Amazon pays off victims of 1984 incident
A while back, we told you how Amazon revealed its ability to delete a book from all Kindle devices, even after customers had purchased it. In a somewhat poetic twist, the deleted book that brought this to everyone's attention was George Orwell's 1984, and bloggers were quick to liken Amazon's activities to those of 1984's Big Brother. Now, to smooth things over with customers, Amazon is offering anyone who bought 1984 a redelivery of the book or $30. If you're one of the affected customers, you can take your payoff as Amazon store credit, or in the form of a check. For those who choose to get their books back, all notations made on the books will also be restored. This is noteworthy in light of the recent lawsuit Amazon was facing from a high school student who lost his class notes on 1984 as a result of the incident. Amazon can't really unring the bell of letting users know it can delete their purchases, so promising not to do it again and offering compensation is as close as they'll get to regaining trust.
[via slashgear]
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Liz said 3:09PM on 9-04-2009
Beware the savage jaw of Amazon.
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Cal! said 8:54PM on 9-04-2009
"For those who choose to get their books back, all notations made on the books will also be restored."
Isn't this a bit of a Catch 22 meet a REAL 1984 for Amazon?
That means that Amazon keeps all the notes added on each Kindle. That is exactly what 1984 was about! It's invasion and monitoring of private information. Neither Orwell nor Heller could have foreseen this.
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mrdondre said 7:27PM on 9-06-2009
The notations are stored on the Kindle devices not on Amazon servers.
Tired_ said 10:25PM on 9-04-2009
I didn't know Amazon was in business back in 1984.
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