Tag: Kindle domains

Categories
News

Top 10 Stories of 2011: #6 Speculating on the next Kindle to be released by Amazon

Kindle

When Amazon began slashing prices on its refurbished Kindle 3 models, tech sites began speculating that Amazon would release a new Kindle.  That’s when I started paying more attention to Kindle related domain names, as I quickly found out readers eat this type of news up.

My first big story days after speculation started in August, was Amazon acquiring KindleAir.com via MarkMonitor after the domain name had expired.  Engadget, PC Magazine and other tech sites ran with the story as well.

But it wasn’t this story that made the Top 10 in 2011…

The number six story in the Top 10 Stories of 2011 here on Fusible was predicting that Amazon’s next Kindle would be named after one of the elements.  And my prediction was right, as Amazon finally settled on the element of fire with its Kindle Fire. 

Unlike other stories, this one took a little more sleuthing.

As I wrote back then, KindleAir.com was the first hint, but I discovered that Amazon had also secretly acquired the domain names KindleEarth.com KindleWater.com on July 6, 2011.  Both were registered at Go Daddy and hidden behind its privacy service Domains by Proxy, but it was simple to reveal Amazon as the owner by using Go Daddy’s public Account Retrieval System, which in June finally addressed other privacy issues with the tool.

While I had correctly guessed the next Kindle would be named after an element, I hadn’t included “Fire” in the list.  Though I considered including it, Amazon hadn’t owned Kindle Fire just yet. 

Many of my top stories over the past six months dealt with what Amazon’s next Kindle might be, but most never panned out.   Names like the Kindle Ice and the Kindle Scribe, which even caught the attention of Time and other publications, have yet to materialize.   

Other stories that grabbed attention included Amazon possibly spinning off its Kindle line into a separate company called Seesaw (which went on to get a Techmeme headline) and even Amazon’s massive buying spree of 500 Kindle and Silk related domains, which hinted that a 3G Kindle Fire would be launched. 

(Image of Kindle Fire and Kindle DX Graphite via Amazon.com)

Categories
News

Amazon acquires KindleTutor.com

Kindle Tutor

Amazon is overflowing with all sorts of Kindle products from the all-new Kindle Fire tablet to the Kindle e-reader.

So what’s in store next for the Kindle family? 

Well, according to a recent domain name acquisition by Amazon.com Holdings, it’s possible an online tutoring service or app is on the way.

On December 27, Amazon acquired the domain name KindleTutor.com, as shown in its WHOIS record.

While this is only speculation, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Amazon launch a “Kindle Tutor” app, particularly for its Kindle Fire.  Earlier this month, Amazon released an OTA update to address performance and touchscreen issues.

At the time of this story going online, KindleTutor.com does not resolve to a website.

Discussion: Phandroid

(Image of Kinde Fire via Amazon.com)

Categories
News

Amazon registers the domain name KindleCompass.com [UPDATED]

Kindle Compass

For future projects or just as part of its intellectual property strategy to defend its various brands, Amazon registers new domain names all the time.

So, it’s anyones guess as to what’s behind each purchase.

On October 6, Amazon registered the domain name KindleCompass.com through MarkMonitor. 

The Kindle Fire doesn’t appear to come with a built-in digital compass like the iPad, so will the Kindle Compass be a digital compass add-on?

Here’s a look at the WHOIS information.

Registrant:
        Hostmaster, Amazon Legal Dept.
        Amazon Technologies, Inc.
        P.O. Box 8102
         Reno NV 89507
        US
        
    Domain Name: kindlecompass.com

        Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
        Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com

    Administrative Contact:
        Hostmaster, Amazon Legal Dept.
        Amazon Technologies, Inc.
        P.O. Box 8102
         Reno NV 89507
        US
         
    Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
        Hostmaster, Amazon Legal Dept.
        Amazon Technologies, Inc.
        P.O. Box 8102
         Reno NV 89507
        US

    Created on…………..: 2011-10-06.
    Expires on…………..: 2012-10-06.
    Record last updated on..: 2011-10-06.

Care to take a guess as to what the “Kindle Compass” is or will be?

[Updated January 5, 2012:. Turns out the Kindle Compass is a new publication by Amazon that has cause a bit of controversy.  According to All Things D, “Amazon has issued an apology tonight after upsetting Kindle owners, who learned this morning that they were selected to receive a publication they didn’t sign up for — and could be charged for in the future. The problems kicked off this morning when Amazon started sending emails to select Kindle owners, alerting them to a free trial of “The Kindle Compass.”]

Discussion:  Huffington Post