Best deals on Amazon Echo and Google Home Nest devices for Father’s Day
Save on a wide range of devices for Amazon Echo and Google Home Nest smart homes for Father's Day. The majority of smart homes use devices compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Here are the best discounts on smart speakers, smart displays, video doorbells, and smart outdoor security cameras.
Having a chat with Alexa will soon feel a lot more natural
The Echo is already a part of the household, but a series of new improvements will soon make conversations with the smart assistant more natural and fluid than ever before. Amazon announced a new algorithm that allows Alexa to guess what users might say.
Orwell’s 1984 was nothing like actual 1984. But it’s exactly like 2019
70 years ago today, George Orwell published 1984: a dystopian novel that sat squarely in the realm of fiction at the time it was published. Today, however, the book is an astonishingly accurate depiction of the world we live in now -- and somehow everyone seems to be okay with it.
What is an Echo Dot?
What is Echo Dot? Now in its third generation, Amazon's tiny smart home hub can help you order from Amazon, keep track of to-do lists, play games, get weather information and much, much more, all using the power of Alexa. Here's what you need to know about this tiny dynamo.
Garmin Speak GPS device with Amazon Alexa gets a 50% price cut
If you're a fan of the Amazon Alexa voice assistant, the Garmin Speak, a sort of traveling Echo Dot, could be a welcome companion for your next road trip. The Garmin Speak uses Bluetooth to create a hands-free GPS experience and is now only $50, half its normal price, on Amazon right now.
UN finds voice assistants aren’t helping combat sexist gender stereotypes
Most voice assistants have a female-sounding voice. While you may not think much of it, the United Nations believes it is reinforcing negative gender stereotypes that place women in antiquated roles. The study also argues that companies haven't done enough to have A.I. rebuff hostile language.
LG’s 2019 TVs slide Alexa next to Google Assistant, with Siri on the way
LG has announced that Alexa will be the next voice assistant on its 2019 lineup of ThinQ A.I. TVs, joining Google Assistant. Users will be able to control their TVs and thousands of smart home devices with just their remote, no external speaker required. AirPlay 2 and Siri support is still expected later this year.
Alexa and Google Home smart speakers bring A.I. to nearly one in three U.S. homes
A new Consumer Technology Association (CTA) study found that 31% of U.S. households own smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home. If that percentage seems low, consider that only 8% of households owned smart speakers in 2016. Smart speaker ownership almost doubled in each of the last two years.
Digital Trends Live: WhatsApp security flaw, Alexa Guard, and more
On the latest episode of Digital Trends Live, we take a look at today’s top tech stories, including a WhatsApp flaw that left phones open to attack, Alexa’s new “Alexa Guard” advanced home security features, Netflix’s foray into gaming, Japan’s test of its new high-speed bullet train, and more.
Amazon Alexa’s Guard is a new security feature to keep your smart home safe
Smart home security is a lucrative market but Amazon is getting ahead of the competition with its rollout of Alexa Guard, a new set of smart home security features enabled by the Alexa digital assistant that allows the speaker to monitor for intrusions or fires, control smart home lighting, and more.
New version of Alexa app for Windows 10 offers hands-free capabilities
Amazon released a new version of its Alexa app for Windows 10 PCs this week. The new version now offers support for hands-free access to Amazon’s flagship voice assistant and for playing music through Pandora. Windows 10 PC users can download the new version from the Microsoft Store.
Alexa, stop recording me: Bill would limit eavesdropping by smart speaker makers
Alexa and other voice assistants are listening and recording what you say. California wants to control what they can hear. A new proposed bill would prohibit companies that make smart home speakers -- including Amazon, Google, and Apple -- from storing recordings without a user's content.
Survey says Siri and Google Assistant are the most used voice assistants
Alexa might be extremely popular because of smart speakers, but it still has a way to go to catch up to voice assistants the are built into smartphones. A recent survey conducted by Microsoft found that Apple's Siri and Google Assistant tied for the most used voice assistants on the market.
Hola, Alexa. Voice assistant will soon add support for Spanish speakers
Amazon's voice assistant is getting support for Spanish. The company announcedthat its Amazon Skills Kit development program will allow apps and skills creators to build support for Spanish into their services. Alexa devices will have Spanish support enabled later this year.
Digital Trends Live: Alexa knows where you live, lab-grown meat, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we discuss how Amazon Alexa's auditing team has access to locations, Verizon's 5G roadmap, the technology of lab-grown meat, the benefits of percussive therapy, how cloud gaming can affect the environment, a review of Sony's 8K TV, and more.
Sonos Beam review
Sonos makes some of the best single-speaker home theater products, but they’re expensive. A more affordable model would help a lot of people make the jump to Sonos. The Sonos Beam looks to be that product, with Alexa built-in. But did Sonos remove too much in the effort to keep the price down?
Sonos One review
To compete in the smart speaker space, Sonos could have just made a better-sounding Alexa speaker. But the company has a reputation to uphold, and went much further than that. Our Sonos One Review reveals how Sonos does Alexa better than Amazon. The Sonos One remains one of the best you can get.
Amazon’s free Spotify competitor is here. Just ask Alexa
Just ask Alexa to play your favorite song. Amazon has launched a free, ad-based music streaming service to compete with Spotify's free tier on its popular Echo devices, aiming to keep listeners into the Amazon ecosystem, and to bolster subscriptions to its paid Amazon Music Unlimited service.
Oh, Zuck, no! Facebook rumored to be creating a voice assistant to rival Alexa
Facebook is reportedly getting into the A.I. game by developing a voice-enabled digital assistant to compete with products like Apple's Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon's Alexa. If the report is true, Facebook could incorporate the voice assistant into its Portal and Portal+ smart displays.
There will be 200 million smart speakers by year’s end, analysts say
The research and analysis firm Canalys predicts that the worldwide market for smart speakers like Amazon's Echo devices and Google Home smart speakers will reach a massive crescendo this year, topping 200 million smart speakers by the end of 2019 with the U.S. accounting for nearly half the market.
Alexa, Google, Siri put their bilingual skills to the test in translation battle
One Hour Translation, an online translation company, compared how Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Siri stack up against one another in regard to translation capabilities. Google Home performed the best in three out of four languages, but none of the devices managed to perfectly translate the quotes.
Logitech’s Harmony Express remote: a steep price for simplicity
For those who find Logitech's series of Harmony universal remotes too intimidating, the company's latest product, the Harmony Express, might be the answer. Virtually every function can now be done by voice thanks to the remote's built-in Alexa support. But at $250, is it worth it?
Amazon rumored to be launching free music-streaming service
Rumors are swirling that Amazon is planning to take on Spotify by launching its own free music streaming service. Amazon plans to expand its dominance of e-commerce and its inroads into TV and movie streaming, available through its Amazon Prime Video service. The service is rumored to be ad-supported.
J.D. Power finds voice assistants are becoming important for new car buyers
What matters most when buying a new car? For some car buyers, it is increasingly becoming the inclusion of a voice assistant. A new study conducted by J.D. Power found that car buyers — especially younger ones — are increasingly interested in having a familiar voice assistant inside their vehicle.
Amazon reportedly has thousands of workers listening to Alexa chats
Amazon says it sometimes uses your spoken requests to help it improve the accuracy of its Alexa digital assistant, but did you know that teams of humans around the world are reportedly doing some of the listening? A report on Wednesday claimed thousands of people are employed by Amazon to carry out such work.
Need to check your blood sugar results or see a doctor? Just ask Alexa
Alexa is capable of a lot of things and saving your life might be next on the list. The intelligent digital assistant has recently acquired a bunch of new skills related to the HIPAA Act of 1996. Commands include the ability to schedule an urgent care appointment or check blood sugar results.
Alexa becomes more of a newscaster by giving you more in-depth information
Amazon wants Alexa to be your own personal newscaster right in your home. A new report suggests Alexa will soon be able to read long-form news stories to you from major publications including CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, and others. The in-depth reporting will be available in audio and video form.
Amazon’s Echo Link and Echo Link Amp bring hi-fi sound to Alexa’s living room
Amazon's Echo Link and Echo Link Amp are designed to bring high-fidelity sound to your Alexa ecosystem. Are they worth the significant expense over a smaller Echo speaker, and how well do they integrate into a typical hi-fi system? We've spent time with both, and have answers to those questions and more.
Amazon drops prices on TP-Link mesh Wi-Fi system, smart plugs for just one day
Amazon has dropped prices for just one day on the TP-Link mesh Wi-Fi system and Alexa- and Google Home-compatible smart home plugs and light switches. These and other infrastructure products that are on sale help you control your smart home with Alexa or Google Home voice commands.
Amazon drops price on smart power strips for Alexa and Google Home
Amazon dropped prices on smart power strips that work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. One power strip, the Kasa Smart WiFi Power Strip by TP-Link, is an Amazon Deal of the Day. Smart power strips cut clutter and cost less than multiple smart plugs in locations with several Alexa or Google Assistant devices.
Walmart Voice Order lets you shop straight from your Google Assistant
Walmart Voice Order is a service launched for Google Assistant that lets users order groceries with just their voice. The service will work with all Google Assistant-enabled devices later this month, but the company has plans to bring Walmart Voice Order to other platforms in the future.
Alexa’s chief scientist wants to give the voice assistant a robot body
Voice assistants live in our tabletop devices, but they might not for long. Rohit Prasad, the chief scientist behind Amazon's Alexa, recently said that he believes the voice assistant needs a robot body to explore and experience the world. That experience could help it better answer human questions.
Amazon Echo Spot review
The Amazon Echo Spot, the newest member of Amazon’s smart speaker family, is cute, fun, sleek, and the perfect little alarm clock. With this little device, you'll be snoozing the alarm just for fun.
Amazon slashes prices on Echo devices that play Alexa’s sweetest-sounding music
Amazon slashed prices on Alexa-controlled Echo devices with the best music sound quality. All Alexa smart speakers stream music, but some sound better than others. Save on Echo Plus and the Echo Sub bundled with Echo and Echo Plus speakers. These deals give you better music in your home office or a full-on party room.