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The best audio gear to give as gifts
Maybe there's an audiophile on your list, or maybe you're shopping for someone who recently acquired a new phone and could use something better than the pack-in headphones. Either way, we have a slew of recommendations in the audio gear section of our holiday gift guide. On our list you'll find smart speakers from Google and Amazon alike, along with Sonos, whose new "One" speaker includes Alexa built in, with Google Assistant support coming soon. When it comes to headphones, our selections run the gamut from the affordable (Jabra's Move headset) to the high end (Bragi's Dash Pro wireless earbuds and these noise cancelling headphones from Sony), with a couple mid-range options in between. Rounding out the list, we have a soundbar, drum machine, synth app, the Amazon Echo Show and one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers. Find all that and many more items in our holiday gift guide, at the link below.
Amazon’s Echo with a screen hits the UK for £200
It's taken a while, but Amazon's Echo Show is finally ready for British customers. The boxy device, which comes with a 7-inch display and Alexa smarts, was announced way back in May. Pre-orders for the UK opened on September 28, and today, at last, the first units are shipping out. Each one costs £199.99, though a two-pack will net you a £100 saving. It's an expensive bundle, but one that makes sense given the Echo Show can be used for voice and video calls. The idea, presumably, is that you'll buy one for yourself and a relative so you can chat freely over the festive period.
Oprah will be Alexa’s first celebrity-voiced shopping assistant
Alexa is getting its first celebrity voice. To go along with the Oprah's Favorite Things storefront on Amazon, users of Alexa-enabled devices can have Oprah herself guide them through this year's 102 favorite things. To do so, you'll just have to say, "Alexa, let's shop Oprah's Favorite Things." Oprah will then describe one of the products on her list and tell you why she recommends it. If you want to buy it, say "yes," if you don't, say "no," and Oprah will move on to another item.
Amazon brings Alexa calling to the UK, Germany and Austria
The whole point of Amazon's Alexa is to talk, rather than type, to a virtual assistant. When you've grown tired of ordering Domino's pizzas and asking what the weather is like, however, the company hopes you'll want to talk to another human being. Following the US, it's now possible to call and message Alexa users from the UK, Germany and Austria. It works on the company's fast-growing range of Echo and Echo Dot speakers, as well as the Alexa app for iOS and Android. The screen-equipped Echo Show will also support basic video calling when it arrives in Britain next month.
Google may be working on its own version of Amazon’s Echo Show
Amazon clearly believes in its Echo devices, as it just unveiled an entire new lineup this week. Now, it appears Google believes in them as well. TechCrunch has heard from multiple sources that Google is building a competitor for the Amazon Echo Show.
Amazon's Echo Show is now available to pre-order in the UK
Thanks to a surprise event at Amazon's Seattle HQ yesterday, we got to see a whole host of new Alexa-powered devices. We played with the redesigned Echo, the all-new Echo Plus with smart hub, the cute Echo Spot and an overhauled Fire TV, giving consumers even more reason to buy into Amazon's ecosystem. While most of the event was dedicated to brand new Echos, the company also found time to update customers outside of the US on the status of the Echo Show. The good news is that the video-capable device is now available to pre-order in the UK and Germany for £199.99 and €219.99 respectively.
Amazon's Echo Show loses its access to YouTube
In an unexpected turn, Amazon's Echo Show has suddenly lost its ability to stream videos from YouTube. The Verge points out that the ability disappeared this afternoon, quoting Amazon and Google blaming each other for the issue. While YouTube claims that the Echo Show feature "violates our terms of service, creating a broken user experience," Amazon says "there is no technical reason for that decision." This isn't the first time we've seen Google regulate access to its video site -- Windows Phone and Roku were two notable skirmishes -- but it seems awkward that the Echo Show launched with access and now suddenly loses it. Previous fights centered around a lack of ads (remember, that's Google's actual business), and it's possible that is the problem once again, either with displaying them or tracking data. Whatever's missing in the arrangement, the Echo Show is suddenly less useful as a quick distraction for the kids or recipe helper, hopefully, things go back to normal soon.
Amazon reportedly working on Alexa-enabled 'smart glasses'
Amazon wants to make Alexa a more formidable competitor to Google Assistant and Siri by letting you put it on your face and take it anywhere, according to a Financial Times report (paywall). The company is said to be developing a pair of normal-looking eyeglasses that tether to your smartphone and allow you hear, and presumably speak to, Alexa via a bone-conduction audio system. There won't, however, be a screen or camera on the model as with Google Glass.
Facebook is reportedly working on a tablet for video calls
Facebook's hardware aspirations go beyond virtual reality. The social network is working on a video calling device that'll feature a wide-angle lens, a mic, speakers, a touchscreen between 13-and-15 inches and will maybe even run Android, according to Bloomberg's sources. Like offerings from Amazon, the unnamed Facebook video device could only cost a "few hundred dollars" when it's ready to buy. The publication's sources say that could happen as soon as Facebook's F8 conference next spring. One potential feature is an auto-scanning camera that'd lock in on individual people in a room, a la how Microsoft's Kinect works. The piece of kit comes from Zuck's Building 8 lab, where developers and engineers cook up experimental ideas. Beyond the video calling tablet, apparently the social network is working on an AI-powered smart speaker of its own that'd cost $100 -- similar to Amazon's Echo line, Apple's forthcoming HomePod and Google Home.
How to get Engadget UK Flash Briefings on your Amazon Echo
Here at Engadget UK, we want to deliver the latest technology news to wherever you are, on whatever device you happen to be using. You can already find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, but today we're adding a new "app" to the mix: an Engadget UK Flash Briefing for the Amazon Echo. Simply install our Echo skill and have Alexa read up-to-the-minute updates on what's happening in the world of technology.
Amazon is turning every Echo device into an intercom
If you've got multiple Amazon Echo devices throughout your home, you'll soon be able to use them as a connected intercom. Amazon just launched the feature today across the original Echo, Echo Dot and its new screen-toting Echo Show. We heard last month that the intercom capability was in the works, and it seemed like a given once Amazon brought hands-free calling and messaging across the Echo family. The company is rolling out the feature over the next few days, but be sure to update your Alexa app to access it.
Amazon Echo Show review: Seeing is believing
Siri may have ushered in the era of the digital assistant, but Amazon's Echo (with Alexa) really took that concept and put it in our homes. The Echo wasn't an immediate, breakout hit -- but having Alexa around to ask questions, manage smart-home devices, play music and much more has turned out to be a pretty great thing. It's a concept Google and Apple are now chasing (to varying degrees), but Amazon isn't standing still. The $230 Echo Show is the first Echo with a touchscreen, and since it was announced, we've been wondering how much a display will really add to the Alexa experience. It depends on what you want to do with it and where you put the Echo Show in your home. But after a week with Amazon's latest, I'm convinced that yet another touchscreen in your life actually makes the Alexa experience better in a lot of ways -- and that's not to mention the special tricks the Echo Show brings.
Amazon's Echo Show displays your smart camera's live video feed
Amazon's Echo Show is getting another new trick, err, skill. Now the gizmo will link with the cameras on your home network and display their respective feeds when you say something like, "Alexa, show the front door." A press release notes that this will work with cameras from Amcrest, Arlo, August, EZViz, IC Realtime, Ring, Nest and Vivint. And if you don't have a Show, saying the command phrase will soon give you an audio feed on your Dot or Echo. Better yet, Amazon has released the camera control API into the wild so developers can start cracking on even more implementations for it.
Amazon is prepping Echo Show for launch with visual Alexa cards
If you're a fan of Alexa, then this announcement might be good news for you. Amazon announced that they are adding a Display Cards feature to the voice assistant that will allow Alexa to respond visually to certain queries.
Amazon's Echo family can now make calls and send messages
One of the most notable new features introduced alongside Amazon's new Echo Show is the ability to make calls with Alexa, something that's been rumored for a while now. And the good news is that this feature isn't limited to just the Echo Show. When it rolls out later today (via an update to the Alexa iOS and Android apps), you'll be able to use all existing Echo hardware to place voice calls, video calls and send messages. You'll obviously need an Echo Show for video calling, but the support for voice calling and messaging is pretty robust.
Amazon's Echo Show is Alexa with a touchscreen
As expected, Amazon has revealed the Echo Show, a squared-off Echo device equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen. The company lost the element of surprise, as it was already unveiled via a series of leaks culminating in clear pictures of it from reputed spoiler Evleaks. That may be a good thing, however -- the device's design has already been widely panned, so everyone can now focus on the specs for the official launch.
