Amazon Cloud Player Launches PC App

As part of its mission to bring its music service “everywhere,” Amazon announced the release of a dedicated Cloud Player app for desktop PCs Monday. The release comes less than a week after Amazon announced iOS compatibility with Ford Sync-enabled vehicles.

PC users could already access Cloud Player through their web browsers, but the primary benefit of the PC application is the ability to store music offline. Users can also scan their hard drives for music files that haven’t yet been uploaded to their storage locker.

Cloud Player allows users to stream music files they’ve purchased from Amazon or uploaded to to a cloud-based storage locker. An unlimited number of Amazon songs, plus 250 songs purchased outside of Amazon, can be uploaded to the cloud and streamed wirelessly using one of Amazon’s players for free. First launched on Android two years ago, the service is also available on iOS, Mac, Sonos, Roku and (as mentioned) Ford Sync vehicles Read more…

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Amazon Gives Away ‘Tens of Millions’ of Dollars in ‘Coins’

If you own a Kindle Fire, you’re now $5 richer — sort of.

Amazon on Monday rolled out Amazon Coins, a virtual currency for Kindle Fire, by giving all registered users of the device 500 free coins, each of which is valued at $0.01. The currency, which Amazon first teased in February, can currently be used to buy games, apps and in-app purchases

In total, Amazon says it has added “tens of millions of dollars” in Amazon Coins to the accounts of Kindle Fire customers — if you’re eligible, you should have received an email notification.

Amazon isn’t the first Internet company to introduce a virtual currency for its customers. Facebook launched Credits for buying gifts on the social network, but eventually killed off the currency in 2012 Read more…

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