SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 11, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Alexa Internet, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), today launched the Alexa Web Information Service (AWIS) on the Amazon Web Services Web site. AWIS offers software and Web developers access to more than 100 terabytes of Web site information and popularity data collected by Alexa's Web Crawl of more than 4.5 billion Web pages on 16 million sites. Developers can sign up and get started using AWIS at the Amazon Web Services Web site aws.amazon.com/awis.

"We've only scratched the surface of the possible applications of the data captured by the enormous Alexa Crawl. There are many more types of businesses and people that we believe would benefit from customized applications of Alexa data," said Alexa Product Manager Geoffrey Mack. "Rather than build all these applications ourselves, we are opening up and giving developers the opportunity to build them and create their own innovative businesses using our data."

Developers can use AWIS to answer difficult and interesting questions about the Web, and programmatically incorporate these answers directly into their applications. The following are types of Web site information and popularity data that are accessible to developers through AWIS:

-- URL Information - useful data about millions of Web sites, including traffic rank, load speed, related links, site owner contact information, and adult content identification.

-- Browse Category - everything that is needed to build a site browse tree, including lists of sub-categories for a top-level category, most popular sites in a category, and all sites within the category.

-- Web Search - Web search based on Alexa's crawl, providing robust support for advanced queries allowing developers to construct difficult queries and incorporate the answers into their applications.

-- Crawl Meta Data - meta-data for specific pages found in the Alexa Crawl, including size, checksum, frames, images, and links.

-- Web Map - topographic representation of Alexa's Web crawl displaying all links in and links out of specific pages on the Web.

Getting started using AWIS is easy and risk-free. There is no charge for the first 10,000 AWIS requests made by a developer each month and each additional request costs only $0.00015. For example, if a developer makes 12,000 AWIS requests in a month, the cost would be just $.30. All of the documentation, code samples, and sample applications developers need to begin innovating and building businesses today using AWIS is available on the Amazon Web Services Web site aws.amazon.com/awis.

"We are excited to work with Alexa to offer AWIS through the Amazon Web Services Web site," said Amazon Web Services Vice President of Product Development and Developer Relations Adam Selipsky. "With the powerful data that is being exposed and the low cost to access this data, we look forward to seeing the innovative businesses developers create using AWIS."

Early AWIS Successes

AWIS was first released in beta in October 2004. AdBrite participated in the beta and used AWIS to enhance the services they offer customers. AdBrite is a marketplace for buying and selling advertising space on thousands of Web sites. The company uses AWIS to provide prospective advertisement buyers with important information and statistics about the Web sites selling site space through the AdBrite marketplace.

"AWIS is vital to our rapidly-growing business," said AdBrite Chief Executive Officer and Founder Philip Kaplan. "The fact that AWIS is a Web service means that we dedicate minimal software development resources while offering a service to our customers that is invaluable in their decision-making process."

About Alexa Internet

Founded in April 1996 and acquired by Amazon.com in 1999, Alexa Internet provides dynamic data about the Web. Alexa's services include Web site traffic information, statistics, and other tools to make timely and intelligent business and consumer decisions.

About Amazon Web Services

Launched in July 2002, the Amazon Web Services platform exposes Amazon technology and product data that enables developers to build innovative and entrepreneurial applications on their own. More than 140,000 developers have signed up to use Amazon Web Services since its inception. Applications built using the Amazon Web Services 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. Amazon Web Services is a division of Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

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.

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 December 31, 2004, and all subsequent filings.

SOURCE: Amazon.com

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