The Download Blog

I am a regular user of Amazon.com, and one thing that's always irked me is the company's use of excessively-long URLs. In fact, they are so long that back in 2002 Google increased the number of URL characters it was indexing just to accommodate them.

Now there's a rhyme and reason to this system, but try to explain that to the person who you just dumped a 150-character URL on in your IM conversation.

Instead of using a third-party link shortening service that might not work if it goes down, you should check out AmazonLinks. This small Firefox extension will automatically change any Amazon product URL into one that's far smaller than the original. It does this by replacing all the gobbledygook after the Amazon.com with an Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) that still lives under Amazon's domain, but is about 80 characters shorter.

So this book's URL goes from:

http://www.amazon.com/Idiot-America-Stupidity-Became-Virtue/dp/0767926145/ref=sr_1_1/184-1699140-4241306?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242146833&sr=8-1
to
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0767926145/

Now if you want to take this one step further, you can shorten Amazon's URLs by hand using the company's not-yet-announced internal shortening system. This was unearthed by Go2.Me's Mike Koss back in April, and involves dropping the Amazon item number after http://amzn.com/. What I like about this Firefox extension, however, is that you don't even need to worry about digging that information up--it just does it for you.

One thing to note is that this extension is experimental, which means you need to be registered with Mozilla's downloads directory to download it.

For users of Amazon's S3 service, freeware CloudBerry Explorer is a utility that connects you with your account and makes managing the files you've stored online as easy as dragging and dropping.

CloudBerry's main interface

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

The interface is set up in FTP-style, with a split screen allowing file navigation on your computer and in your S3 account. Modeled as breadcrumbs and not absolute file locations, users can quickly jump between sub-folders and their parent directories. A pane on the bottom shows the file transfer progress, but there's a stand-out feature that makes this a serious tool for S3 obsessives.

The source drop-down menu is all-powerful here. It lets you create a new S3 account, and you can conduct transfers between S3 accounts. From that same drop-down menu, you can decide which location will be displayed on which side of the split-screen. This means that you can have your local hard drive on the right or the left, and the same for any S3 accounts.

CloudBerry's context menu for files stored on S3

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

One other killer feature is that the interface supports tabs, so you can set up one tab as your computer to your S3 account, and a second or even third tab as S3 to S3. Right-click on a file or folder in a bucket and you can quickly create a download link, encrypt it, view properties, and adjust distribution settings.

Buckets can be switched on the fly from the US to the EU, and there's a proxy pane under Options for those trapped behind firewalls. Users can initiate registration from within CloudBerry Explorer, and the general layout of the interface in fact mimics Windows Vista's Explorer--a gentle learning curve. In fact, the only problem I noticed was that the F1 Help hot key didn't work.

Keep in mind that not only is the program free, but you're only paying file transfer and storage charges to Amazon. This is different from other S3 third-party services such as JungleDisk that charge you their fees on top of Amazon's. So whether you use S3 for business or personal use, CloudBerry Explorer streamlines getting your files to where you want them to be.

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? Amazon.com has nearly 800 MP3s free for the download.

(Credit: Rick Broida)

Want to freshen up your music library? Amazon.com is offering a whopping 770 MP3s you can download free of charge.

I've long been a fan of Amazon's MP3 store, which offers DRM-free music downloads compatible with PCs, portable players, cell phones, GPS devices, MP3-playing fry pans, and other gizmos.

I visit the store almost daily to check out the Daily Deal, which is usually a complete album for just $2 to $4. (For example, last month, Amazon had U2's new "No Line on the Horizon" for $3.99. Alas, it's back up to $8.99--but that's still a buck cheaper than on Apple's iTunes.)

As for the freebies, you'll find singles from the likes of Neko Case, Robyn Hitchcock, Death Cab for Cutie, and plenty of artists you've probably never heard of. But so what? Free is free, and there's loads of good listening to be had here. Here are five downloads I like:

• "Hurt Feelings," Flight of the Conchords
• "Belated Promise Ring," Iron & Wine
• "Ghosts Under Rocks," Ra Ra Riot
• "Sean Connery," Craig Ferguson (8 minutes of stand-up gold)
• "All the Same Mistakes," Mieka Pauley

Unfortunately, there's no way to download all 770 tracks in one fell swoop--you have to grab them one at a time. (You'll also need to install Amazon's MP3 Downloader app, which, conveniently, can automatically add new tracks to your iTunes or Windows Media Player library.)

Amazon regularly adds new stuff to the freebie library, so make sure to check back every few weeks. Oh, and if you want an easy way to keep tabs on the Daily Deal, subscribe to Amazon's Twitter feed.

Believe it or not, the way to help us get out of this recession is to shop as often as you can manage. And Amazon just made it even easier for you to do that, if you have a BlackBerry.

(Credit: Amazon)

Amazon's iPhone app launched in December, and on Thursday the company released its Amazon App for BlackBerry. Like the iPhone app, this new application can be downloaded for free.

The app takes advantage of the BlackBerry's trackball for a quick and simple way to find, discover, and buy products from Amazon.com, as well as from thousands of other retailers.

Beyond that, according to Director of Amazon Mobile Sam Hall, the app also allows you to access the Amazon Remembers feature, which is an easy way to build an image list of products you want to remember for later or to make price comparisons across multiple merchants.

The coolest feature of the app is that it allows you to snap photos of a product with your BlackBerry, and the photos are automatically uploaded to Amazon.com. The company will then try to find products similar to the ones in the photos. As soon as a product is found, you can purchase it immediately or save it to the "remember it" file in your Amazon account.

Other features of the app include:

• Purchase using Amazon's 1-Click ordering and Amazon Prime
• Track packages or modify orders using the Your Account feature
• Receive personalized recommendations
• View editorial and customer reviews
• Get the Gold Box Deal of the Day
• Access to Wish List

There you go. Now you have no excuse not to shop, at least for inexpensive things. Just remember to do it responsibly.

If you don't feel like spending more than $300 on the Kindle 2, Amazon's free Kindle ebook application for the iPhone and iPod Touch may be a much more affordable, if imperfect, solution.

We compared the Kindle 2 and the Kindle application for the iPhone/iPod Touch, and came to the conclusion that the Kindle iPhone application is great for reading short passages, but the Kindle 2 is better for longer reading.

Also, you can't get subscriptions on the iPhone version and you can't buy books from within the application. Still, $359 is a lot to pay for an e-book reader (though the addition of free cellular Web access and a basic Web browser does make the cost slightly more palatable), so the Kindle for iPhone app may still be the preferable e-book reader for people who already have iPhones or iPod Touches

For more information about the Kindle for iPhone application, check out our video first look or read our extensive review.

With all the buzz about Amazon's new Kindle 2, you'd think this revamped e-book reader was the most advanced piece of technology this side of designer babies. After all, for $359, you get a color screen, Wi-Fi and full-function Web browsing, video playback, 60GB of storage, and a reasonably usable keyboard.

Oh wait, you don't get any of that stuff. No, that's what $350 can get you if invested in even a low-end Netbook, such as the new 10-inch Acer Aspire One. Not only is there a wide range of PC software available for buying and displaying e-books (and tons of free content as well), when you're done with all that highbrow readin', pop open a Web browser and rot your brain with some Hulu videos.

Unlike the closed-loop system on the Kindle (it generally only works with e-books from Amazon, and Amazon e-books only work on the Kindle and the related iPhone app -- although there are some Kindle conversion tools out there, and Amazon will convert your personal docs for Kindle use at 10-cents a pop), at least you have a variety of different software and content provider options with my proposed $350 Kindle alternative.

Microsoft's Reader app will also read out loud to you in a Stephen-Hawking-style voice.

We'll be the first to admit, none of these options are as seamless or easy to use as the Kindle (especially with its always-on wireless digital download store), and companies like Microsoft and Adobe aren't exactly known for building great software user experiences.

We tried installing and using a couple of e-book reading software packages on our Acer Aspire One, with mixed, but not wholly unsatisfactory results. First up was Microsoft Reader, which uses .lit files, available from several online e-book retailers (although not Amazon). Originally released in 2000, the software has a dated, inelegant interface, but displayed our e-book files cleanly. Like the Kindle, Microsoft Reader also has a built-in text-to-speech feature, although the results are just as robotic.

Images: Kindle for iPhone

Amazon introduced a Kindle application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Lee/CBS Interactive)

I bought a Kindle 2 last week, after a year of waiting for the second iteration of Amazon's e-book reader. I was hesitant at first, as I still love reading hardcover and paperback books, but the free cellular Web access and the addition of magazine subscriptions from publications like The New Yorker had me convinced.

I've had it for a week now, and I love it. It feels great in my hands, and the e-ink screen creates the illusion of reading a real book. I can hold it in my hand and read from it for hours.

I also have an Apple iPhone. I've tried e-book applications like eReader and Stanza, but I just didn't find the reading experience very satisfying.

It's OK for short chunks of reading, while waiting in line or sitting on the bus, but not on a lazy Sunday afternoon around the house. Holding a small device like that for long periods of time just isn't comfortable, plus the small LCD screen can be hard on the eyes after a while. And, of course, there are books only available for the Amazon Kindle that are not at any other e-book store. It's this last criteria that really forced my hand when purchasing the Kindle 2.

So when I first heard that Amazon released the Kindle application for the iPhone (download), I immediately second-guessed my purchase of the Kindle 2. Did I make a foolish buy? Why wasn't I patient enough to wait for the iPhone application? A free iPhone app is definitely a lot cheaper than the $359 for the Kindle 2. So I downloaded the Kindle for iPhone application to find out whether I should send my Kindle 2 packing with a return slip.

A new Firefox extension called Pirates of the Amazon lets users download movies, games, TV shows, and MP3s free of charge by cross referencing Amazon's product pages with torrent files from the Pirate Bay.

If the content can be found on the Pirate Bay's search index it shows up as a "Download 4 Free" link on the top of the Amazon product page. This links directly to the hosted .torrent tracker file, letting the user avoid having to make a purchase from Amazon in place of acquiring it illegally via BitTorrent.

The extension developer's site, along with the link to download the software is currently offline. The extension made the front page of Digg a few hours ago, which is likely what took the site out (not legal intervention). I've contacted Amazon to see if the company is making any efforts to block the extension but have not heard back yet. As it stands, the extension still works, albeit without the "Download 4 Free" thumbnail, which is hosted on the developer's servers.

As blog Torrentfreak notes, this is a really bad time for such an extension. Piracy continues to be a huge problem for movies, music albums, and PC games. Amazon's online MP3 store is one of the least expensive places to legally purchase DRM-free music, and this extension manages to make it that much simpler to pirate. It also coincides with a time of year when online retailers are getting an increase in traffic due to holiday sales.

That said, anyone who knows how to pirate content probably did not need this to continue their habit.

A similar add-on is available for IMDB users from Userscripts.org that cross references movie titles with torrent sites to find copies of films online. Despite its clear lean toward piracy, I'd argue that one of its more useful features it is to track down subtitle files, which can provide translations in smaller countries where the content might be legally available but not localized.

Below is a demo of how the extension works. Expect the developer's site, along with the download links to be back up later today.

(Credit: CNET)

On Wednesday, Amazon announced the throwing open of its virtual doors to iPhone and iPod Touch users everywhere with Amazon Mobile, a free app now available in the iTunes App Store.

It's a pretty nice offering that simplifies the search experience for products found not just on Amazon.com, but also on partner retailers Target and Macy's.

The bulk of the app is dominated by a search bar you can launch either from the home screen or from a separate Search screen. While there's a tiny promo area on Amazon Mobile's home screen, the app completely omits browsing by categories. The vast majority of shoppers probably beeline to their wanted product, but there should be an option to browse from the More menu.

The surprise feature is one Amazon is trying on for size that lets you snap a photo of a product to jog your memory later. In addition, the app will try to find the product in Amazon's catalog. Amazon Remembers, as the feature's called, was a little slow when we tried it out, but found our products in the end.

This visual shopping assistant is a great feature that replicates many others we've seen for iPhone and Google Android. SnapTell for iPhone (free) is also more flexible, pulling in data and price comparisons from IMDb, Barnes and Noble, and Wikipedia, along with Amazon.com.

However, Amazon Mobile's advantage to registered members is its simplified purchasing that honors 1-Click buying and Amazon Prime, and its memory for items you've flagged in your wish list, shopping cart, and now, photo bank.