With just 15 days until a historic presidential inauguration, Amazon.com has launched the Inauguration Store. The store features everything customers need to get ready to attend the event, host an inauguration party or watch from home.

The Inauguration Store features a countdown to the event, along with a host of product ideas to help customers prepare. Those who are attending can find top cameras, outerwear and other items to stay warm and capture history at the event. For those watching from home, the store features the latest in home entertaining and Barack Obama-related souvenirs and memorabilia.

Amazon.com released its “Best of 2008” lists, which include the bestselling, most positively reviewed, most-wished-for and favorite gift products as determined by Amazon.com customers in 2008.

The following is a list of the bestselling products on Amazon.com in 2008 by total units sold:

• Books: “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
• DVD: “Wall-E” (widescreen single-disc edition)
• Music: “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay
• Video Games: Nintendo Wii
• Software: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
• Electronics: Amazon Kindle
• Home & Garden: Oster 4207 electric wine opener
• Grocery: Senseo Douwe Egberts dark roast coffee pods
• Gourmet: Taste of Italy gift basket
• Health & Personal Care: Groom Mate Platinum XL nose and ear hair trimmer
• Beauty: Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 foundation
• Toys: Wild Planet Hyper Dash
• Baby: Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube
• Apparel & Accessories: Levi’s men’s 501 pre-shrunk jeans
• Shoes and Handbags (Amazon.com and Endless.com): crocs Cayman sandal
• Jewelry: sterling silver open Double Flower pendant, 16″ - 18″
• Watches: Casio men’s Pathfinder multi-band solar atomic silver watch
• Sports & Outdoors: Razor A Kick scooter
• Home Improvement: First Alert CO600 plug-in carbon monoxide alarm
• Automotive: Accutire MS-4751WC digital programmable tire gauge with light

More →

Amazon announced that customers can now instantly watch ad-free movies and television shows on Macs or PCs with Amazon Video On Demand, its digital video service offering thousands of movies and television shows.

Previously, customers could only download titles and watch them on a PC (using the Amazon Unbox application) or on their TiVo box. Now customers can either watch instantly within their web browser or download using the Unbox application and watch anytime. Additionally, customers can now rent or purchase Amazon Video On Demand movies and TV shows directly through Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link device on compatible BRAVIA television sets (currently in beta). Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link device seamlessly streams Internet video content directly to compatible Sony HDTVs through a broadband connection.

Also starting today, Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link users can rent or purchase and instantly watch movies and commercial-free TV shows directly on their compatible BRAVIA TV. With the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link, customers can explore and purchase or rent from the Amazon Video On Demand library with the push of a button.

Amazon announced that it has acquired Shelfari, a book-sharing site. The announcement was further confirmed by Shelfari co-founder Josh Hug in a blog post.

“It’s an exciting day here at Shelfari. The rain has stopped, the birds are chirping and the biggest news of all – we are being acquired by Amazon.com,” Hug said.

Financial details of the acquisition were not released.

Amazon.com has reached an agreement to acquire AbeBooks, an online marketplace for books, with over 110 million primarily used, rare and out-of-print books listed for sale by thousands of independent booksellers from around the world.

AbeBooks will continue to function as a stand-alone operation based in Victoria, British Columbia. AbeBooks will maintain all of its websites, including its Canadian website with Canada-specific content, such as reviews of Canadian-authored books and interviews of Canadian writers.

“As a leader in rare and hard-to-find books, AbeBooks brings added breadth and expanded selection to our customers worldwide,” said Russell Grandinetti, vice president of books for Amazon.com. “AbeBooks provides a wide range of services to both sellers and customers, and we look forward to working with them to further grow their business. We’re excited to present all of our customers with the widest selection of books available any place on Earth.”

Borders Group is bringing back its web site at borders.com, ending its 7-year online collaboration with Amazon.com, the AP reports.

The company said that its website is designed like your neighborhood bookstore.

Two months ago, Borders announced that it is interested in selling the business. Just last week, giant bookstore Barnes & Noble showed interest with a team that would study the feasibility of a deal with Borders.

Amazon.com announced the relaunch of its Latin Music Store, with Earth’s largest selection of Latin music titles. Focused on delivering Tu Música, Tu Sabor (Your Music, Your Flavor) to customers, the newly updated Amazon Latin Music Store carries nearly 140,000 unique titles and brings both English-language and Spanish-language content to Amazon customers. The store features nine categories including, Latin Pop, Latin Rock, Regional Mexican, Tropical, Urban, World, Latin Children’s, Latin Christian and Latin Jazz along with 23 subcategories.

Amazon.com has launched Amazon TextBuyIt, a new service that lets customers use text messages to find and buy products sold on Amazon.com. With the addition of TextBuyIt to Amazon’s existing mobile offering, including its mobile site and mobile iPhone site, customers can now shop, compare prices, and buy from Amazon.com virtually anywhere they are, with any mobile device, using either text messages or their mobile device’s web browser.

In less than a minute and using only text messages, Amazon.com customers can find the product they are looking for and complete a purchase using TextBuyIt. Simply send a text message to “AMAZON” (262966) with the name of the product, search term or a UPC or ISBN code, and, within seconds, Amazon replies with the product or products that match the search, along with prices. To buy an item, customers simply reply to the text message by entering the unique single digit number next to the item they want. Customers will then receive a short phone call from Amazon with the final details of their order and asking them to confirm or cancel the purchase.

When customers choose to purchase something for the first time using TextBuyIt, they will be asked for their e-mail address and shipping ZIP code they use for their Amazon.com account. With this information, Amazon uses customers’ default settings for payment method, shipping address and shipping speed, including 2-Day shipping for Amazon Prime members.

Amazon.com, Inc. announced the completion of its initial tender offer for all outstanding shares of Audible, Inc.. The tender offer expired at 12:00 Midnight, New York City time, at the end of Monday, March 10, 2008.

As of such time, an aggregate of approximately 20.5 million shares of Audible common stock (including approximately 773,000 shares that were tendered pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures) had been tendered into, and not withdrawn from, the offer. All of such shares have been accepted in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. The accepted shares, together with the Audible shares already owned by Amazon.com, represent over 87% of Audible’s outstanding shares.

As of 9:00 a.m. New York City time on March 11, 2008, Amazon.com will commence a subsequent offering period for all remaining shares of Audible stock. The subsequent offering period will expire at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on Friday, March 14, 2008, unless extended. During this subsequent offering period, Audible stockholders who did not previously tender their shares into the offer may do so and will promptly receive the same $11.50 per share net to the seller in cash (subject to applicable withholding taxes), without interest thereon, offered to stockholders tendering in the initial offering period. No withdrawal rights will apply to any Audible shares tendered during the subsequent offering period.

After expiration of the subsequent offering period, as it may be extended, Amazon.com intends to complete the merger contemplated by the merger agreement as soon as practicable, with Audible becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.com.

WeddingChannel.com announced Amazon.com as the newest addition to its roster of premier registry retailers. The collaboration enables engaged couples to create, manage, and monitor their wedding registry from leading online retailer Amazon.com via a patented multiregistry system on WeddingChannel.com, which makes it easy for millions of wedding guests to find and purchase a gift from 20 different retailers all on one site.

Adding to its already extensive list of top-name retailers, such as Macy’s, Tiffany & Co., and Pottery Barn, registrants on WeddingChannel.com will now have access to the millions of products available in over 40 categories at Amazon.com. Amazon.com Wedding Registries offer everything from traditional registry items such as kitchen appliances and bedding to lifestyle-oriented offerings such as electronics, sporting goods, and apparel.