prime instant video

Amazon is offering a new plan to Prime customers.

After a one-month free trial, Amazon customers can now sign up for Prime for $7.99 per month. The e-commerce giant previously offered Prime subscriptions only at $79 per year. That deal, which saves folks about 20 percent compared to the month-to-month offer, is still available.

Amazon's decision to offer a month-to-month offer puts it in direct competition with its chief rivals in the online-streaming business, Hulu and Netflix. Both of those companies charge customers $7.99 per month for access to their streaming libraries.

However, in addition to streaming … Read more

Friday's tech news roundup can ease symptoms of Gadget News Overload:

Amazon has signed a deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, allowing the online company to stream "hundreds" of the studio's classic movies and TV episodes, Amazon announced today.

The new stock, which further positions the retail giant to take on video streaming rival Netflix through its Amazon Prime service, includes "The Silence of the Lambs," "Dances with Wolves," "Rain Man," and "The Terminator," and TV series like "Stargate."

Amazon Prime is a membership program that costs $79 annually and offers customers free two-day shipping on their purchases. In addition, … Read more

In today's show, Facebook shareholders are fuming, Windows Phones need updating and Prime subscribers are streaming:

Facebook and several banks have been slapped with a lawsuit, accused of hiding some details about revenue estimates days before the stock went public. The charge is this: Facebook spoke with select analysts about additional information on revenue expectations than what was disclosed in amended filings. Smaller investors are upset they were left out of the loop, and say they lost money because they didn't know the full picture. But even if Facebook did give extra info to analysts, it's not … Read more

Amazon's Prime Instant Videos has added 3,000 new titles from Discovery Communications, bringing the total number of videos available to subscribers to 17,000.

The new programs, announced today, include series and specials from Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, among other Discovery networks, as well as shows from its 25-year programming library. Among the new titles available to Prime members: "Deadliest Catch," "Mythbusters," "Man vs. Wild," "Dirty Jobs," "Shark Week," "Cake Boss," and "Whale Wars."

In a note on Amazon's home page today, … Read more

Thanks to a new licensing deal Amazon has made with 20th Century Fox, later this fall Amazon Prime members will be able to instantly stream such TV shows as "24," "The X-Files," and "Arrested Development" and such movies as "Office Space" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

The deal will bring the total number of "free" Prime instant videos to more than 11,000 movies and TV shows as Amazon continues its efforts to match up with Netflix in the digital streaming arena.

Amazon Prime currently costs $79 a year and allows members to get free two-day shipping on many products Amazon sells. Amazon is heavily pushing the program with enticements like video streaming because it stands to reason that Prime members are Amazon's most loyal shoppers. … Read more

Google shuts down Google Labs for greater company focus, Darth Vader makes it to Garmin GPS devices, and the space shuttle Atlantis touches down, marking the end of NASA's shuttle program.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Space Shuttle Atlantis ends final flight

Darth Vader voice comes to Garmin GPS

Google shuts down Labs

Make multiple calls in Gmail

CBS TV shows hit Amazon Instant Video