Tag Archives: currency

Amazon’s new Kindle drops to $85 for Black Friday

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Amazon's latest entry-level Kindle has received its first discount in time for Black Friday. The company is selling the 2022 ad-supported Kindle for $85, or $15 below the official price. That makes it tempting if you're planning a gift for the bookworm in your life, or have just been waiting for a deal to treat yourself to Amazon's most affordable e-reader.

The refreshed starter Kindle is a major upgrade. The centerpiece is a 6-inch 300 pixels-per-inch display that's much sharper than the 167PPI screen of its predecessor, making text that much easier on the eyes. A longer six-week battery life, USB-C charging and doubled storage (16GB) also make it decidedly more practical than the previous model. You might not need more than this to have your dream e-reader, although you may want to pay extra to avoid lockscreen ads.

If you do need more, though, Amazon's ongoing Black Friday sale gives you options. Most notably, the Kindle Paperwhite is still available for $95. You won't have as much storage for that money (you'll need to spend $100), but you will get a larger 6.8-inch display, bath-friendly water resistance and an adjustable warm light. If you don't need those perks or just want the smallest reader in the lineup, though, the base Kindle is still easy to justify.

Buy Kindle Paperwhite at Amazon - $95

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Amazon Prime is about to get more expensive in Canada

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Americans have had to deal with multiple Amazon Prime rate hikes over the years, but not Canadians — these northern neighbors have paid the same $8 CAD per month or $79 CAD per year since Prime became available there in 2013. The good times are coming to an end, however. MobileSyrup has learned Amazon Canada is raising Prime rates to $10 CAD per month and $99 CAD per year. That's still a relative bargain when Americans pay $15 per month or $139 per year, but Canadians won't get to (politely) gloat as much as they did before.

Current Prime users will see the increase take effect with their next renewal after May 13th. New customers will already have to pay the higher rates. Prime Students members will also have to pay $5 CAD per month instead of the previous $4.

The explanation is a familiar one. In a statement, Amazon said it "continues to invest heavily in Prime" between the fast shipping, a larger Prime Video catalog and perks like Music and Prime Gaming. It costs a lot to offer the Lord of the Rings series and other content, in other words. Whether or not you agree with Amazon, it's almost surprising the company hadn't raised prices earlier given its aggressive spending on movies and TV shows.

Amazon Prime is about to get more expensive in Canada

Posted on by

Americans have had to deal with multiple Amazon Prime rate hikes over the years, but not Canadians — these northern neighbors have paid the same $8 CAD per month or $79 CAD per year since Prime became available there in 2013. The good times are coming to an end, however. MobileSyrup has learned Amazon Canada is raising Prime rates to $10 CAD per month and $99 CAD per year. That's still a relative bargain when Americans pay $15 per month or $139 per year, but Canadians won't get to (politely) gloat as much as they did before.

Current Prime users will see the increase take effect with their next renewal after May 13th. New customers will already have to pay the higher rates. Prime Students members will also have to pay $5 CAD per month instead of the previous $4.

The explanation is a familiar one. In a statement, Amazon said it "continues to invest heavily in Prime" between the fast shipping, a larger Prime Video catalog and perks like Music and Prime Gaming. It costs a lot to offer the Lord of the Rings series and other content, in other words. Whether or not you agree with Amazon, it's almost surprising the company hadn't raised prices earlier given its aggressive spending on movies and TV shows.

DC Universe Infinite is finally available outside of the US

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After being converted from a streaming video service into a portal for comic books last year, DC Universe Infinite is finally rolling out to regions outside of the US this spring and summer.

Today, DC Comics announced that the service is now available in Canada, with support for Australia and New Zealand arriving later this week on March 29th. After that, the UK will get access on April 28th, followed by availability in Brazil and Mexico sometime later this summer. 

DC Comics says subscribers in other countries will have the same access to the service's library of more than 25,000 comics books as those in the US, including early access to new Digital First comics such as Suicide Squad: King Shark and others. And just like in the US, new editions of printed comics will be added to the service six months after first going on sale in retail stores. 

Meanwhile, to sweeten the deal, DC Comics is introducing discounted pricing for anyone who signs up during the first 30 days of DC Universe Inifinite's launch in their country, with customers able to keep that
reduced pricing for as long as they maintain a paid subscription. So while prices vary a bit by region, you'll generally be looking at savings of around 30 to 35 percent if you take advantage of DC's introductory pricing.

At launch, an annual subscription to DC Universe Infinite will cost just $59.99 CAD, $64.99 AUD, $64.99 NZD or £36.99 BPS for the next 30 days, before jumping up to its regular price of $89.99 CAD, $99.99 AUD & $99.99 NZD or £54.99 per year. Alternatively, if you prefer to pay month by month, you can do that too with prices starting at $9.99 CAD, $9.99 AUD, $9.99 NZD or £6.99 BPS.

DC Universe Infinite is finally available outside of the US

Posted on by

After being converted from a streaming video service into a portal for comic books last year, DC Universe Infinite is finally rolling out to regions outside of the US this spring and summer.

Today, DC Comics announced that the service is now available in Canada, with support for Australia and New Zealand arriving later this week on March 29th. After that, the UK will get access on April 28th, followed by availability in Brazil and Mexico sometime later this summer. 

DC Comics says subscribers in other countries will have the same access to the service's library of more than 25,000 comics books as those in the US, including early access to new Digital First comics such as Suicide Squad: King Shark and others. And just like in the US, new editions of printed comics will be added to the service six months after first going on sale in retail stores. 

Meanwhile, to sweeten the deal, DC Comics is introducing discounted pricing for anyone who signs up during the first 30 days of DC Universe Inifinite's launch in their country, with customers able to keep that
reduced pricing for as long as they maintain a paid subscription. So while prices vary a bit by region, you'll generally be looking at savings of around 30 to 35 percent if you take advantage of DC's introductory pricing.

At launch, an annual subscription to DC Universe Infinite will cost just $59.99 CAD, $64.99 AUD, $64.99 NZD or £36.99 BPS for the next 30 days, before jumping up to its regular price of $89.99 CAD, $99.99 AUD & $99.99 NZD or £54.99 per year. Alternatively, if you prefer to pay month by month, you can do that too with prices starting at $9.99 CAD, $9.99 AUD, $9.99 NZD or £6.99 BPS.

Amazon leaks new Kindle Paperwhite models on its own site

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Amazon may be getting set to release a new version of its Paperwhite reader including a high-end "Signature Edition," according to Amazon listings spotted by Reddit users and GoodEReader. A comparison chart on Amazon's Canadian and Mexican sites, now removed, showed new Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition models, with 6.8-inch 300 ppi displays and 17 LEDs. The current Paperwhite, by contrast, has a 6-inch display and just four LEDs. 

Both models are IPX8 waterproof as before, offer a "flush-front design" and appear to have narrower side and top bezels. They also feature an "adjustable warm light," meaning they likely have both white and amber LEDs — just like Amazon's high-end Kindle Oasis. The Signature Edition offers a storage update over the Paperwhite 5 to 32GB, along with wireless charging and auto-adjusting light sensors that change screen brightness depending on the environment. 

The Canadian listing shows the Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition at CAD$150 and CAD$210, (about $117 and $165, respectively), but those could just be placeholders. Currently, the standard 8GB Kindle is $90, the 8GB Kindle Paperwhite $130 and the 8GB Kindle Oasis is $250. If the new prices are accurate you'd be paying more for the Paperwhite, but get some of the features found on the Oasis. 

Tesla buys $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, will soon accept it as payment

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Elon Musk’s cryptocurrency hype was more than just idle talk. CNBC reports that Tesla not only bought $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin to help “diversify and maximize” its returns, but will start taking payments using the digital asset sometime in the “...

You can now spend China’s digital currency at an online store

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China’s official digital currency is now usable in a meaningful way... more or less. Reuters reports that JD.com now accepts digital yuan for some purchases at its site, making it the first online platform to take the virtual money. You’ll need to ha...

Steven Segal settles with SEC over undisclosed bitcoin promotions

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It seems that martial artist and actor Steven Seagal isn't above the law. In 2017, he touted the initial coin offering (ICO) for Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G), a digital currency that sounded shady right from the start. Seagal didn't disclose the fact that he w...