Anna Washenko
- Metrics & Research , Tech
- March 8, 2018
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Infinite Dial 2018: Smart speaker ownership nearly tripled in the past year
The Infinite Dial kicked off with a look at ownership trends in technology and media. Most telling, the research from Edison and Triton focused on the growth in smart speakers. Awareness of the device segment was 71% for Amazon Alexa, up from 57% last year, while Google Home awareness rose from 45% in 2017 to 56% in 2018. Considering the recent ad blitzes for the segment, John Rosso joked that those who haven’t heard of them are “probably living in caves and staring at their tablets.”
- News
- March 8, 2018
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Alexa gets new voice commands, but only for Amazon Music
Amazon has updated Alexa to accommodate some more complex and subtle voice commands for music listening. The voice system can now react to contextual requests based around time, such as “Alexa, play Rihanna songs I haven’t heard in a while” or “Alexa, play the hip-hop music I was listening to last week.”
- News
- March 6, 2018
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Deezer adds Amazon Alexa voice control support
Deezer announced that it is adding support for voice commands with Amazon Alexa. This integration will begin gradually rolling out in 66 countries beginning today. Deezer will be available on the Amazon Echo and any other devices that support the Alexa voice AI system.
- News
- March 2, 2018
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Quick Hits: 2018 predictions and a future without typing
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Radionet interviewed four industry pros for their predictions on streaming media in 2018. Envisioning a future where typing is replaced by voice controls.
- Podcasting
- March 2, 2018
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Gimlet Media sets its sights on kids and smart speakers with new audio project
Gimlet Media has released a new show that targets two recent trends in the podcast space: children and voice systems. Chompers is a twice-daily podcast designed to encourage good dental hygiene in kids. It is sponsored by Oral B and Crest Kids, both dental health companies, and will have new episodes twice a day for all of March.
- News
- February 13, 2018
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Research finds Siri falling short among voice systems, but more domain support could change that
Apple HomePod is still making headlines as the newest contender in the smart speaker space. Loup Ventures conducted some insightful research comparing Siri on the HomePod with rival voice AI systems. Although Siri fell short, there are some quick ways for Apple to improve the score for its voice system.
- News
- February 9, 2018
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Quick Hits: Playlists and music festivals. Sonos CEO talks business.
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. Examining the overlap between playlists and music festivals. Sonos CEO talks business and competition on the Recode podcast.
- News
- February 8, 2018
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Alexa can build playlists in Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music
Amazon is adding a useful new function to its Alexa-enabled devices. Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music listeners can now build playlists through voice controls. The feature rolls out today on any device with Alexa built in.
- News , Tech
- February 6, 2018
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Apple HomePod review round-up: Incredible sound, but lackluster voice control and content options
After a delay, Apple has released its first entry into the smart speaker space. Reviews are now out for the Apple HomePod, and there’s a large amount of consensus about the device’s strengths and weaknesses.
- News
- January 26, 2018
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Quick Hits: Pandora on voice ads, dissecting “Despacito,” and playlists for puppies
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Pandora exec on voice ads. Why Latin music is having a moment. Playlists for (adoptable) puppies.
- News
- January 25, 2018
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SoundHound now valued at $1 billion, quietly leading the pack for independent voice assistants
SoundHound has been quiet recently, but it also hasn’t been standing still. Recode reports that the company just secured a financing round that values SoundHound at an estimated $1 billion. SoundHound declined to comment for Recode’s article.
- News , Podcasting
- January 18, 2018
- 1 views
Siri gets option to share audio news from podcasts
Apple’s Siri voice assistant is getting a closer relationship with podcasts. When asking Siri for news, the platform can provide audio-based news updates from the Podcasts app. In the U.S., Siri defaults to audio updates from NPR, but a second voice command can change the default to The Washington Post, CNN, or Fox News.
