Guest columnist Zach Fuller, of MIDiA Research, looks at the history of audio disruption, and explores how Amazon’s free streaming service could advance the company’s global aspirations. “Embellishing the Prime pipeline through a free-streaming service is effectively the same strategy that RCA employed to incentivise radio adoption.” Continue Reading
Amazon is rolling out a new use for Alexa for people using its Audible audiobook service. Beginning today, the voice assistant can be used to contact the customer support team for the Audible audiobook platform. We inadvertently tested it. Continue Reading
Amazon has followed through on the launch of an ad-supported streaming music service, a move that was initially scouted by Billboard earlier this week. However, the early reports did not include one pertinent detail: the platform will only be available through the company’s Alexa voice assistant. Continue Reading
Amazon has introduced a certification for developers building skills for its Alexa voice assistant. The certification is fittingly called AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder – Specialty. Amazon said this marks the first time it has provided a certification for developers. Continue Reading
Billboard is reporting this morning that Amazon plans to offer and ad-supported streaming music service possibly similar to services offered by Pandora or Spotify. If true, service would join other Amazon listening services already in the market. Continue Reading
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
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
The latest development from Amazon Alexa is a more nuanced change in its language skills. The assistant now has the option to adopt the speech cadences and delivery of a professional newscaster. We tested it — click for the audio. 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
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
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