MP3 Headlines & News for November 30, 2009

Amazon's fight against an online sales tax came to the forefront yet again after the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report slamming the online giant's arguments against being subjected to such a tax.

According to the nonpartisan center, Amazon's contention that collecting a sales tax would be "administratively burdensome" and also "unfair" in states where they don't have a physical presence pretty much doesn't hold water. For one, the retailer already collects taxes in practically every state for merchants that do business on its site. The center also contends that Amazon does not pay tax even in some states where it has a physical presence.

As someone who lives in a state that has an Amazon distribution center and has also bought tons of stuff from the retailer, I can confirm that I have yet to pay sales tax for my purchases. I must also admit that the lack of a sales tax is a big incentive for me to shop at Amazon, especially for bigger ticket electronics that qualify for free shipping. If all things were equal, I'd likely go to a brick-and-mortar store due to the instant gratification factor.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned report also says that states lose more than $7 billion in revenue a year due to uncollected sales taxes online. To be honest, I'm actually quite torn on this issue. I love the savings I get from not paying sales tax online but I also understand the point that state advocates make, along with the gripes of brick-and-mortar retailers who have to pay sales tax.

What do you think?

Should Amazon Collect Sales Tax? originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 01:17:54.

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Google are hoping that consumers who already use the popular search engine to find resources on the Internet will like the familiarity of their interface and use it for purchasing digital music too. Google is certainly a mighty power on the Web, but can it really compete with the king of the digital music services - namely the iTunes Store?

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• Top 7 digital music services
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• The history of the iTunes Store

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Google to Launch 'Search and Buy' Music Service originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 11:52:10.

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Barnes & Noble's gift cards and online gift certificates get some extra use "mid-December" with the company announcing that recipients can start using them for payment at the B&N eBook store.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the move comes along the heels of the nook eBook reader launch, which officially flips its virtual pages on the market this Nov. 30. And given the buzz surrounding the device, it certainly makes business sense to allow folks to use gift cards and online gift certificates for eBook purchases — especially when your customers are clamoring for it.

The company hasn't provided a specific date for the new policy to take place but the nook blog writes that an announcement is forthcoming. For more info on the nook, you can check out the official Barnes & Noble nook site.

Photo © Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble OK's eCash for eBooks originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 00:42:43.

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As someone who typically ends up frustrated on Black Friday, I must admit that I couldn't help but check many of the Black Friday "leaks" that have been bombarding the Internet. It's like pressing a button that says "DO NOT PRESS!" I just can't help it.

Apparently, though, I'm not the only one. Google data shows that the "upswing" for Black Friday searches started two weeks earlier this year, according to an article in the Advertising Age. Meanwhile, the number of shoppers who plan to get their Christmas shopping started on Black Friday rose to 16 percent this year from 10 percent last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (there's an International Council of Shopping Centers?).

Still, some are projecting Black Friday to be just that — black. Nielsen, the NPD Group and the National Retail Federation have all released buzz-killing predictions as far as sales. I'm no economist but I don't need to sleep at a Holiday Inn last night to figure out why. (As Bill Clinton once so eloquently put, "It's the economy, um, you not-so-smart person!")

Meanwhile, Retrevo's Director of Content Andrew Eisner is predicting many "mediocre deals" masquerading as Black Friday bargains. These include discounts that aren't as big as they seem to be and the pushing of outdated items.

Now, one can't fault someone for thinking Eisner's comments may have to do with Retrevo promoting its own product and pricing analysis (not to mention its Black Friday Real-Time Resource Center). Still, I know from personal experience that the man actually has a point. Fortunately, Google and the entire Interwebs is your friend so you can do your due diligence in researching products before pouncing on a deal.

As for me ... well, while I'm always tempted to line up in the cold with complete strangers just for a chance to get a good bargain, the reasonable person that resides in the little room in my mind always steps up in the end and tells me that it's better to go to bed and sleep on these things instead. Still, I understand the allure of the ever-powerful Black Friday deal. What about you?

Photo by Jason Hidalgo

Fade to Black: The Real Deal With Black Friday? originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 04:37:50.

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In looking at portable DVD players as About.com's portables guide, one of the things I've learned is that companies who make the devices apparently hate names. And when I say names, I mean just basic names.

Forget simple names like Wii or Walkman. Instead, all you get is a mish-mash of letters and numbers that is just about as easy to remember as the name of that bad guy in the Superfriends cartoons who you have to trick to say his name backwards. Now, I'd tell you what the dude's name is. But I honestly can't remember it — just like the name of many of these portable DVD players out in the market today. I don't know about you but I'm guessing there's probably a reason why Apple didn't name its iPod the JXCSF1000945@.

Kindle, BlackBerry Bold, PlayStation — those are all easy-to-remember names that help establish mindshare within the market. But (insert generic letters and numbers here)? Hold on while I get a pen and paper.

Which brings us to my latest portable DVD review: Toshiba's SDP93S. Like the Sony DVP-FX930 I reviewed before it, the SDP93S is an excellent player. I just hope you can remember what either those two are called when you try looking for them at your favorite retailer. On that note, please feel free to check out the Toshiba SDP93S review.

Photo by Jason Hidalgo

Name That Portable DVD Player originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 14:23:03.

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I don't know why, but I have a soft spot for cute things. Whether it be puppies, kittens, or babies, seeing something adorable just makes me want to start rambling in baby talk and pretty much make a fool of myself.

With that interesting bit of blackmail material now out of the way, let's turn our attention to the I-Dog Soft Speaker. Just like tacos need both hard-shell and soft-shell offerings to satisfy the masses, manufacturer Hasbro thought that also offering a softer, more huggable version of their original robot I-Dog speaker is a good idea. As a connoisseur of tacos of all textures, I can't say that I find that logic faulty.

The I-Dog Soft retains the speaker functionality of its smaller, hard-shell cousin, so you can continue to plug in your iPod or other music source to the thing and hear your tunes come out from its fluffy innards. More importantly, the thing looks so gosh-darned cute in a robotic kind of way. Who's the good, wittle, squishy-wishy, doggy-woggy-goo?

Um, on that note, here's my I-Dog Soft Speaker review.

Photo © Hasbro

I-Dog Soft: The Better to Hug You, My Dear originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 15:16:07.

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Sony was basking in the limelight just a few months ago after it fielded three new entries in the eBook Reader wars.

But in a "What have you done for me lately world," August and September suddenly seem so long ago, especially after the announcement of Barnes & Noble's hot new "nook" eReader.

So in case you missed it, Sony recently started taking pre-orders at its online store for the top banana of its new eBook trio, the Reader Daily Edition. Compared to its two other siblings, this device's claim to fame is its wireless capability. Well, that and its pinky-raising price tag of $399.

You can take a sneak peek at the Reader Daily's capabilities in our Sony Reader preview. I also should have a review up of the Pocket and Touch editions soon.

In the meantime, you can pre-order the Daily version at sonystyle.com.

Photo © Sony

Sony Reader Daily Edition Available for Pre-order originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 01:05:54.

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