SEATTLE, Wash. and REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 14, 2005 — Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Corp. today kicked off the Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2005/Amazon Web Services Developer Contest at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2005 (PDC05). From now through Dec. 31, 2005, developers will compete for prizes by using Visual Studio 2005 to build innovative and entrepreneurial applications that use product data and technology from the AWS platform. The grand-prize winner will have his or her Amazon.com Wish List fulfilled with a value up to $5,000 (U.S.). A complete list of contest rules, eligibility restrictions, entry instructions and prizes is available on the AWS Web site at http://www.amazon.com/aws.
“We are excited to see what developers build using the valuable technology and data we provide through AWS and the powerful tools available in Visual Studio 2005,” said Steve Rabuchin, director of Developer Relations at Amazon Web Services. “Every developer who enters an application into the contest is a winner in terms of experience because each new application is also potentially the start of a new business.”
AWS provides software developers with direct access to Amazon’s ever-growing technology platform and product data for building Web sites and Web applications. Today applications built using the AWS Software Developers Kit range from enhanced Associates sites that advertise products from the Amazon.com Web site to integrated solutions for retailers selling merchandise through Amazon.com. Developers make money by earning referral fees from their Associates sites that link to products available on Amazon.com or by charging users for the applications they build.
“The Visual Studio development community has repeatedly amazed us with the great Web applications they create,” said Scott Guthrie, product unit manager for Web Platform and Tools at Microsoft. “Using AWS and Visual Studio 2005 together, Web developers have a great opportunity to create unique Web applications that take advantage of the power of Amazon data and technology. With developers having this much power at their fingertips, we can’t wait to see what they come up with.”
Visual Studio 2005 provides a comprehensive tool set for rapidly building and integrating ASP.NET Web applications and Web services. It offers a full WYSIWYG ASP.NET design experience, along with IntelliSense® statement completion, integrated help, data design, administration and debugging. With the powerful tools contained in Visual Studio 2005, Web developers can access AWS via SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and build Amazon technology and data into new or existing applications that can run on Windows® Powered personal computers, personal digital assistants, tablet computers and mobile phones.
Complete details on the contest are available on the AWS site at http://www.amazon.com/aws. The contest is underway and ends Dec. 31, 2005. Winners will be announced in early 2006. Contest applications will be judged on creativity, quality and extent of AWS services integration, commercial appeal, and usability. Eight winners will be selected and receive the following prizes:
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First Place: $5,000 Amazon.com Wish List fulfillment
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Second Place: Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition with MSDN® subscription
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Third Place: $500 Amazon.com gift certificate
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Honorable Mention (five winners): Xbox 360™ console
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and third-party sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished, and used items in categories such as health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs, electronics and office, toys and baby, and home and garden.
Amazon.com and its affiliates operate seven retail Web sites: www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com.
Amazon Web Services
Launched in July 2002, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform exposes Amazon technology and product data that enables developers to build innovative and entrepreneurial applications on their own. More than 120,000 developers have signed up to use AWS since its inception. Applications built using the AWS Software Developers Kit range from enhanced Associates sites that advertise products from the Amazon.com Web site to integrated solutions for retailers selling merchandise through Amazon.com. Developers make money by earning referral fees from their Associates sites or by charging users for the applications they build. AWS is a division of Amazon Services, Inc.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our,” and similar terms include Amazon.com Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Amazon.com Forward-Looking Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions, and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, consumer trends, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2004, and all subsequent filings.
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