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
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. Alexa skill numbers continue to explode. Ear Hustle host’s sentence is commuted. More on Hollywood’s podcast fascination. Continue Reading
Amazon shared another set of eye-popping statistics from the holiday shopping season. The retailer reported that 2018 was a record-breaking holiday, with the most items ordered worldwide. The new iteration of the Echo Dot smart speaker was one of the best-selling products for the company. 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
Amazon has shared some year-end milestones for the Alexa skills behind its smart speakers. The company said that there are now more than 70,000 Alexa skills worldwide, growing from the 50,000 announced in September 2018. Amazon also shared a list of what it dubbed the top 25 Alexa skills of 2018. Continue Reading
Amazon has launched new voice features for Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited listeners using its Alexa assistant. The updates will increase personalization of music requests and more conversational interactions with Alexa. Continue Reading
Pandora announced that its full on-demand subscription tier can now be accessed via Amazon Alexa. Pandora Premium has added support for voice commands, meaning subscribers can issue commands to control playback for songs, stations, and playlists on Alexa-enabled devices. Continue Reading
Podcast company Acast announced the launch of an Alexa voice skill. This development allows listeners to start, pause, and skip their way through Acast’s programming lineup on Alexa-enabled devices. It will also encourage discovery, with podcast fans having the option to explore new shows through playlists curated by Acast. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio partnered with The CW to create a version of the network’s upcoming Charmed reboot for devices enabled with Amazon Alexa. When users ask their Alexa device to “open Charmed,” they’ll be asked a series of questions and trivia. Continue Reading
Amazon announced both new updates to its Alexa voice platform and new devices that will integrate the AI. The tech conglomerate has released new versions of its existing smart speakers Echo Dot, Echo Plus, and Echo Show. The new devices include the previously leaked Echo Sub and Amazon Smart Plug. Continue Reading
The Amazon Alexa voice assistant platform is coming to more and more gadgetry around the home. This week began with rumors of at least eight new Alexa devices to come before the year’s close, and the week is ending with a leak confirming two of them. Continue Reading