Android creator Andy Rubin is back and aiming to change up the digital assistant and smartphone markets with a pair of new products from his company Essential. The two new… Read More
The days of frantically searching for a lost TV remote may soon be coming to an end, at least for Dish customers, as Amazon’s digital brain Alexa can now control… Read More
A new survey estimates that Amazon has sold more than 10 million Alexa-powered Echo devices since late 2014, and that number is rising fast. The report by Consumer Intelligence Research… Read More
Amazon unveiled a puzzling new device this week: The Echo Look, an Alexa-powered speaker with a built-in camera and lighting. What’s puzzling is that it’s marketed as a fashion device.… Read More
Amazon has evolved constantly throughout its more than 20-year life span, first as a book seller, than an e-commerce giant, and now a cloud computing powerhouse. And it appears Amazon’s next big pushes… Read More
Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa might show up in a lot of new devices soon. That’s because the online retail giant has decided to open up what amounts to Alexa’s ears,… Read More
Amazon has dropped its motion to protect audio recordings and other records for an Echo belonging to the suspect in a 2015 murder case in Arkansas. Amazon had argued that data from the… Read More
Amazon is working on Alexa-powered devices with voice-activated phone calling capabilities, according to a report from Recode. Citing unnamed sources, Recode reports a new device, or line of devices, with phone call… Read More
Amazon is fighting part of a search warrant that would require the online retail giant to hand over audio recordings and other records for an Echo belonging to the suspect in… Read More
Amazon’s Alexa will now support Outlook.com calendars, meaning the voice-enabled assistant can now tell you what’s on tap for the day and also add events. Echo and Dot devices previously only… Read More
First there was the walkman, then the iPod, and, now, it’s Alexa. The Amazon assistant is transforming how people listen to music. So much so, that Billboard has ranked Amazon CEO… Read More
Amazon continues to see more and more traction with its voice-enabled speaker. A new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) estimates that there are now 8.2 million customers who own… Read More
Amazon has updated its list of words users can use to trigger their Echo devices, and, much to the delight of “Star Trek” fans, “computer” is now one of them. The… Read More
Alexa has a naughty side. A new YouTube video on top of the site’s “trending” list features an adorable kid who accidentally causes Amazon’s virtual assistant to spew off some… Read More
Amazon’s digital brain Alexa is an astute listener, and police in Bentonville, Ark., are seeking her help to build a murder case, but the company doesn’t appear to be cooperating.… Read More
Amazon shipped more than a billion items this holiday season, and the biggest sellers were the devices the online retail giant made itself. Amazon said this holiday season was the… Read More
The Amazon Echo is a popular holiday gift this year — so much so that the device is backordered on Amazon.com until next month. The Echo product page on Amazon.com notes that… Read More
Amazon’s Echo device has reached a sales milestone, with a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimating that the retail giant has sold 5.1 million of the smart speakers… Read More
Google’s $129 smart speaker ships tomorrow, and a new batch of reviews say Google Home is smarter than its competitor and trailblazer in the field, the Amazon Alexa-powered Echo, because… Read More
Amazon will award up to $2.5 million in prizes and sponsorships in a new annual competition called the “Alexa Prize”— challenging university students to build a “socialbot” on the company’s digital brain Alexa… Read More
If only we could all learn as many skills as quickly as Alexa. The digital brain behind Amazon’s Echo and Dot smart speakers has surpassed 3,000 skills — capabilities added by third-party… Read More
Amazon’s digital AI assistant Alexa allows us to do less and less all the time. She can call for a ride, order a pizza and manage your calendar. Now she can help with… Read More
Amazon is making a big push into voice-enabled purchasing by offering a series of deals to people who order items using its Alexa virtual assistant. The company announced this morning that, for… Read More
Amazon Echo owners can now set Spotify or Pandora to be their default music player. Previously, Echo users could have their device play music from Spotify or Pandora, but they… Read More
The highly anticipated “2016 Internet Trends” report from Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers general partner Mary Meeker is 213 slides long. There’s a lot of info packed in there about what’s working… Read More
Google unveiled its Amazon Echo competitor, the Google Home, at Google I/O today. Just like the Echo, the smart speaker connects with smart home devices, provides voice search functionality and, of course,… Read More
“Oh my God. It’s another one.” That was my wife’s reaction when she saw that a third Amazon Alexa device had infiltrated our household. It’s understandable. First, tall, slender Echo.… Read More
When your sink is backed up and overflowing all across your kitchen floor, you don’t want to waste time searching for a plumber online — you just need someone at your… Read More
Many products seem fascinating to geeks and techies but fail to catch on with wider audiences, from dual-booting smartphones to smart blowdryers. However, the Amazon Echo seems to be a… Read More
Popular Seattle rapper and self-professed geek Sir Mix-A-Lot returned to his Central District roots over the weekend to take part in a Black Music Summit. The hip-hop star headed up… Read More