Jeff Bezos

Size isn't everything when it comes to tablets, but Amazon.com is apparently hoping to make that point moot. DigiTimes is reporting Amazon plans to supersize its Kindle Fire soon with a 10.1-inch screen -- bigger than the iPad.

Cheap-chic retailer Target will discontinue the sale of Kindle e-readers and Amazon-branded products. It's easy to see why Target isn't keen on enriching the enemy. But it's not business, Amazon.com: It's just personal.

Soon, you might be able to buy a new Kindle at an actual, brick-and-mortar Amazon Store. The e-commerce giant is reportedly opening its first pilot store in Seattle. It's an intriguing idea, but the real question is: Why would Amazon want to?

Amazon has become an surprising gadget rock star. Skeptics bet against the original Kindle, which became a blockbuster, and the Kindle Fire is the first non-iPad tablet to sell well. Next stop for Amazon's gadgeteers: smartphones.

Amazon plays by its own rules -- and the online retail giant usually wins. Check out this infographic by blogger FrugalDad that gives you a peek at who you're paying when you opt for the Free SuperSaver Shipping.

There will never be another Steve Jobs. Apple's iconic co-founder was one of a kind for a host of reasons, but the aspect Apple will miss the most is Jobs the master marketer. Enter Jeff Bezos: The Amazon boss may have they insight to be the tech world's next gadget visionary.

The Kindle Fire hits the market next month, and the $199 tablet is already a "hot" seller. This would normally be the kind of news that would send board rooms into a frenzy of high-fives, but Amazon won't turn much of a profit on the entry-level tablets. Then again, it may not need to.

Earnings missed analysts' estimates and disappointed the investment community. That's OK by Amazon. The online giant is an iconoclast in the retail sector: a public company that acts like a private firm, more concerned with long-term growth and taking risks than appeasing the folks on Wall Street every quarter.

Amazon (AMZN) boss Jeff Bezos doesn't take the usual approach to sales, technology or even competition. At this week's ShopSmart summit, he spoke with candor about his idiosyncratic strategies, growth opportunities, and how digital technology is still reshaping retailing.

While it may sound more Scrooge than Santa Claus, Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, has filed a patent for technology that would allow customers to return -- or "convert" -- gifts they don't like, even before they actually arrive.