Amazon’s wall clock is back on the market after Bluetooth snafus
Amazon doesn't make too many missteps when it comes to product launches but its Amazon Wall Clock, designed to augment timers by connecting to Alexa-enabled smart speakers, was abruptly pulled from sale in January and is only now, after some tweaks, available again for order from the retail giant.
Qualcomm goes all-in on Amazon Alexa voice control with a new development kit
Qualcomm Technologies is giving a major boost to smart home device manufacturers with a new addition to its popular mesh Wi-Fi networks. A new development kit is designed to enable the Amazon Alexa Voice Service in new devices with minimal time and financial investment.
Can Amazon deliver on plan to slash carbon footprint of shipments?
Amazon has announced an ambitious plan to halve its shipment carbon footprint by 2030. The company says improvements in electric vehicles, aviation bio fuels, reusable packaging, and renewable energy make the goal reachable, and should ultimately lead to zero-carbon shipments to customers.
Amazon plugs in with $700 million investment in electric pickup company Rivian
Amazon invested $700 million for a minority stake in U.S. all-electric truck maker Rivian, according to a joint release. The announcement follows a Reuters report that GM and Amazon might invest from $1 billion to $2 billion in the company. Rivian introduced the R1T pickup, at the 2018 LA Auto show.
Consumer groups call out retailers in a bid for better IoT security
Consumer groups posted a "Dear retailer" letter on February 12 that called out Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and Target, shaming the companies for selling insecure smart home devices. The letter demands manufacturers implement a minimum standard of security for all IoT devices.
Buy a new Switch console and get a $35 eShop gift card at some retailers
Multiple retailers are currently offering the Neon Blue and Red Nintendo Switch console with a free $35 eShop gift card. The system still costs the standard $300 and includes Joy-Con controllers and the dock, as well as the Joy-Con Grip for a more traditional gaming experience.
Digital Trends Live: Amazon HQ, Guy Kawasaki, and when to buy a streaming stick
On Episode 66 of Digital Trends Live, Greg Nibler discussed breaking news like Amazon calling it quits for its headquarters in NYC, and we were joined by guests including Caleb Denison, and Carlos Angulo from Vizio to talk about smart TVs and when to buy a streaming stick.
You can now get a new Surface Laptop 2 for $900 at Amazon
Now is your big chance to save on the latest from Microsoft. As part of a sale, Amazon is currently discounting the latest Surface Laptop 2. It is not clear how long this deal will last, but it covers a variety of configurations of Microsoft's MacBook alternative and brings prices down to as low as $900.Â
With new blueprints, Amazon empowers anyone to create Alexa skills in minutes
Amazon launched its Skills Blueprints initiative last year to help users create and publish new and custom Alexa skills in minutes using easy-to-use templates and now the technology giant is handing out a new and improved model that includes more customization, bells and whistles.
Amazon’s Whole Foods raises hundreds of prices, from ice cream to soap
Whole Foods Market raised prices on hundreds of items. When Amazon bought Whole Foods, the promise of lower prices attracted customers, but now the glow may diminish with recent price bumps. The company cites inflation and rising costs of ingredients, packaging, and transportation as factors.
The house where Jeff Bezos started Amazon is up for sale
The Seattle home where Jeff Bezos started Amazon is on the market for $1.5 million. Bezos spent the first few months running Amazon from the property's garage back in 1994 before it went on to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. It's the first time in 10 years that the house has gone on sale.
Apple’s most affordable 2018 iPad is now even cheaper on Amazon at $249
The entry-level iPad is the iPad to get for the vast majority of people. It's inexpensive, well-designed, and quite powerful, especially for the price. Not only that, but speaking of price, the entry-level 9.7-inch iPad is now even more affordable straight from Amazon -- so now is a good time to buy.
Amazon has another shot at a live shopping channel like QVC
Amazon is having another shot at a QVC-style shopping channel featuring slick shows produced in-house, as well as presentations posted by brands. Viewers can interact with presenters during a live-stream, while a carousel below the video highlights the product being talked about.
National Enquirer responds to Jeff Bezos’ blackmail claims in nude photo scandal
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos claims The National Enquirer had blackmailed him into dropping an investigation. After details of Bezos' affair were published, Bezos wanted to know if the story was politically motivated. The tabloid tried to tie Bezos' hands by threatening to publish his nude photos.
Self-driving startup Aurora attracts major Amazon investment
Amazon is showing a growing interest in autonomous tech, having recently taken part in a $530 million funding round for Silicon Valley-based self-driving startup Aurora Innovation. Aurora was founded in 2016 by contributors to driverless-car projects run by Google (now Waymo) and Uber, among others.
The Echo Dot is sold out until early March at Amazon and Target
The Amazon Echo Dot is the most popular of the Alexa-enabled devices. It's so popular, in fact, that it's sold out until early March on both Amazon and Target, with only limited availability at Best Buy. Even higher-priced options might be hard to find until February 10.
Prime(d) is the podcast Amazon probably doesn’t want you to listen to
KUOW’s Prime(d) podcast debuts Season 2 February 4. Host Joshua McNichols spoke with Digital Trends about the ways in which Amazon waits out its competition while keeping its customers happy. Even a few missteps won’t phase a company this size, so it’s practically guaranteed some amount of success in everything from groceries to fashion.
Don’t worry, Alexa won’t be triggered during Amazon’s Super Bowl ad
Don't worry about unplugging your Alexa during Amazon's Super Bowl commercial out of concern the voice assistant might get triggered. The company is using acoustic fingerprinting to identify trigger words coming from other devices rather than people and will prevent Alexa from responding.
Amazon’s super-simple Fire TV Recast is a great way to record broadcast TV
Amazon's Fire TV Recast is an over-the-air DVR system that offers dedicated cord cutters and rural viewers easy on-demand access to their favorite major network TV shows, up to 150 hours of hard drive space, solid picture quality, and a fantastic user interface to match.
Amazon is building a fleet of autonomous robots to deliver packages to your door
Amazon has announced the launch of a new delivery robot service called Amazon Scout. To start with, a fleet of six of these robots will be deployed on a trial basis in a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Washington. Should all go well, other locations will presumably follow suit before too long.
Amazon confirms it has 10,000 employees working on Amazon Alexa
With more than 100 million Alexa devices sold so far, 10,000 Amazon employees work on the smart assistant's development. Thousands of people focus on building Alexa's knowledge base while others work on Alexa's personality, machine learning, interaction, conversational skills, and other technical features.
‘Tech vest’ prevents Amazon workers from colliding with robot co-workers
Amazon workers at the online shopping company's fulfillment centers are using "tech vests" to help protect them from accidental collisions with their robot co-workers. The robots already have obstacle avoidance sensors, but the tech belt offers another layer of safety.
Amazon patents a technology to help Alexa fight fake voice attacks
Amazon's Alexa is ever-evolving and according to a new patent filed by Amazon, the company has developed a new technology that would help the digital assistant identify fake voice attacks, such as playing a pre-recorded command and help stop Alexa users from being spoofed.
Amazon’s updated base model Fire TV stick now comes with an Alexa remote
If you're looking to take your older TV into the streaming era, Amazon's most basic Fire TV Stick model just got more compelling than ever: Buyers can now get a free Alexa voice remote with their Fire TV Stick purchase, allowing them to find their favorite films and TV shows with a simple voice search.
Digital Trends Live: Highlights from day 2 of CES 2019 outline future of tech
For day two of CES 2019, Digital Trends welcomed guests like Joel Liefke, the business director of portfolio and solutions at Microsoft, and Josh Newman, the general manager of mobile PC innovation at Intel, to discuss the future of computing at our temporary studio in Las Vegas.
Amazon says it has sold more than 100 million Alexa-powered devices
If it seems like Amazon's voice assistant Alexa is basically inescapable at this point, it's for good reason. According to Amazon, the company has sold more than 100 million devices with Alexa built into them including plenty of the company's flagship line of smart speakers that have been sold out.
Can gamers build a society? We’ll find out in Amazon’s ‘New World’
Amazon is building a massively multiplayer game with an entirely unique world and setting. We interviewed three of the game developer’s about why Amazon is taking a risk on ‘New World,’ how the company’s cloud tech makes massive scale possible, and how the game’s sandbox will be deadly fun.
FCC filings show Ring is working on new security lights
Ring, the home security company gobbled up by Amazon, appears to have had some of its upcoming products revealed ahead of time by FCC filings. The documents show two upcoming security lights being made by the company. The filings seem to show that the lights won't include security cameras.
Amazon reportedly planning major Whole Foods expansion with Prime Now delivery
Amazon is reported to be exploring sites for new Whole Foods stores across the U.S., partly as a route to expanding Prime Now, the company's speedy delivery service for Prime members. The news comes 18 months after Amazon acquired the Whole Foods grocery business for $13.7 billion in 2017
Amazon says it’s broken its holiday sales record … again
Amazon has broken its holiday sales record again, with more items ordered via its online shopping site than ever before. Popular tech items included its Echo speaker and the Ring Video Doorbell 2. It added that that "tens of millions of people worldwide" signed up to Prime for a free trial or began paid memberships.
‘Alexa, are you OK?’ Amazon’s smart assistant crashes on Christmas
It seems that it all got a bit too much for Alexa on Christmas Day. Amazon's digital assistant temporarily stopped working for a number of users across Europe on December 25, possibly overwhelmed by the sudden uptick in new users playing with their Alexa-powered Echo speaker.
Amazon sends a user someone else’s Alexa recordings by mistake
When you have a voice assistant, you have to know that it's listening at all times. However, the expectation is that it's only listening to you. One Amazon Echo user in Germany was accidentally given more than 1,700 recordings from someone else, sparking concerns about privacy.
Amazon gifts an extra day for deliveries to arrive in time for Christmas
Amazon is giving last-minute holiday shoppers a break by extending the deadline for non-Prime members to get their orders in for deliveries by Christmas. Non-Prime customers have until December 19 for free Christmas shipping. Prime members have a bit longer to shop with free two-day shipping.
Holiday shopping: Here are the final dates for Amazon’s free shipping promotion
If you're shopping with Amazon this holiday season, time is fast running out if you want your gifts delivered before December 25. Tuesday is the final day for some of Amazon's free shipping options, and then those options start falling away — for Prime members, too. Here are the dates you need to know.