not only the third-place e-Reader on the market, but one that seems to be rapidly decreasing in both value and popularity.

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Amazon Announces Virtual Currency, Amazon Coins

Earlier this week, Amazon announced their new service, Amazon Coins, which is a virtual currency used to buy apps, games and other in-app purchases. 

They kicked off the launch by giving all Kindle Fire owners $5 worth of Coins, equal to 500 coins.  Users can buy more Coins, and they can save up to 10 percent for buying high quantities at a time. 

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Recently, there has been a buzz about different types of tablets from the iPad to the Samsung Galaxy tablet.  However, a similar product that is often overlooked is the Amazon Kindle.

The Kindle was a revolutionary product when Amazon first introduced it in 2007.  The Kindle is to books what the iPod is to music.  It allows consumers to shop for, read, and download books, magazines, newspapers, etc and was developed several years before the current tablet trend.

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Pretty much every website you go to tries to provide you with a customizable experience. Amazon suggests other items you may be interested in – based somewhat on what others buy but also on what you’ve bought, what sites you’ve visited, any cookies your browser may have, etc.

Facebook takes into consideration which links you click on and which posts you like, and then displays more updates from those friends and fewer updates from other friends. This may be good or bad, depending on whether you want to stay in touch with everyone or you want to just see what you care about most. (Compare this to Twitter, which may suggest users, but leaves it up to you to manage your actual feed.)

Amazon Wants Android Users as Readers

Amazon today released a Kindle App for Android owners to allow them to access the 600,000+ digital content pieces (e-books) available from Amazon, without owning a Kindle. And the new mobile app provides a feature to sync your Kindle with your Android so you do not lose your place in a book when you switch reading devices. Books are available at discount prices compared to hardcover new releases, often times in the $10 range and free chapters are provided while you make a purchase decision.