Editing Amazon Light

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'''Amazon Light''' was an alternate [[user interface]] to [[Amazon.com]] built on the [[Amazon Web Services]] [[API]]. The site was developed by Alan Taylor, a former Amazon programmer, while he still worked for the company.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/14089/
|title=Amazon: Giving Away the Store: Sometimes it makes sense to give away your core assets.
|author=Wade Roush
|publisher=[[Technology Review]]
|date=January 2005
|access-date=March 7, 2007}}</ref> The site was funded through Amazon affiliate links.

The website was intended to be a simpler and more efficient way to access Amazon.com and use its features. It allowed the user to search or browse Amazon's database of books, music, DVDs, and [[VHS|VHS tapes]], and add items into a list. The list was then used to add the items into the user's Amazon.com shopping cart where they could then be purchased.

Amazon Light originally used a layout which resembled the main page of the [[Google Search|Google search engine]].<ref>[http://www.kokogiak.com/amazon/notgoogle.gif Screenshot of the original layout] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030720135603/http://www.kokogiak.com/amazon/notgoogle.gif}}</ref> In July 2002, Google's lawyers told it to [[cease and desist]].<ref>[http://www.kokogiak.com/amazon/about.asp#google Amazon Light – about] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030812085550/http://www.kokogiak.com/amazon/about.asp#google}}</ref>

Amazon Light 4.0 won the "Technical Achievement award" at the [[South by Southwest]] Web Awards in 2005.<ref>[http://2005.sxsw.com/interactive/web_awards/winners/ Web Awards winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206033811/http://2005.sxsw.com/interactive/web_awards/winners/ |date=December 6, 2006 }} – south by southwest festivals 2005.</ref>

In July 2009, Alan Taylor announced on his blog that "Amazon Light (all four versions) will shut down."<ref>[http://www.kokogiak.com/gedankengang/2009/07/farewell-to-amazon-light.html A Farewell to Amazon Light] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325180617/http://www.kokogiak.com/gedankengang/2009/07/farewell-to-amazon-light.html}}</ref>

==References==
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==External links==
*[https://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=3435361& Amazon.com's Webservices 
{{amazon}}
[[Category:Product searching websites]]
[[Category:Amazon (company)]]

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