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Amazon's Echo Input offers Alexa for your existing speakers
The latest gadget Amazon is shoehorning Alexa into is an audio dongle called the Echo Input. The $34.99 media bridge has line inputs, Bluetooth and a far-field mic. Think of it like a combo Chromecast Audio and Google Home Mini, but without the speaker and sold by Amazon versus Google and you've got the basic gist.
Amazon's new Echo Dot offers better sound at the same price
As rumored, Amazon isn't playing around and it's getting ready to launch a slew of Alexa-powered devices. First up, it's a new Echo Dot, which the company says offers better sound than before and it's still only $50. According to Amazon, this Dot is 70 percent louder compared the previous model, thanks to a 1.6-inch driver that's designed to deliver more powerful sound with lower distortion and "enhanced" bass. It also comes with an upgraded appearance, featuring a fabric coat that makes it look more stylish than the existing plastic hockey puck.
Netgear and Harman Kardon’s smart speaker doubles as a WiFi repeater
An unlikely partnership between router maker Netgear and audio company Harman Kardon has resulted in a smart speaker that does just a little bit more than its competitors. The Orbi Voice isn't just another Alexa speaker, it's got serious sound pedigree and it acts as a WiFi repeater too, spreading internet while it's pumping tunes.
Libratone's new portable Zipp speakers come with Alexa
These days, there's no shortage of Alexa-enabled speakers, so companies have to differentiate through design and audio quality. One brand swimming in both is Libratone, which announced a new version of its Zipp and Zipp Mini speakers during IFA 2018. They offer up to 12 hours of battery life and connect over Bluetooth and WiFi -- including Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2 -- USB, and a 3.5mm mini-jack. Both ship with six microphones and, for the first time, support for Amazon's assistant, meaning you can request tunes and pizzas with your voice. Otherwise, you can control the speaker through the touchpad or companion mobile app.
Bose's QC35 II wireless headphones now support Alexa
Bose revealed that its QuietComfort 35 IIs would get outfitted with Google Assistant last September. Starting today, owners have another voice assistant option: The wireless headphones now support Amazon Alexa.
Alexa can crank the bass on your Echo when you ask
Amazon is giving you more control over audio with an Alexa update that lets you adjust the equalizer and sound modes using your voice. So if you think the music you're listening to on your Amazon Echo could use a touch more low end, asking Alexa to increase the bass should do just that. More specifically, the bands you can tweak are bass, midrange and treble. Alexa can also switch your Echo to a number of EQ presets as well, including for movies, music, sports and TV.
Alexa voice control arrives for select DirecTV set-top boxes
If you have DirecTV and you're fed up of having to use an old-fashioned remote to get to the content you want to watch, starting today, you can just holler at Amazon's Alexa voice assistant to do the work for you. Alexa is now compatible with the Genie HR44, HR54, Genie 2 and Genie Mini set-top boxes.
'Jurassic World Revealed' exposes the limits of Alexa games
Turns out, I'm quite terrible at running away from dinosaurs. This is a thing I learned after playing all six chapters of the Jurassic World Revealed game on Alexa, which launches today in tandem with the movie. The first chapter is free, and you can get it by enabling the Jurassic World skill in your Alexa app.
Alexa and Echo will arrive in Italy and Spain later this year
Amazon's plan to put Alexa everywhere is extending from homes to hotels and, soon, the Mediterranean. It will bring Alexa and the various Echo devices to Spain and Italy later this year. Sonos and Bose will also start selling their Alexa-enabled devices in those countries before the year's out.
LG's 2018 TVs now work with Amazon Alexa
For years, "smart" TVs have largely been defined by internet connectivity and a wide array of apps. LG, with its webOS platform, has been at the forefront of that push. This year, the company has focused more on making its TVs more intelligent thanks to its 'ThinQ' initiative, first integrating Google Assistant and now rolling out support for Amazon's Alexa.
Amazon Echo recorded a conversation and sent it to a random contact (updated)
A Portland, Oregon family has claimed that their Amazon Echo recorded a conversation and then sent it to a random person on their contact list. Two weeks ago, the person -- an employee of the husband -- sent them audio files of their chats that he'd received from their smart speaker.
'Pac-Man' on Amazon's Alexa isn't at all like 'Pac-Man'
Pac-Man might never have left the public eye, but with Wreck-it Ralph, Pixels and Ready Player One, the iconic elder statesman of gaming is now in front of people that may have never touched an arcade joystick. To that extent, Pac-Man's latest 'game' makes sense — it's arriving on Amazon's Alexa as a skill today.
Alexa can help improve your ‘Call of Duty: WWII’ K/D ratio
Amazon has been adding some pretty mainstream entertainment skills, like recapping NBA and NHL scores. But now you can ask the voice assistant how you did in your last Call of Duty: WWII match, too. The new skill, available in beta, will use AI and machine learning to give personalized tips to improve your play in, of course, a soldier-sounding voice.
Use Echo speakers to send announcements around your home
Amazon keeps building out its Alexa ecosystem by adding more features and integrating products. But the platform has more potential than just allowing, say, your Fire tablets in on the voice control fun. But now Alexa has a new ability, Announcements, that lets customers speak into one Echo device and have the message barked out of all the other ones in a network. Basically, it gives your Alexa-connected house a one-way intercom feature.
Alexa is coming to Windows 10 PCs from HP, ASUS and others
Amazon's Alexa recently arrived on headphones and even toilets, but it's about to become much more ubiquitous by hitting Windows 10 PCs later this year. HP, ASUS and Acer have revealed that the voice assistant is coming to various models, including ASUS's ZenBook and VivoBook lineup, the HP Pavilion Wave, and select Acer Spin, Swift, Switch and Aspire notebooks. Amazon will release a special Alexa app in the spring, and laptop builders are tapping Intel's Smart Sound tech to make sure that the app can pick up your voice when you're not right next to your PC.
Amazon brings Alexa to headphones and smartwatches
Amazon is integrating Alexa with services that help around the house, from turning on the microwave to charging your plugged-in EV. For its next trick, the tech giant wants to push its voice assistant into devices you take on the go. Today, Amazon introduced the 'Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit,' software that lets developers hook up their Bluetooth-equipped wearables and headphones to the voice-controlled service.
LG's 2018 TVs get faster and smarter with Google Assistant, Alexa
LG's TVs have taken home our Best of CES Award for three years running and in 2018 the company is ready to take on all comers once again. As with all home electronics of the current era, the company's new televisions are AI-ready with LG's ThinQ technology, but you'll probably be more interested in their support for bigger-name assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The top of the line OLED TVs will have its new "Alpha 9" processor inside that's not only powerful enough for AI, but also ready to push video at high frame-rates of up to 120FPS. The chip also claims better color performance and "four-step process of noise reduction" although we'll be interested to see if it can be disabled to avoid any artifacts or motion-smoothing type impact on picture quality.
Alexa's latest trick is helping you find Twitch streams
Sure, it's great that Amazon keeps adding more to Alexa, like the option to wake up with music instead of a shrill alarm or a enabling live BBC programming. But what about newer media platforms? Now Twitch users can bark orders at Alexa to keep up with their favorite channels and search for new content.
Alexa and Echo will land in Australia and NZ in early 2018
Amazon just dropped its umpteenth Alexa skill, this time for Destiny 2 fans. Already in the tens of thousands, the digital assistant's tricks span shopping, news, smart home controls, pop trivia, kiddie pastimes, and now video games. But while a growing number of regions have access to Amazon's Echo family of smart speakers (including recent additions India and Japan), they're still missing in some spots. Now, it seems Alexa's global expansion is picking up speed, as the digital helper is (officially) heading Down Under. Amazon has announced that Alexa and Alexa-enabled devices will land in Australia and New Zealand in early 2018.
Amazon Echo update doesn’t forget the bass
Amazon's been listening. Not just to your every word (waiting for you say "Alexa"), but also to the widespread criticism of the audio quality on the new Echo. The company issued a software update on Friday to improve the second-generation Echo's sound profile. It should have installed automatically, meaning you may have already noticed a bit more bass in your music this weekend. You can see if you have the latest software by looking under the Settings section of your Alexa app. The version number should be "592452420."
