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Amazon Echo links with Yelp to find info on local restaurants

It's such an obvious feature it's hard to believe it wasn't already there, but the latest update for Amazon's Echo lets it pull up Yelp recommendations for restaurants and other local businesses. Just ask about info on where to get Chinese food or pizza delivery, and it will send the Yelp-powered results to the Echo app on your phone or tablet. For it to work you'll need to have your local address set up in the Echo app, but that's it. Amazon says more local search results are coming soon, but for now you should also know it can help you easily stock up on Halloween candy. Just ask the speaker to "order Halloween candy" or "order Halloween chocolate" and it will -- provided you have voice purchasing enabled (read: disable voice purchasing before your kids find out about this feature).

Find local businesses and restaurants

You can now ask Echo for info on local businesses and restaurants and Alexa will give you the details—straight from Yelp. To get started, go to Settings in the Alexa App, select your device, and add your address. Here are some ideas once you're set up:

Craving cashew chicken? Just ask: "Alexa, find me a nearby Chinese restaurant."
Wondering when the pharmacy closes? Just ask: "Alexa, what are the hours for a nearby pharmacy?"

View even more details such as star rating, phone number, and a link to Yelp listings in the Alexa app. To learn more about this feature, go to Search for Nearby Places.