Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Wed Sep 02, 2015 11:35 am**

Realized that trick when I was trying to log into one of the Amazon apps and there's a bug that prevented me from typing in login/password into the App Store app. I think I downloaded Amazon Music and somehow that let me login. Then I was able to get into the App Store app without typing in the credentials.

Posted: **Thu Apr 14, 2016 9:43 pm**

To return to the question first asked here in 2006, the answer is apparently about half of all U.S. households. Uhh...wow.

Posted: **Fri Apr 15, 2016 12:08 am**

Smoove_B wrote:To return to the question first asked here in 2006, the answer is apparently about half of all U.S. households. Uhh...wow.

Crap, that is scary.

Posted: **Fri Apr 15, 2016 12:25 am**

Impressive.

Posted: **Fri Apr 15, 2016 6:03 am**

Oops. Sorry we joined yesterday. Probably the one that pushed it over.

Also ordered a pantry box. Trying to get that to 100% was oddly fun.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:41 am**

And they just announced a separate Prime Video plan:

The e-commerce giant on Sunday night will begin offering two new monthly memberships, the first time it has directly allowed customers to eschew the commitment of an annual Prime subscription in favor of a more flexible monthly option (Sprint began offering monthly Prime memberships as part of a bundle last month). Now, customers can subscribe to Amazon Prime for $10.99 a month or just Prime Video for $8.99 a month.

The monthly Amazon Prime subscription comes with all the perks that annual Prime members also receive, including free shipping, access to music via Prime Music and TV and movies via Prime Video. The Prime Video option, however, offers Amazon's library of original and licensed video without the free shipping or music streaming perks.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:20 am**

Im not sure why someone would pay $9 a month for the video stream instead of paying 2 bucks more for the full Prime. The streaming music service is really good now with tons of free music. Thats worth more than a couple bucks. Throw in the free shipping and other benefits and the monthly video thing seem like its not worth it. The video service itself is pretty good and getting better all the time and with all the other benefits, Ill stick to my yearly sub. I do wish the music service allowed me to add more of my personal music collection but with all of the free Prime music available, Im pretty happy with the set up, as it is.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 3:26 pm**

rshetts2 wrote:Im not sure why someone would pay $9 a month for the video stream instead of paying 2 bucks more for the full Prime. The streaming music service is really good now with tons of free music. Thats worth more than a couple bucks. Throw in the free shipping and other benefits and the monthly video thing seem like its not worth it. The video service itself is pretty good and getting better all the time and with all the other benefits, Ill stick to my yearly sub. I do wish the music service allowed me to add more of my personal music collection but with all of the free Prime music available, Im pretty happy with the set up, as it is.

If you pay for Prime, you shell out $99 all at once and get it for the full year. People that can't afford it may sign up for just a month or two in order to binge-watch series that are only on Prime Video (which is the main purpose behind the move: get more eyeballs on Amazon's original content).

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 3:54 pm**

gilraen wrote:
rshetts2 wrote:Im not sure why someone would pay $9 a month for the video stream instead of paying 2 bucks more for the full Prime. The streaming music service is really good now with tons of free music. Thats worth more than a couple bucks. Throw in the free shipping and other benefits and the monthly video thing seem like its not worth it. The video service itself is pretty good and getting better all the time and with all the other benefits, Ill stick to my yearly sub. I do wish the music service allowed me to add more of my personal music collection but with all of the free Prime music available, Im pretty happy with the set up, as it is.
If you pay for Prime, you shell out $99 all at once and get it for the full year. People that can't afford it may sign up for just a month or two in order to binge-watch series that are only on Prime Video (which is the main purpose behind the move: get more eyeballs on Amazon's original content).

I get the concept of getting Prime monthly. What I dont get is paying $9 just for video, when you can get all of the perks of Prime, including streaming music and free shipping for just $2 more. I guess there may be some people that just want the video without the rest but I imagine that will not be a huge number. Still your point is taken. Its a good deal for binge watchers, if they dont use Amazon for anything else.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:03 pm**

Is Amazon original programming any good? I only fire the video up when we watch doctor who episodes.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:06 pm**

Mozart in the Jungle is very good. The baby watched and seemingly enjoyed some of their kid's series, but I can't comment on that. I haven't got to any others yet.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:09 pm**

I like Alpha House (It's a political comedy), which I found kinda odd because what little I've read of Doonesbury (made by the same guy) I haven't found funny. Don't think I've really watched any of the other stuff they've made.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:11 pm**

Bosch is a really good detective show. I also enjoyed Hand of God, mainly because I'm a big Ron Perlman fan. It's a guilty pleasure type of show. Bosch is solid though.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:12 pm**

My daughter loves Wishenpoof, which I can't stand because even though the main character is a little girl, it sounds like they got a thirty-year old woman to do her voice. The problem is she doesn't even try to sound like a little girl, she just sounds like Becky from HR.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:34 pm**

The first season of Transparent was pretty good, even though I hated every character on the show. The Man in the High Castle was also ok, although it never really gripped me.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:54 pm**

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:The first season of Transparent was pretty good, even though I hated every character on the show. The Man in the High Castle was also ok, although it never really gripped me.

Mad Dogs is a fun show well worth watching. Beware the Cat.

Also, keep in mind that Amazon Video gives you access to a ton of old HBO content that would be totally worth the subscription cost for someone who doesn't have access to HBO. I ended up watching the updated HD version of the Wire on Amazon.

There's also a lot of content not on Netflix. I've just started watching a show called "Fortitude" on Amazon: not an Amazon original show, but very good so far and not on Netflix.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:02 pm**

I watch more of that kind of stuff as well.

I've watched Justified, John Adams, and numerous other shows I have missed over the years. Currently watching 24 which I had only caught sporadically when it was on. Easily worth the cost for me.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:21 pm**

Yes, it's a great way to get to catch up on The Wire, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, The Americans, etc. The original content is not the real draw, but it's starting to get somewhere.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:51 pm**

Oh, and for a romantic comedy series that's actually good, check out the two seasons of Catastrophe. Really well done.

So yes, there is some good original programming. The breadth and depth doesn't match Netflix yet, but it's getting closer.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 6:09 pm**

Amazon has some pretty good original content and more in the pipeline, like The Tick. Man in the High Castle is good as is Bosch and Transparent. As previously mentioned they have also grabbed the rights to a lot of good shows that have already aired. I utilize Amazon Prime for shipping as I get a lot of stuff from Amazon so I keep the yearly subscription going. Its definitely worth it with all the additional perks, at least for me.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 6:17 pm**

As mentioned earlier in the thread, Mozart In The Jungle is pretty good and I just powered through two seasons of Bosch which was really well done. Was also able to see Rome thanks to Amazon prime... THIRTEEN!

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2016 9:57 pm**

rshetts2 wrote:
gilraen wrote:
rshetts2 wrote:Im not sure why someone would pay $9 a month for the video stream instead of paying 2 bucks more for the full Prime. The streaming music service is really good now with tons of free music. Thats worth more than a couple bucks. Throw in the free shipping and other benefits and the monthly video thing seem like its not worth it. The video service itself is pretty good and getting better all the time and with all the other benefits, Ill stick to my yearly sub. I do wish the music service allowed me to add more of my personal music collection but with all of the free Prime music available, Im pretty happy with the set up, as it is.
If you pay for Prime, you shell out $99 all at once and get it for the full year. People that can't afford it may sign up for just a month or two in order to binge-watch series that are only on Prime Video (which is the main purpose behind the move: get more eyeballs on Amazon's original content).
I get the concept of getting Prime monthly. What I dont get is paying $9 just for video, when you can get all of the perks of Prime, including streaming music and free shipping for just $2 more. I guess there may be some people that just want the video without the rest but I imagine that will not be a huge number. Still your point is taken. Its a good deal for binge watchers, if they dont use Amazon for anything else.

I think their idea is to get people to think like that. $8.99 is fair but $10.99 is OMG steal at just $2 more!!!!!

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:06 pm**

Backlash city

ORIGINAL STORY: Amazon has extended its "Prime-Exclusive Items" initiative to block non-Prime members from being able to purchase certain video games.

The change was spotted by customers this morning, with the PS4 versions of GTA 5, Rainbow Six Siege and Assassin's Creed Syndicate now only available to Prime members, along with the PS4 and Xbox One versions of FIFA 16, Far Cry Primal, Battlefield Hardline and more.

If you aren't a member of Amazon Prime, you will now see a box with a blue border on the right of the page "identifying the item as Prime-Exclusive", and will not be able to add the item to your basket.
...
A subscription to Amazon Prime costs £79 per year. VideoGamer.com has contacted Amazon for comment.
...
UPDATE: Amazon has provided VideoGamer.com with the following statement in response to this story:

"One of the many benefits of Amazon Prime is access to exclusive selection on a number of great products. Customers who are not Prime members can sign-up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, or they can purchase those items from a Marketplace seller."
...
UPDATE 2: Amazon appears to have lifted the Prime-exclusive restriction on video games.

GTA 5, Far Cry Primal, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Battlefield Hardline and Rainbow Six Siege all now appear to be available to purchase to both Prime and non-Prime members. VideoGamer.com has not heard anything further from Amazon following its earlier statement.

No word if this was UK only or US as well, but regardless.

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:11 pm**

Forza 6 on Amazon.com

Forza Motorsport 6 - Xbox One
by Microsoft
Platform : Xbox One |Rated: Everyone
4.5 out of 5 stars 335 customer reviews
List Price: $59.99
Price: $38.97 Free Shipping for Prime Members
You Save: $21.02 (35%)
In Stock.
Want it tomorrow, April 23? Order within 2 hrs 4 mins and choose Saturday Delivery at checkout. Details
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com exclusively for Prime members. Gift-wrap available.

See the bold/underlined text above.

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:26 pm**

In gamer culture, this is considered a "dick move".

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:29 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote:In gamer culture, this is considered a "dick move".

Not really. The game is widely available and not even remotely hard to come by. In no way are they limiting anyone's access to these games. Is it a dick move for Costco to require a membership? I don't think so. Maybe Amazon is moving towards that model. It might not be a smart move but hey that's a whole different discussion.

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:37 pm**

Costco has always been a club store. And Amazon didn't let anyone know this was coming, just pulled the trigger and surprised everyone with it.

Dick. Move.

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:58 pm**

Its interesting that they have that restriction on Forza 6 a game that came out last year but do not on Uncharted 4 which comes out in May. There is a price difference on the game, as it is about $12 cheaper for Prime members. Anyway since apparently 50% of households have Prime, its only a dick move towards those Prime denying losers!

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 5:07 pm**

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 6:20 pm**

I still don't see it as a dick move. It's super easy to find the game, they don't have an exclusive deal (those are dick moves) and I have a hard time believing a lot of people who don't have prime rely on Amazon for their video games. It's just a business tactic, nothing else.

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 6:59 pm**

It is a dumbass move, regardless.

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 8:07 pm**

Blackhawk wrote:It is a dumbass move, regardless.

It might be. Guess sales and prime subscriptions will determine that. I can't imagine it's a great move though.

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 8:11 pm**

I get the impression Amazon is big on tests. Particularly with subsets of data. Maybe the've been collecting enough over the last decade that suggests there are lots of people that buy games from them but not nearly as many of those same people are Prime subscribers. And maybe they're angling for better deals from the publishers and can only do so if they promise to offer discounts to "elite" members and not just anyone. It wouldn't surprise me that there's pressure from B&M retailers and Amazon somehow needs to justify to the publishers why they should be given more copies to sell cheaper on release day.

Posted: **Fri Apr 22, 2016 10:46 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote:Backlash city

ORIGINAL STORY: Amazon has extended its "Prime-Exclusive Items" initiative to block non-Prime members from being able to purchase certain video games.

The change was spotted by customers this morning, with the PS4 versions of GTA 5, Rainbow Six Siege and Assassin's Creed Syndicate now only available to Prime members, along with the PS4 and Xbox One versions of FIFA 16, Far Cry Primal, Battlefield Hardline and more.

If you aren't a member of Amazon Prime, you will now see a box with a blue border on the right of the page "identifying the item as Prime-Exclusive", and will not be able to add the item to your basket.
...
A subscription to Amazon Prime costs £79 per year. VideoGamer.com has contacted Amazon for comment.
...
UPDATE: Amazon has provided VideoGamer.com with the following statement in response to this story:

"One of the many benefits of Amazon Prime is access to exclusive selection on a number of great products. Customers who are not Prime members can sign-up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, or they can purchase those items from a Marketplace seller."
...
UPDATE 2: Amazon appears to have lifted the Prime-exclusive restriction on video games.

GTA 5, Far Cry Primal, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Battlefield Hardline and Rainbow Six Siege all now appear to be available to purchase to both Prime and non-Prime members. VideoGamer.com has not heard anything further from Amazon following its earlier statement.
No word if this was UK only or US as well, but regardless.

And they've now added Update #3:

UPDATE 3: Amazon has reinstated Prime-exclusive games. It isn't clear why the games were temporarily removed from the initiative earlier this evening. VideoGamer.com has not received any further communication from Amazon since our earlier update.

Posted: **Sat Apr 23, 2016 5:58 am**

Amazon also has the 20% discount on preorders for Prime members. Bet there's a strategic connection.

What I don't get is why they don't allow non-prime members to just buy at the higher price. Maybe it's a bone to throw at marketplace sellers.

Posted: **Sat Apr 23, 2016 8:47 am**

LawBeefaroni wrote:Amazon also has the 20% discount on preorders for Prime members. Bet there's a strategic connection.

What I don't get is why they don't allow non-prime members to just buy at the higher price. Maybe it's a bone to throw at marketplace sellers.

They do allow non members to buy at the higher price, at least on the ones I checked. For example, Uncharted 4 was listed with both prices but the reduced price was marked Prime Only.

http://www.amazon.com/Uncharted-4-Thief ... ncharted+4

Since people have 1000's of different ways to buy these games, I dont really see this as an issue. Its just a business decision. They are rewarding the loyal customers who purchase Prime. If you dont want Prime, you can either order it at full price or order it from somewhere else. You can even order the game through Amazon via marketplace sellers if you want. Hell even at my local grocers, I have to join a rewards program to get the best prices. This is not an uncommon thing.

Posted: **Sat Apr 23, 2016 8:57 am**

rshetts2 wrote:
LawBeefaroni wrote:Amazon also has the 20% discount on preorders for Prime members. Bet there's a strategic connection.

What I don't get is why they don't allow non-prime members to just buy at the higher price. Maybe it's a bone to throw at marketplace sellers.
They do allow non members to buy at the higher price, at least on the ones I checked. For example, Uncharted 4 was listed with both prices but the reduced price was marked Prime Only.

http://www.amazon.com/Uncharted-4-Thief ... ncharted+4

Since people have 1000's of different ways to buy these games, I dont really see this as an issue. Its just a business decision. They are rewarding the loyal customers who purchase Prime. If you dont want Prime, you can either order it at full price or order it from somewhere else. You can even order the game through Amazon via marketplace sellers if you want. Hell even at my local grocers, I have to join a rewards program to get the best prices. This is not an uncommon thing.

That's an example of the Prime ore-order discount, not the Prime exclusive.

According to the articles, you can only buy from the marketplace if it's "prime exclusive" and you're not a prime member. I agree it not a big deal but I'm puzzles me as to why they wouldn't just sell directly at the higher prices. As was speculated above, it may be a pricing deal with publishers.

Posted: **Sat Apr 23, 2016 10:28 am**

It still confounds me. They already have a big Prime bonus - a big, big discount on preorders. A significant enough discount that people with Prime who care about money will always get preorders from Amazon.

This change doesn't affect Prime members at all. Nothing will change for us. All it does is tell anyone else who shows up with money, ready to buy, that they can't. The real difference is that, up until now, they've sold Prime (and really, really successfully) by offering perks to Prime members. This time they're trying to sell Prime by imposing harsh limitations on non-members.

Posted: **Sun May 01, 2016 10:13 pm**

Isgrimnur, Oct 25, 2013 wrote:Super Saver just got bumped up a level:

Amazon's minimum order size for free shipping has changed to $35. This is the first time in more than a decade that Amazon has altered the minimum order for free shipping in the US. During that time, we have expanded free shipping selection by millions of items across all 40 product categories. Look for "FREE Shipping" on product pages to discover eligible items.
And then they try and convince you to go with Prime.

Orders including $25 or more of eligible books qualify for FREE Shipping. All orders of $49 or more of eligible items across any product category also qualify for FREE Shipping. With free shipping, your order will be delivered 5-8 business days after all of your items are available to ship, including pre-order items.

Posted: **Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:39 pm**

We've been using Prime for a few months now. It's a little odd. We've had:

5 delivery companies, UPS, USPS, Amazon, some local delivery company, and apparently random people (I suspect these are Amazon too, but who knows). We've had stuff delivered to our door, to the complex office, and now to a UPS access point. Not thrilled with that last. They listed an address that I couldn't find. However there was a UPS store one number off. That had to be it. Ah no. I got chewed out, but pointed in the right direction. The correct place was an Eastern European Grocery Store.

I'm sure there's a method, but it all seems crazy to me.

Octopus Overlords

Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?