NetFlix.com Company History & Personal Review

9malls.com review of NetFlix.com

Rating: ***** 4 out of 5 stars

Web site: http://www.NetFlix.com

Review:

History of NetFlix.com:

If you would like to know more about NetFlix.com the company visit Wikipedia.org and type in NetFlix.com. NetFlix.com is the Internet's top online DVD rental service with 5 million subscribers and 65,000 titles. To give you an idea of how big NetFlix.com is… BlockBuster.com or BBI stock in quarter 2 2006 reported net income of $68.4 million. Revenues for second quarter 2006 were $1.32 billion. For NetFlix.com net income was $16.8 million and revenues for 2nd quarter were $239.4 million. The $239.4 million net revenue represented a 46% year-over-year growth. NetFlix.com isn't as big as Blockbuster judging by the numbers, but with a 46% growth increase they are coming on fast. NetFlix.com began operations in 1998.

Summary:

About 2 months ago I signed up for NetFlix.com through the web site SlickDeals.net. I noticed that they had (still have this offer) a sale going on where you could get a 14 day trial for free. OK, it wasn't 30 days which would make more sense, but 14 days of free movies is 14 days of free movies so I can't complain. I was amazed how fast the DVDs were shipped out to me. They arrived the very next day after ordering them. The fast shipping is due to NetFlix.com building a shipping center near the Seattle area. The DVDs stay local so there isn't any need to ship across country. You probably have an advantage, shipping speed wise, if you live in a large metropolitan area. I was planning on subscribing to NetFlix.com only for the free trial period, but I was surprised how much I liked it.

Positives:

It's way better than cable, close to being better than TIVO, better than HBO, Showtime, and traditional movie stores. It also beats cable because most of what's on cable TV may pass time, but really sucks. I'm thinking of shows like the Simple Life and Laguna Beach to name a few. NetFlix.com is almost better than TIVO, but not quite because TIVO can record current TV shows commercial free as opposed to old seasons. It's better than HBO and Showtime because if you're into movies these networks are expensive and seem to play a small set of movies weeks at a time. There isn't enough variety on most premium cable movie channels. It's better than a video store because there is way more variety and it's easier to search NetFlix.com for what you want to rent.

Negatives:

So now I'll get into the downside of NetFlix.com. I am currently singed up for the 3 DVD at a time plan for $17.99. Video stores charge around $4.00 per rental, that's about 5 DVDs a month for the same price as your NetFlix.com subscription. If you shop at a grocery store for your videos you can sometimes get DVDs for $2.00 per rental. That's 10 rentals per month for the same price as NetFlix.com. $20 doesn't sound like much for "unlimited rentals" but if you do the math that subscription is actually pretty expensive for your average 1-2 movies a week motion picture watcher. I'm one of those average people, I am simply too busy to watch more movies than that. The only reason I still subscribe to NetFlix.com is the selection. I can find TV shows, rare documentaries, and old movies that are rated and reviewed.

Conclusion:

The content and selection is why I stay a member of NetFlix.com. If you live for movies NetFlix.com is definitely for you.

ThinkGeek.com Review: "The Geekiest Store on Earth"

9malls.com review of ThinkGeek.com

Rating: **** 4 out of 5 stars

Web site: http://www.thinkgeek.com

Review: ThinkGeek.com is a site that caters to all the geeks among us. ThinkGeek.com is apart of the Open Source Technology Group. The OSTG (Open Source Technology Group) was founded in 1996. According to the site Wikipedia.org, “ThinkGeek was created in 1999 and was brought to fame after it was slashdotted (popular web site linking to a smaller one). ThinkGeek was then acquired by Andover.net, the owner of Slashdot, which was in turn acquired by VA Software.” Chances are if you use a computer on a frequent basis you might have some geek tendencies making ThinkGeek.com the site for you. When you arrive on the homepage the layout looks a lot like one part blog mixed with one part shopping mall. The site featured 12 items on their home page as of October 2006 with at lot of written content. Items ThinkGeek.com features are things you would never see in any Walmart or Target. Products are unique and one of a kind making them perfect for gifts or putting next to your computer desk in the office or at home. For example, one item on the home page is called “USB Mini Desktop Aquarium.” The USB Mini Desktop Aquarium at ThinkGeek.com plugs directly into your USB port on your computer which powers this mini aquarium. I don’t know about you, but that sounds awesome! There’s not practical reason one might have one of these especially when there’s already great fish tank aquarium computer screensaver software, but since I’ve never seen one of these it’s just cool and I need to get one. Once powered up the fish in this mini aquarium move and are illuminated compliments of a blue LED.

Some cool highlights of ThinkGeek.com and 9malls.com shows you how to save money at ThinkGeek.com:

ThinkGeek.com allows customers to post “action shots” where customers send in photographs featuring the Think Geek product. For example there is one action shot of a women posing for the camera while wearing the Think Geek T-Shirt “Geek is Sexy.”

OK, now on to how one saves money at ThinkGeek.com. You must visit the “clearance” section for deals. Since products they sell are rare, usually you won’t be able to find products even on eBay. If you do find the product of eBay it usually will be the same price or more than the one on ThinkGeek.com. Even in the clearance section there are a lot of cool, unique, products to choose from.

Tickle Me Elmo: Tickle Me Once Shame on You, Tickle Me Twice Shame on Me.

ELMO FEVER!

Tickel me once shame on you, tickle me twice shame on me. Or something like that... I say this because didn't we all learn from the first Tickle Me Elmo doll? After Christmas the new Elmo's going to be soooo 2006! Your going to start seeing Elmo on VH1's "I love the 000s" If you still want the doll there is a rumor on Slick Deals that you can pre order the doll at any KB Toys stores. You can also of course go to everyone's site of last resort for hard to find items, I'm of course talking about QVC.com (Just Kidding). No, it's obviously, eBay.com. I heard on CNBC eBay's seeing a jump in visitors/profits because of Elmo. Is there anything Elmo can't do?

The theme song for this blog is "Double Vision"

"Feeling down 'n' dirty, feeling kinda mean
I've been from one to another extreme
This time I had a good time, ain't got time to wait
I wanna stick around till I can't see straight

Fill my eyes with that Elmo vision
No disguise for that Elmo vision
Ooh, when it gets through to me, it's always new to me
My Elmo vision gets the best of me"

GOOD LUCK SHOPPING FOR ELMO!

Pronto.com BETA Price Comparison Search Engine

I just discovered this new price comparison search engine today called Pronto.com. Pronto.com is now in the BETA stages of development. What separates Pronto.com from other price comparison search engines is that you can download the shopper tool onto your desktop. The downloadable program is called Pronto Personal Shopper. It is a free download that works with Firfox, Mac, and Windows. The tool helps you compare prices, saves coupons you wish to access later, and receive price alerts when a prodcut you want drops in price. Pronto was developed by IAC/InteractiveCorp. You can read more about price comparison search engines and Pronto at 9malls.com/9mallspricecomparisonsearchengine

Google AdWords Update New Higher Bids For Made For AdSense Pages

The Internet blogs are buzzing with news about Google Adwords new udate to help rid AdWords from from 'made for Adsense pages' and generally low quality landing pages. Google Ad Words will now more closely monitor the quality of AdWords pages. If pages do not meet Google's standards bids will raise to the point where advertising is not cost effective. How will this affect Google Adwords in the long run is anyone's guess? There was little warning that this update would take place. Least it wasn't around the holidays! May be if anything we can thank Google for that.

SunsetLocations.com List Your Property Online and Get Into the Movies

The site is called SunsetLocations.com it lists your property in or around the Las Angelas area. If you're lucky enough for a Holywood studio to choose your property expect $500 to $5,000 in location fees. Visit SunetLocations.com for more info about getting your house in the movies. I just saw this story on CNBC and wanted to share.

FareCast.com, FareCompare.com Next Generation Travel Search Engines

I have a couple new travel search engines I'd like to share with you. One is called FareCast.com which compares all airline company prices, but also tries to predict the future price of air travel to help you make more informed decisions on when to book your flight. At FarCast.com you will know where and when to buy your ticket. Next there is FareCompare.com next generation travel comparison search engines providing you with tons of data.

McDonalds Driving Old British Taxis in Seattle and Other Select Cities

I've only seen this in Vegas, but now apparently McDonalds is catching on this trend in Seattle and select cities around the country. According to Bryan Styble of KIRO Radio McDonalds is hiring people to drive around old British Cabs in Queen Ann plastered with McDonalds logos. The McDonalds cab drivers will even pick you up and take you to McDonalds for free. McDonalds is using some pretty clever Guerilla marketing tactics.

9malls.com Reviews WOOT.com

WOOT.com is one of my favorite sites on the Internet. I think first and foremost it gives me something to do everyday, not that I don’t have enough. Like having a cup of coffee, or visiting Google, logging on to WOOT.com to check the daily item has become part of my routine. Most days I don’t want what they’re selling, but I know if I wait long enough eventually I’ll find something I need. I’ve already bought 2 things from WOOT.com: a Boston surround sound system and just today a RCA RT2390 500-Watt 5.1 Home Theater System for only $79.99. That’s about $40-$50 off the current best price listed on Google.com. On WOOT.com you save immensely off the retail price, many times on new products, and also shipping is ALWAYS $5. Sometimes I don’t know how they make money, margins must be extremely low on certain products. Check WOOT.com out if not for the products at least for the funny discussion groups/comments, WOOT casts, pictures, and contest. The most popular WOOT.com day by far is when the company sells their infamous "bag of crap." The one item WOOT.com sells on this day is a brown paper bag filled with 1 mystery item. You don't know what you're getting when you order this random item, but it could be very valuable. You just don't know and that's what makes it fun. Lat time when WOOT.com sold their "bags of crap" they were sold out in just 4 minutes! Check out WOOT.com today!

Bill Gates Steps Down From MicroSoft

Local celebrety Bill Gates announced about 1 hour ago that he's stepping down from his job at Microsoft to pursue his foundation after July 2008. Bill Gates was the chief software architect.

Who killed the electric car?

I heard about this while watching PBS. It was a story about who killed the electric car. I don't know if I agree that the electric car was killed and there is some sort of conspiracy, but it's very interesting if true. Read about it here on the PBS web site.

Kayak.com best travel comparison search engine

I've posted this on my other blog at BlogShoppers.com, but I'd like to post again that Kayak.com is the best travel search engine of the web. If you disagree or have another suggestion let me know. Kayak.com compares all airline sites and presents you with the direct results from web sites eliminating the middle man you would find at other travel sites.

Can you believe these gas prices?

Can you believe the gas prices and it's not even summer yet! With gas prices so high 9malls.com is going to go out of business because you won't have any money left over for shopping online. What's crazy is a gallon of milk is less expensive than a gallon of gas or a gallon of gas is more expensive than a Big Mac Extra Value Meal at McDonalds. At the DrudgeReport.com Matt Drudge is reporting that in Beverly Hills the price of a gallon of gas is $4.05.

Google Beats Estimates Big Time!

Google beat estimates so much this quarter it's almost scary. Just think if you got in the Google IPO when it was at $80.00. Google's first quarter profit were up 60%. I actually bought one share of (GOOG) last year for around $200 and sold when it went up to $400. Today at the end of the session Google.com was at $448.33. OK, that's already extremely high watch tomorrow for Google to shoot up even further. The thing that perplexes me is Google as far as I'm aware makes most of its money off one source of revenue and that's advertising. Yes, advertising sales are up at Google, but why aren't other "pay-per-click" advertisers stocks going up as fast as Google? Yahoo is a growing, professionally run, innovative company, but its stock is only $33.37 per share. Today Yahoo stock actually went down -0.17. MIVA another "pay-per-click" 2nd tier PPC search company is at a measly $6.22. Oh yeah and what about Microsoft (MSFT) they have it all including a service like Google's PPC advertising that's currently in BETA testing so why isn't there stock shooting up like Google.

New price comparison search engine ShopWiki.com

I know you've seen price comparison shopping engines before, but now there's a new one called ShopWiki.com. I just got the press release today and it looks good. I like the interface better than Google's Froogle. It's cleaner and seems to have less irrelevant results than Froogle. Visit http://www.shopwiki.com to test out for yourself.

WOOT.com

WOOT.com is one of my favorite sites for deals. Shopping is very easy at WOOT.com because they only offer one item per day. That's right only one item at a highly discounted price. Check WOOT.com out.

What are you looking for when shopping online?

We at 9malls.com would like to know what you are looking for when you're shopping online. Are you looking for news and information? The best prices? Or coupon links? Let us know I would like to hear from you.

What 9malls.com does

On 9malls.com I list free online coupons, links to various web sites, and give general shopping information and tips. The goal of this new blog on Blogger.com is to provide more in depth information that I could not fit on the main 9malls.com pages. I hope this site gives you valuable insight in the world of online retail and random news.

9malls.com

Hi everyone and welcome to the 9malls.com blog!