Kindle Fire

5 Stocks to Watch This Week

With Apple, Ford, Nintendo, Zynga and Amazon getting ready to report, let's go over a few of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street.

3 'Free Stuff' Deals You Can Score This Weekend

Last weekend, we had a bevy of President's Day sales; before that, it was Valentine's Day. There's no such excuse this weekend, but there are still deals out there -- many of them of the "free stuff" variety. Here are some of the best freebies you can grab.

5 Things to Watch When the Market Reopens

The financial markets are closed for the Christmas holiday, but when trading resumes on Wednesday, here's what's likely to help shape the rest of the week on Wall Street.

This Christmas, Americans Prefer Microsoft Surface to Peace, Happiness

'Tis the night before Christmas, and all through the house, last minute shoppers are panicking. What do you still have time to get your loved ones that they'll actually want? A new survey sheds some light, revealing what people actually desire more than traditional holiday intangibles like goodwill towards men.

Microsoft's Tablet Moves Show Real Trouble Beneath the Surface

On Tuesday, Microsoft put out a chest-thumping press release about how well its new Surface tablet is selling. But read between the lines of the PR puffery, and you'll see a worried tech giant making another big gamble in its attempt to produce a tablet that can compete with the iPad.

Amazon Leaps Into the Mobile Gaming Game with 'Air Patriots'

Amazon released its first mobile game, "Air Patriots" on Thursday, The classic tower defense strategy game is a free download for Apple iOS and Android devices; but can the world's largest online retailer compete in a marketplace filled with thousands of nimble little competitors?

Apple Earnings Fall Short, and Amazon's Miss Too

Apple can no longer be counted on to beat Wall Street's profit targets. The world's most valuable tech company posted mixed quarterly results after Thursday's market close. Though net sales soared 27%, this marked the third miss in the five quarters that CEO Tim Cook has been at the helm.

Wall Street Watch Thursday: SuperValu Hits the Register

Major grocer SuperValu announced late Wednesday that it is closing 60 underperforming stores. SuperValu's chains include Albertsons and Shop 'n Save, and it has 4,400 stores, so 60 may not seem like a lot. But the move will have serious repercussions for the company.

Amazon's Epix Deal Puts Netflix on Notice

In a single deal, Amazon has become a legitimate rival to Netflix. Its streaming deal with EPIX gives its Amazon Prime customers free access to 2,000 movies from Paramount Pictures, MGM, and Lionsgate -- films like Iron Man 2, Super 8, True Grit, Rango, and many others.

Wall Street Watch This Week: Bring on the New Gadgets

It's going to be a big week for consumer electronics. The fireworks kick off on Wednesday when Nokia and Microsoft will introduce their new Lumia phones, then shift to Amazon on Thursday, when the online retailer is expected to introduce its new Kindle Fire.

9 Great American Companies That Will Never Recover

Sometimes, companies that were once leaders fall hopelessly behind. They may struggle on for years, but their chances to engineer turnarounds have passed. 24/7 Wall St. has found nine of these companies -- names you know well, but that will never be great again.

Watch Out, Apple: The Kindle Fire Is Getting Bigger

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.

Surprise! Technology Has Made Us More Bookish

The boom in e-readers and tablets -- such as the iPad, Nook and Kindle -- has resulted in Americans starting to read more books, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.

Is the Kindle Fire Flaming Out?

Amazon sold just 750,000 Kindle Fire tablets during the first three months of 2012, well off its fourth quarter mark. Apple sold 11.8 million iPads. And the future looks even more grim for the Fire.

Target Dumps Amazon Kindles Over Retail Rivalry

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.

3 Reasons I'm Not Buying the New iPad

I'm no Apple hater, but I don't see the appeal of its expensive new iPad. Clearly, I'm in the minority here -- Apple sold 3 million of them in a single weekend -- but allow me to explain.

The Tablet Wars Get More Interesting

If Amazon.com wants a price war, Barnes & Noble is ready to play. The struggling real-world bookseller announced this week that it's offering an 8-gigabyte version of its Nook tablet for the same $199 price point as Amazon's Kindle Fire. Meanwhile, Apple is widely expected to unveil the iPad 3 early next month.

Are We Reading the Final Chapter for Pure E-Readers?

Purists may cringe at the loss of easy-to-read E Ink screens, but it may be time to turn the page on the e-book reader. A key analyst has slashed his sales forecast for Kindles, seeing the rise of Kindle Fires, Nook Tablets, and of course, iPads as inevitable.

Is an Amazon Store in the Real World a Good Idea?

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?

Tax Doomsday Is Coming for Amazon

It sometimes seems like every new idea Amazon has dreamed up lately has been designed to help it lose money more efficiently. But the truth is more subtle: If it doesn't take these short-term hits now, it's destined to get crushed in a few years when the tax men come a-calling.

Netflix Tells Amazon: 'Been There, Done That'

An online giant sees its margins contract as it replaces physical delivery with digital delivery. Revenue's growing. Profitability's shrinking. It may even post an operating loss during the next quarter. Not many months ago, this was Netflix. Now, it's Amazon.com.

What to Watch This Week: Malls, Tech, Homes and Papers

With 2012's first earnings season well under way, let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead: Here's why you should be watching one major mall owner, two tech giants, three homebuilders and a couple of old media behemoths.

Study Finds Tablet, E-Book Ownership Soared

Tablets and e-readers were a popular gift over the holidays, so much so that the number of people who own them nearly doubled between mid-December and January, a new study finds. A report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project set to be released Monday found that 29 percent of Americans owned at least one tablet or e-reader as of the beginning of this month. That's up from 18 percent who said the same in December.

3 Hot Tech Trends to Watch -- and Invest In -- for 2012

If you think 2011 was a wild year for technology, just wait until you see what 2012 has in store for you. Here are three tech trends that will undoubtedly grow in relevance -- and investor profitability -- in the year ahead.