Quick Hits: Discovery via voice, indies at SXSW, and what if Google buys UMG?
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Voice assistants struggle with discovery. The new journey for indies. What if Google buys UMG? Continue Reading
Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa gets Ticketmaster partnership and Song ID feature
Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant continues to receive new partnerships and new features. One of the latest developments for the platform is a Song ID tool that lets the AI voice take on the role of a radio DJ. Amazon has also entered a partnership with Ticketmaster to allow sales of tickets through the voice AI. Continue Reading
Amazon opens up Alexa publishing to all
Amazon has made its Alexa Skills Blueprints program available to all users, a move that will allow anyone to create and publish content for Alexa-enabled devices. The program has a series of templates for making content available on the voice assistant ecosystem. Continue Reading
Audible launches Choose Your Own Adventure interactive stories
Amazon Audible has launched a new Alexa skill in partnership with ChooseCo, the creators of the Choose Your Own Adventure book series. The interactive storytelling skill will launch with two stories — The Abominable Snowman and Journey Under the Sea — which have 28 and 37 potential endings, respectively. Continue Reading
Amazon earnings: All Alexa for Bezos, plus growth in Prime membership
Amazon reported its fourth-quarter financial results, closing the year with more big numbers and a big focus on its smart speakers. CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos gave a comment for the earnings press release, but his sole focus was the company’s voice assistant and smart home collection. Continue Reading
Amazon begins shipping Echo Auto pre-orders
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
Quick Hits: Amazon Alexa skill growth. Freedom for a podcasting inmate. Hollywood and podcasts.
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’s Echo Dot was a best-seller during the holiday shopping season
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 Alexa has privacy breach in Germany following “human error”
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
Google Assistant tops smart speaker IQ test from Loup Ventures
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 now supports more than 70,000 Alexa skills, shares top skills of 2018
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
Alexa gets more personalization skills for Amazon’s two music services
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