Amazon and Microsoft are both making smartphones in-house and they will be tapping iPhone-maker Foxconn to build it for them.
That is according to DigiTimes in a report that cites unnamed individuals involved in Foxconn’s “upstream supply chain” as sources.
According to DigiTimes, Foxconn International Holdings (FIH) has received handset orders from both Microsoft and Amazon.
The software giant based in Redmond, Washington and the internet commerce powerhouse based in Seattle, Washington …

The unlocked Galaxy S III Mini is now available through Amazon for $398.91.
Sold by HassleFreeSell on this page on Amazon, the deal marks what the seller says is a 34 percent discount on the price of the unlocked Galaxy S III Mini which is at $599.99.
Those who want to get the Galaxy S III Mini may have to hurry, however, as the page shows that only 8 units are left in stock as of time of writing.
Samsung announced early in October that the company will launch a Galaxy S III Mini.
The company …

Amazon has launched its Cloud Drive Photos app with 5GB of free online storage for Android users.
The leading online retailer’s digital locker service was exclusively available on its own app store, but now it has published the app to Google’s Play Store to expand its audience. Amazon said the app, Cloud Drive Photos for Android, comes with a free 5GB storage on the Amazon Cloud service.
The company added that its Cloud Drive Photos app not only allows users to upload images to a single …

Billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of internet commerce giant Amazon, has also had it with patents wars just like many people have.
In an interview with British publication Metro, he called on governments to reform their patent laws to stop the proliferation of patent lawsuits in the industry.
Bezos told Metro: “Patents are supposed to encourage innovation and we’re starting to be in a world where they might start to stifle innovation.”
“Governments may need to look at the patent …

Amazon will be buying its headquarters buildings in Seattle from Paul Allen-owned Vulcan Real Estate in a deal valued at $1.16 billion.
“We are truly excited that Amazon is making this long-term commitment to the South Lake Union community,” said Vulcan Inc Vice President of Real Estate Ada Healey in a news release, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.
“We know they will be excellent stewards of this property and will continue to play a vital role in revitalizing South Lake Union and …

Jeff Bezos once negotiated with Netflix founders to acquire the company for $12 million, a new book reveals.
The revelation comes from the new book “Netflixed” which is written by Gina Keating, a former Reuters reporter.
According to the book, the Amazon founder met with Netflix cofounders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in 1999.
Apparently, Bezos wanted to discuss any way Amazon could have a business partnership with the company.
Furthermore, “Hastings also wanted to discuss selling …

Amazon, like Apple’s team up with TomTom, will stop using Google Maps with the launch of its own mobile Maps API for developers.
Hashing out through its Mobile App Distribution blog, Amazon said the API allows developers to insert interactive maps directly into mobile applications and permits users to have pan and zoom functions.
The in-app mapping service can locate a user and switch between standard and satellite map views similar to that in Google Maps.
“The Amazon Maps API makes it …

Amazon.co.uk today announced the launch of Amazon Cloud Player, enabling customers to securely store music in the cloud and play it on any Android phone, Android tablet, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac or PC – wherever they happen to be.  Customers can get started at www.amazon.co.uk/cloudplayer, where they can easily import their music using Cloud Player’s new scan and match technology.  Customers’ iTunes and Windows Media Player music libraries are scanned and …

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD is the latest gadget to feed the tech dismantling hunger of the iFixit team, which found the tablet easy to repair in case of component replacement.
The crew of teardown experts easily opened up the Kindle Fire HD with only a plastic tool in hand, and they quickly detached the back case to mark the first glance of its internal hardware components.
Internals unsurprisingly come from electronics fixtures, with iFixit saying all parts are simple to replace: a 1.2GHz …

Amazon will allow customers to opt out of ads on its updated lineup of Kindle Fire tablets, for a price.
The offer will cost buyers $15 to avoid seeing occasional ads, said the online retailer in an announcement on Sunday after a heap of criticism online on its arrangement, which is also a factor why Amazon Kindle Fire tablet prices are at a minimum of $159 to $599.
The company attracted backlash both from critics and users who expressed their disappointment in online forums of having no opt …