prime

An Amazon Prime report card: Is it really worth $79 per year?

I've been an Amazon Prime customer for nearly a year now, meaning it's time for me to decide whether to continue subscribing to the program.

In case you're unfamiliar with it, Prime works like this: For $79 annually, you get unlimited movie and TV streaming, one free borrowed e-book per month, and automatic two-day shipping on nearly everything you buy (with no minimum dollar amount).

Awesome deal, right? Maybe, and maybe not.

Let's start with the streaming. Amazon has vastly expanded its movie- and TV-show libraries over the past year, to the point where I'd … Read more

Amazon to stream CBS show based on Stephen King novel

Amazon has scored the rights to stream a new CBS TV series called "Under the Dome."

Based on a Stephen King novel and produced by CBS and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television, the new show will air on CBS TV starting June 24. And just four days after that, the series will be available for streaming to Amazon Prime members.

The deal between Amazon and CBS (which is also the parent company of CNET) means that Amazon Prime Instant Video will be the exclusive online home for "Under the Dome." Amazon Prime subscribers will be able … Read more

Amateur effort finds new largest prime number

The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) project has scored its 14th consecutive victory, discovering the largest prime number so far.

The number, 2 to the power of 57,885,161 minus 1, is a digit that's 17,425,170 digits long. That's big enough that if you want to see the full text, you'll have to brace yourself for a 22.5MB download.

GIMPS, a cooperative project splitting the search across thousands of independent computers, announced the find yesterday after it had been confirmed by other checks. At present, there are 98,980 people and 574 … Read more

New PlayStation may debut this month

Friday's CNET Update deciphers the shapes:

Stories from today's tech news roundup:

- Sony expected to unveil a new PlayStation this month -- before E3

- Verizon has new prepaid plans for 3G smartphones

- Nokia is researching a new material called graphene

- HBO Go may be coming to Apple TV

- Amazon beefs up its Prime Instant Video streaming with Downton Abby and is also creating original kids shows

- Netflix premiered the series, "House of Cards," and all 13 episodes are available now

- CNET's Download team highlights free alternatives to the new Office 2013 and Office 365 … Read more

Amazon scores exclusive rights to stream 'Downton Abbey'

Sorry, Netflix and Hulu. Starting in June, Amazon Prime will be the only place to stream the latest episodes of popular TV series "Downton Abbey."

The online retail giant announced today that it secured a licensing agreement to exclusively stream season 3 of the award-winning series that airs on PBS in the U.S., starting on June 18. The agreement also covers season 4 and, if it's produced, season 5.

"The series is consistently in our top most watched TV shows each week, making it the most popular TV series with Prime Instant Video customers, ever,&… Read more

Amazon Studios OKs production on pilots for kids' shows

Amazon Studios will produce pilots for five original children's shows that are expected to make their debuts on Amazon's Web-streaming services, the company announced today.

The new pilots, which include series from the creators of "Blue's Clues" and "Sid the Science Kid," add to the six Amazon Studios pilots -- original comedies announced in December -- that are already in production.

The children's series are "Creative Galaxy," an arts and music show from "Blue's Clues" creator Angela Santomero; "Oz Adventures," a problem-solving program featuring the … Read more

How to set up Amazon Instant Video on the Nintendo Wii

After expanding their streaming video service to the iPhone and iPod touch devices just a month ago, Amazon announced yesterday that their Instant Video service is now available on the Nintendo Wii. Here's how to set up the new app on your Wii:

Step 1: Go to the Wii Shop Channel on your Internet-connected Wii.

Step 2: Download the Amazon Instant Video app.

Step 3: Launch the Amazon Instant Video app from your Wii.

Step 4: Select "Register Your Device" and make a note of the code that appears.

Step 5: Go to the Amazon Instant Video device registration page … Read more

The 3D sensor that could change our mobile lives

LAS VEGAS--When the company behind the gesture technology in the Kinect came to CES a year ago to show how its 3D sensors can enable people to control their TVs with simple gestures, its execs talked about how their sensors eventually would be embedded in mobile devices, opening up a range of possible applications.

At CES 2013, that company, Israeli-based PrimeSense, showed off the tiny sensor it says will soon make that a reality.

PrimeSense's new 3D sensor, called Capri, is 10 times smaller than its current sensor and, according to the company, the smallest in the world. The … Read more

LG EA83 ColorPrime monitor aims to show you its true colors

LAS VEGAS--LG showcased a trio of monitors at CES 2013 including the 27-inch EA83 ColorPrime. The monitor is geared toward professional use with its 2,560x1,440-pixel IPS display, 90-degree rotating display and dedication to accurate color reproduction.

LG calls the monitor a "graphics powerhouse" with its ability to reproduce a wide variety of colors that accurately represents 100 percent of sRGB and 99 percent of the Adobe RGB. The EA83 ColorPrime offers a hardware calibrator and True Color Pro calibration software to adjust the monitor's color accuracy.

The other two LG monitors announced at CES 2013 … Read more

Amazon Prime lands in Canada

Amazon Prime has expanded its coverage to Canada, but not all benefits will be part of the package.

Starting today, Prime will be offered to Canadian consumers for the yearly fee of $79.

The service's unlimited two-day shipping will be available in most of the country, according to Canada's Times Colonist. People in rural areas can grab the unlimited shipping but with no two-day guarantee. Those in certain locations will be able to upgrade to one-day shipping starting at $3.99 per item.

Steve Oliver, the country manager for Amazon.ca, told the Times Colonist that the shipping … Read more