Voice-activated home speakers, commonly called “smart speakers,” arguably represent the most important new audio distribution platform since the smartphone.
Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! is one of NPR’s more popular shows thanks to its blend of humor and trivia, and now you can play along on a smart speaker. Owners of devices with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa can try out an interactive game hosted by the radio show’s Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis. Continue Reading
As voice assistants grow to be a more visible and audible presence in the tech sector, the conversation has been dominated by just two names: Amazon and Google. But one of the other biggest brands isn’t out of the action just yet. Microsoft execs are speaking up about the company’s plans for its Cortana voice AI. Continue Reading
In a new development connecting several big audio trends, Pandora has launched a Voice Mode that lets listeners control its mobile app with spoken commands. Voice Mode is powered by SoundHound’s Houndify voice AI platform, and it will begin rolling out to users today. Continue Reading
Tencent is reportedly preparing to launch a new voice-activated digital assistant for the popular WeChat app. Bloomberg reported that the upcoming assistant is named Xiaowei and will help the more than a billion users of the messaging app with simple tasks. Continue Reading
The week is kicking off with a pair of updates for the Apple HomePod. First, the smart speaker’s international footprint is growing. Second is a shift in how many places the same Apple Music account can be playing. Continue Reading
Amazon’s Echo line is starting to show up in cars. TechCrunch reported that the Echo Auto, announced in September, began shipping pre-orders in December. It also has third-party options for bringing its Alexa voice assistant behind the wheel. Continue Reading
Voice assistants and smart speakers have been one of the hottest topics at this year’s CES, but one development between two major players is worth a little extra attention. Sonos has been promising an eventual integration with Google Assistant, but that support has been delayed past its initial target date. Google and Sonos hosted demonstrations of the voice assistant on a Sonos Beam and Sonos One this week in Las Vegas. Continue Reading
Edison Research and NPR have released the latest edition of The Smart Audio Report, with December 2018 survey results about smart speakers. The past year saw the addition of 14 million new smart speaker owners for a total of about 53 million people. That equates to roughly 21% of adults in the United States. The product segment is still firmly in the early majority phase of adoption. Continue Reading
France-based RadioKing, a streaming internet radio platform, has announced its launch of an Alexa skill development program. the idea is to offer stations (broadcast and pureplay internet) a turnkey entrance to voice control on the Amazon Alexa ecosystem of devices. Continue Reading
Samsung introduced its first smart speaker hardware in August, but before the Galaxy Home even hits the shelves, the company may be hard at work on its second project in that segment. SamMobile cited an anonymous source that claimed Samsung is developing a second smart speaker for its Bixby voice assistant. The second speaker is reportedly targeting a lower price point. Continue Reading
Amazon is facing a fresh round of privacy concerns after an error shared a user’s voice recordings with a stranger. A German user of the Amazon Alexa voice assistant asked to hear an archive of his recordings, but the link he was sent also included 1,700 audio files from a different person. Continue Reading
Just how smart are smart speakers? Loup Ventures has released the results of its annual Smart Speaker IQ Test, and the report found that Google Assistant is currently the brainiest of the bunch. In a test of 800 questions, Google’s voice platform answered 88% correctly. Continue Reading