Many, many more Amazonians will be getting served, however, by Prime Video, now that the company has spun it out into a standalone service. At an introductory rate that's a third the cost of Netflix, the move creates serious competition for viewing dollars around the world -- though it only brings Amazon's original programming. Still, if critical acclaim is any indicator, you're getting good value: Both of the two streaming services have shows up for multiple Golden Globes.

One competitor Amazon isn't (and shouldn't be) preoccupied with is a new virtual assistant from Japan. It's a female anime character in a jar. It costs $2,500. It will not lift the crushing weight of loneliness that pervades your every waking hour. Oh, and if you're thinking it'd make a swell Christmas gift, think 2017 -- the company's taking preorders now, but it won't arrive for a year.

Elon Musk: Supercharger spots are meant for charging, not parkingTesla will tax owners who idle at the Supercharger

More Teslas on the road also means there might be long lines at the local Supercharger. After complaints about owners who leave their car hooked up beyond the time needed for a full charge, Elon Musk & Co. have a fix: idle fees. If you don't collect your EV within five minutes of it reaching full charge (you'll get a notification on your phone), then expect a 40 cent per minute charge to sit in that spot.

Here's what it will cost when you lose oneApple's AirPods are now on sale

Online pre-orders are now stretching into 2017, but you can order a pair of Apple's new EarBuds. The wireless buds go perfectly with a headphone jack-deficient iPhone 7, whose owners are most likely to lay down $160 for the pair + charger. A side effect of the AirPods' tangle free lifestyle is that you might end up losing one, however, and if you do, the replacement will cost $69.

Not to be confused with "The O.C."Netflix's weird surprise show 'The OA' is now streaming

Last weekend Netflix surprised us by teasing a new miniseries about a mysterious young woman. The trailer left much to the imagination, but the main plot centers on a young woman who was blind before being abducted, and returns to her family seven years later able to see. Its eight-episode length had some hoping for another "Stranger Things" experience. We don't know if it's that good, but it's a perfect choice if you can't make it out to "Rogue One" this weekend.

League of $$$$"League of Legends" developer signs a $300 million streaming deal

eSports looks poised to make a big leap, and BAMTech, a streaming company part-owned by the MLB, the NHL and Disney (read: ESPN) is ready to buy in. It struck a deal with "League of Legends" maker Riot Games that's worth over $300 million, and it will build an app next year to stream competitions on phones, PCs and other devices.

Looks like someone read "Ender's Game"DARPA's OFFSET program will use gamers to playtest drone swarm control

Stop us if this sounds familiar: A government agency is trying to help the military control groups of flying robots, and one of the ways it will learn is by offering a "physics-based, swarm tactics game." The idea is to let playtesters swap strategies on how to best control a swarm of drone robots, then apply that knowledge to the real thing.

The final stops are at PAX and SXSWNintendo's Switch console is going on tour

Can't wait until March to see the Switch? No problem, because Nintendo just announced it's taking the console on a "Preview Tour" of major cities starting in January.

But wait, there's more...