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Amazon's standalone music streaming service is finally here
Based on a string of rumors that began circulating in January of this year, it was only a matter of time before Amazon rolled out its full-fledged music streaming service. Today is that day. Enter Amazon Music Unlimited, a standalone offering set to rival the likes of Apple Music and Spotify. It is, of course, a complement to Prime Music, the free streaming service for people who are part of Amazon's $99-per-year membership. Naturally, Prime subscribers get the benefit of paying less for Music Unlimited: eight dollars a month compared to $10 for everyone else.
Google Assistant is getting a sense of humor from 'The Onion'
As Google Home gets closer to launch, the AI assistant is not only getting smarter, but also a little more friendly and -- hopefully -- a whole lot funnier. As the Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims notes in a piece about friendly AI like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant, Alphabet's big play for the space includes hiring up comedy writing alumni of Pixar and The Onion.
Lady Gaga album leaks through Amazon's Echo speaker
Lady Gaga is starting to reveal some of the songs on her upcoming album Joanne, but it might not be quite the controlled release she was hoping for. Fans with Amazon's Echo speakers recently discovered that they could listen to 30-second previews of currently unavailable songs from the album just by asking Alexa to "play Joanne by Lady Gaga." You couldn't do that on Apple Music, Spotify or even Amazon's own website. The trick only worked in the US and has since been shut down, but it's a reminder that it's no longer enough to hide store listings these days. If you're going to keep music under lock and key before its release, it has to be virtually non-existent online.
Alexa can now lock your BMW and feed it directions
Remember when James Bond drove his BMW in a parking garage from the back seat by remote control? Yeah, the automaker's latest Connected app won't do that. But, it'll at least make you feel like "007 lite" with Alexa, Apple Watch 2 and Android support. The Alexa integration is the most fun, letting you use voice commands with an Echo or Echo Dot to lock your vehicle's doors, load up a scheduled trip and check battery and fuel levels.
Google Assistant is gender-neutral(ish), but it's not feminist
In a world occupied by Siri, Cortana and Alexa, Google Assistant is a bit of an anomaly. It's the first widely used voice assistant to eschew a female name, which the company reportedly did to avoid giving it a personality. The company would rather you imagined yourself talking directly to "Google the search engine" than a go-between. Avoiding a gendered name just happened to be a happy coincidence, it seems.
Personal assistants are ushering in the age of AI at home
Google Home is the latest embodiment of a virtual assistant. The voice-activated speaker can help you make a dinner reservation, remind you to catch your flight, fire up your favorite playlist and even translate words for you on the fly. While the voice interface is expected to make quotidian tasks easier, it also gives the company unprecedented access to human patterns and preferences that are crucial to the next phase of artificial intelligence. Comparing an AI agent to a personal assistant, as most companies have been doing of late, makes for a powerful metaphor. It is one that is indicative of the human capabilities that most major technology companies want their disembodied helpers to adopt. Over the last couple of years, with improvements in speech-recognition technology, Siri, Cortana and Google Now have slowly learned to move beyond the basics of weather updates to take on more complex responsibilities like managing your calendar or answering your queries. But products that invade our personal spaces -- like Amazon's Echo and Google Home -- point to a larger shift in human-device interaction that is currently underway.
With Assistant, Google is becoming a lot more like Apple
Google may have finally taken control of its hardware with the new Pixel phones, but the company's still focusing on software. In particular: artificial intelligence. The AI-powered Assistant is an integral part of its new phones, Allo messaging app and smart speaker, making for a more uniform and useful experience across all of Google's (and other brands') devices. If that sounds familiar, it's because Apple brought Siri to multiple platforms first.
Amazon's new Fire TV Stick comes with an Alexa remote for $40
Amazon's next take on the Fire TV Stick looks pretty much the same as before, but it brings along some useful upgrades to keep it current. The biggest difference? It now includes an Alexa-enabled remote at the same $40 price. It also packs in a faster quad-core processor (compared to a dual-core chip before) which Amazon claims is 30 percent faster than its predecessor, as well as speedier 802.11ac WiFi. Mostly, it seems like Amazon is trying to keep the Fire TV Stick more competitive with Roku's excellent $50 streaming stick.
The CoWatch brings Amazon's Alexa to your wrist starting today
Amazon hasn't dared to make a smartwatch of its own yet, but it might not have to when companies like iMCO have shoehorned Alexa into a wearable themselves. See, iMCO and the ex-Googlers working on the Cronologics OS have successfully turned what could've been another bit of crowdfunded vaporware into an actual product -- the CoWatch -- complete with blessings from Amazon. At last, you'll be able to order multiple pairs of shoes straight from your wrist. Isn't the future grand? The CoWatch goes on sale on Amazon today with prices starting at $279, but I got to put a near-final model through its paces ahead of the company's big day. Spoiler alert: Having Alexa with you everywhere you go can be very cool, but the CoWatch definitely isn't for everyone.
The best thing about Amazon's $50 Echo Dot? It's available to all
After accidentally announcing a new $50 Echo Dot on Twitter yesterday, Amazon has confirmed the device this morning, alongside a white Echo and UK launch . But even better than the lower price (down from the $90 previous model) is the fact that anyone, not just existing Echo users, can snap it up. Previously, you had to order the Dot using Alexa from an Echo or Fire TV.
Amazon's Alexa can tell you what's trending on Twitter
Twitter has announced a new "skill" for Echo devices called Twitter Reader. The company tweeted that you can now "use the Twitter Reader to hear trends, top Tweets, notifications & more!" A report yesterday revealed that Amazon might open up its Alexa ecosystem to allow push notifications, so that it could interrupt to warn you about a traffic jam, for instance.
Amazon's Alexa may soon butt into your conversations
Amazon's Alexa may soon be interrupting your conversations with traffic notifications and other important announcements, if you want her to.
Amazon Fire TV update gives you much wider voice search
Amazon's Fire TV devices just became much more useful if you prefer to talk to your media hub. An update rolling out to the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick gives you dramatically improved search: you can now use voice to search over 75 apps and services, including Netflix and (soon) HBO Now. If the show you're looking for is available on multiple services, you'll see all your choices. And if you're content with watching Amazon Video, you're still getting an upgrade. You now have voice control of playback with Amazon's service, so you can skip to your favorite Transparent scene without using the fast forward button.
Amazon Alexa support coming to LG's SmartThinQ hub
When LG launched its SmartThinQ hub at CES this year, you couldn't help but notice that it was a dead ringer for Amazon's Echo but, well, dumber. That's because the device could play music and control LG SmartThinQ appliances, but wouldn't obey your voice commands like an Echo. However, LG has announced that that it will join Amazon rather than fighting it by adding support for the Echo's Alexa voice assistant.
Amazon's Alexa told us Echo is coming to the UK very soon
Normally, us Brits only have to wait a few months at the most to enjoy new products from the world's biggest technology companies. However, when it comes to the Amazon Echo, we've been left on the outside looking in as the company continues upgrade Alexa's capabilities. That may soon change, though, because this morning an invite arrived inviting me to an Amazon event in London on September 14th. It doesn't give anything away, but the AI in question has plenty to say on the subject.
Omate Rise 3G smartwatch slaps Amazon Alexa on your wrist
Exactly nine months ago, Omate launched its Rise smartwatch with 3G radio, circular display, carbon-fiber bezel and full Android 5.1 (not Android Wear) for a mere $199 (it'll be $349 when it hits retail next year). If you missed out on it, here's your chance again. The company is now back on Indiegogo with a new limited edition run of another 999 units for the same base price point, and this time, it'll be bundled with Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa. While the CoWatch was the absolute first smartwatch to integrate Alexa, the Rise is still the first 3G standalone smartwatch to achieve this. Omate CEO Laurent Le Pen also pointed out that unlike the CoWatch, this product will actually be certified by Amazon by the time it ships in December.
Tado's new thermostat listens to Siri and Alexa
Tado is no doubt celebrating today after its thermostat was selected above all others for O2's new subscription-based smart home offering. That's by no means the only Tado news from this year's IFA, though, as the company today announced its third-generation smart thermostat. Pretty much nothing has changed from a hardware standpoint, with the main improvements being support for both Apple's HomeKit and Amazon's Echo platforms, allowing you to control your heating by talking to Siri or Alexa, respectively. IFTTT integration remains part of the feature set, and the new generation is also said to have improved energy efficiency algorithms.
How we trained AI to be sexist
You'd never know from Jacqueline Feldman's background that she'd become a passionate proponent of gender equality for artificial intelligence. She went the dreamer's route at college, attending Yale for English literature and writing. She prefers casual dresses and writing from the comfort of her Brooklyn apartment surrounded by books, where she has the option of climbing to the roof for cool air on sweltering nights.
Alexa support coming to BMW's 'Connected' assistant app
BMW first revealed its revamped "Connected" assistant app in March, and it will finally be available this month. As a reminder, it does a lot more than sync your phone and car, acting more like the love-child of Waze and Google Now. It can scan your device's calendar and address book, then calculate the drive time to an appointment based on your route and real-time traffic data. After factoring the vehicle's fuel or battery level, it will send a "time to leave" notification to your iPhone or Apple Watch.
Amazon makes it easier to build audio adventure games for the Echo
If you grew up in the early age of computing, you likely encountered text-based adventure games. That ancient form of gaming got a new lease on life thanks to the Amazon Echo -- you can play some audio-based adventure games (including a Batman one) in which you talk to the Echo to move forward in the narrative. Amazon is now making it easier for developers to build more interactive audio games by releasing a tool that lets you graphically design audio adventures for the Echo.
