It is “super-loud” for the hard of hearing, responds to “any name even remotely close to Alexa,” scans the room to help you find the phone in your hand, and boasts a… Read More
Some early adopters of Amazon’s new Alexa voice-calling feature for the company’s Echo devices have been surprised to find that they can’t keep specific contacts from calling them when the feature is enabled, if those… Read More
When it comes to global expansion, Amazon’s Alexa is taking it slow. As of now, Amazon devices with the Alexa virtual assistant are only available in three countries, including the… Read More
Amazon this morning made two major upgrades to its Echo lineup: a new $230 device called the Echo Show, with a seven-inch touch-screen; and a free Alexa voice-calling and messaging feature… Read More
Amazon is expected to reveal a new Echo device that has a touchscreen and can make phone calls as early as Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday afternoon that the new… Read More
Alexa’s very special set of skills now numbers more than 12,000. Amazon announced the increased skill count in its quarterly earnings report. That includes more than 300 smart home skills… Read More
When it comes to marketing ploys, this one’s a whopper. Burger King has launched an ad campaign that uses Google’s “wake words” to trigger devices into describing the fast food… Read More
Amazon is still reaping the benefits of its early lead in home voice technology, thanks to its Echo smart speaker and Alexa virtual assistant. But that doesn’t mean the race… Read More
LAS VEGAS — Amazon said this week that there are now more than 7,000 Alexa skills, third-party integrations that extend the capabilities of its voice platform. But that’s just the beginning… Read More
Amazon doesn’t even have its own CES booth, but the Seattle-based tech giant promises to be one of the biggest stories at the tech-a-palooza in Las Vegas next week — thanks to two of… Read More
Alexa, open the curtains? You may soon be able to ask that question when traveling to the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, which announced today that it will place Amazon’s Echo… Read More
Can Google Home take on Amazon Echo? Can Nintendo make a console comeback? And can Snapchat make you wear goofy glasses? We ponder all of those questions this week, as we go hand-on… Read More
Amazon is looking for startups that can build innovative technologies using the company’s Alexa artificial intelligence platform. The tech giant today announced the Alexa Accelerator, a new program it will launch next… Read More
Today, Expedia is rolling out a new skill for Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices in advance of the busiest travel season of the year. With the Expedia skill enabled, travelers can ask… Read More
Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa is becoming very skillful these days. She can buy stuff, she can find a lost phone, she can turn on the oven. Now, she can even… Read More
First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. Now it’s “Voice Shopping Weekend.” Amazon has come up with a new holiday shopping event, aiming to get more people accustomed to buying… Read More
Coding Dojo, a Bellevue, Wash.-based developer bootcamp, is launching a new training program for Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, starting today. It’s the latest sign of the rising popularity of voice-enabled virtual… Read More
It’s going to be a long day, folks. If you don’t want to follow along on Twitter or tune into the all-day TV circus, Amazon is offering a 2016 solution to… Read More
(Updated at 10:25 a.m. with more accurate iPhone sales numbers and clarification on smart speaker market). Allow me to take you back to the not-so-distant past. The year was 2007,… Read More
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos thinks Alexa, the virtual assistant that powers Echo devices, could be a useful tool for health care providers and patients. “We do have people at Amazon… Read More
Amazon’s Echo product line has been called the “accidental winner” of the smart-home speaker market, but it’s more accurate to say it’s the accidental early leader. Google’s rival, Google Home, will be released… Read More
Google is poised to launch its Amazon Echo challenger at an event in San Francisco on Tuesday, according to reports from The New York Times, Mashable, and others. Google Home, a… Read More
Amazon this morning unveiled a new version of its Echo Dot smart speaker — upgrading the hardware design, dropping the price to $49.99 from the previous $89.99, offering a new white color option,… Read More
The home of tomorrow, full of automated gadgets controlled by an AI housemaid, is not as far fetched as we once thought. From Amazon’s Alexa platform, to the recently unveiled Google Home, to Microsoft’s Smart Fridge, homes… Read More
Alexa could be coming to a PC near you. CNET reported Thursday that Lenovo is in talks with Amazon to install the Alexa voice assistant on its PCs and other devices. Discussions… Read More
Sonos is opening up. The at-home connected speaker maker today made two key announcements related to Amazon and Spotify. Sonos is partnering with Amazon to let people control their tunes via… Read More
Alexa can already call a ride for you, tell you when you aren’t walking enough, and now the brain behind Amazon’s Echo and other devices is your new personal shopper.… Read More
The list of “skills” that Alexa, Amazon’s voice-enabled virtual assistant, is capable of performing keeps on growing, and now NBC is announcing that it’s the first of the major broadcast… Read More
Nobody likes to be misunderstood, especially by a machine. We’ve all become pointlessly exasperated with the virtual assistants that power our devices when they just can’t seem to grasp what… Read More
“Ahoy there,” says a playfully nautical Alexa when you ask her for information about the Washington State Ferries. It’s a skill that Blink UX, the Seattle-based user experience firm, developed for… Read More