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Amazon unveils the $40 Echo Pop, a semi-spherical smart speaker
Amazon updated its Echo speaker lineup today, including a new $40 model with a semi-spherical design, the Echo Pop. Additionally, Echo Auto is coming to more countries.
Engadget Podcast: Do you trust an Amazon robot in your home?
This week, Cherlynn and Devindra go over the news from Amazon’s devices and services event, especially its Astro robot for the home.
Amazon's biggest innovation is being cheap
Amazon's "innovations" announced this week seemed to be more of it doing what it does best: undercutting the rest.
Amazon makes it easier to sue after deluge of arbitration claims
Amazon has changed its policy on forced arbitration to allow customers to file lawsuits against it.
Amazon Sidewalk will be enabled by default on Echo devices
Last year, Amazon announced Sidewalk, a shared network designed to keep your smart devices connected beyond the reach of the typical WiFi router. In order to do that, it’ll utilize certain devices as “Sidewalk Bridge” connections, such as Ring cameras and Echo products.
Oh hey, they make Baby Yoda ears for your Echo Dot now
Attention fans of Star Wars, The Mandalorian or just Baby Yoda: if you own a third-generation Amazon Echo Dot, OtterBox has a stand that bestows your device with the likeness of The Child. Starting today, you can fill that void by pre-ordering the accessory from Amazon, according to a statement from OtterBox. Put your Echo Dot into the stand and, in addition to being securely held with a non-slip base, your device will now have Baby Yoda’s ears -- which OtterBox says will make your Echo Dot the “cutest bounty in the galaxy.”
Now all your home’s Alexa devices work like an intercom
Amazon Alexa users can now use the “Drop In” feature to talk with all of their Echo devices at once, Amazon announced on its blog. Now, you can use a device to send a message to all Echo devices in the house at once. To start a group Drop In conversation, you can ask Alexa to “Drop In everywhere.”
Readers tell us why the Echo Show 5 is their ideal smart display
How users ranked and reviewed the Echo Show 5 vs its competiton.
The best deals we found this week: iPhone SE, Google Pixel 4 and more
The iPhone SE is officially available for preorder today, and yes, you can save money on the new smartphone. Plus, deals on the Google Pixel 4, Nest Wi-Fi, and the Amazon Echo.
Amazon's Echo speaker drops to $60 at Best Buy
Best Buy is selling the latest Amazon Echo speaker for $40 off, and it'll throw in a Smart Plug for an extra $10.
Alexa can now provide traffic updates and severe weather alerts
Depending on where you live, traffic can be unpredictable, making it yet another thing to check while getting ready for work. Alexa should make planning your commute a bit easier with a new voice control skill. Just ask Alexa about your commute, traffic conditions or directions. You can also have that information sent to your phone. A notification will appear on your device -- tap that and your preferred map app will open with the route guidance. Google Assistant has done this for a while, but Amazon customers will likely enjoy the added convenience.
Spotify’s free streaming will work with Alexa and Bose speakers
You no longer need a Spotify Premium subscription to listen to your Spotify playlists on Alexa, Bose or Sonos speakers. Last week, Spotify announced that Free users could finally listen on Sonos speakers. Today, it's extending that capability to Alexa and Bose speakers, too.
Amazon has another Echo sale with up to $60 off
To get November (and the holiday shopping season) off to a flying start, Amazon has put many of its Echo devices on sale, including some of its more recent Alexa-powered gizmos. For instance, you can snag yourself or a loved one an Echo Show 5, which Amazon revealed in May, for $60 (down from $90).
Amazon Echo review (2019): Low-priced, but not low-end
Amazon might be a bit Echo crazy at the moment, judging from the sheer volume of Alexa-powered devices it announced last month. But the company clearly hasn't forgotten about the device that started it all: the Echo smart speaker. It proved that voice commands were more than just a gimmick — they just needed connected devices with a ton of microphones to work well. In its third generation, the $99 Echo sounds better than ever, thanks to new audio hardware lifted from the $150 Echo Plus. In fact, the Echo sounds so good it makes its more expensive sibling practically irrelevant.
Amazon’s latest Echo has better sound at the same price
Amazon's new $99 mainline Echo is all about improving the music listening experience. It's basically an Echo Plus in new clothes. Under the hood are the same core audio features, including neodymium drivers and a 3-inch woofer. It should have better frequency response, especially on the low end, but Amazon also claims the mids and highs are clearer. We'll have to wait to test it outside the chaos of a press event though, to know for sure.
Amazon's Echo Studio promises immersive audio for $200
Just as earlier reports suggested, Amazon revealed yet another updated version of its Echo smart speaker at its press conference in Seattle today. The big difference? Its focus on high-quality audio. Unlike earlier Echo models, which largely prioritized smarts over sound quality, Amazon's new Echo Studio aims to deliver immersive, 3D audio (with help from Dolby Atmos), all meant to help it compete more capably with competitors like Sonos.
Amazon considered letting Alexa listen to you without a wake word
A patent made public today and filed by Amazon would allow the company's voice assistant Alexa to start recording audio before users say a "wake word." According to the patent, it would allow users to more naturally communicate with their devices, saying phrases like "Play some music, Alexa" rather than starting each command with "Alexa" or another chosen wake word. Currently, the voice assistant is unable to listen to or understand commands until the user utters the wake word.
Hey Alexa: How can we escape surveillance capitalism?
Where do you go when you want to escape surveillance? When you want to stop feeling like you might be being listened to by microphones, or watched through surveillance cameras, or tracked by invisible tech gremlins burrowed within devices. Certainly nowhere in public. Perhaps it's your car. Maybe it's your home. Or even your bedroom? For some readers, that perimeter of personal freedom likely shrunk in February when news broke that Google "forgot" to tell consumers its Nest Secure came with a built-in microphone.
Amazon Alexa auditors could reportedly access user locations
It emerged earlier this month that thousands of Amazon employees are reviewing some Alexa recordings (which are captured after you've said the wake word). The auditors transcribe, annotate and analyze a selection of commands to help improve Alexa. But it seems these workers could view users' personal information too, according to Bloomberg. At least some employees are said to have had access to location data, addresses and phone numbers.
Pocket Casts for Amazon Echo picks up where your phone left off
Pocket Casts, widely hailed as the best podcasts app around, is coming to Amazon's Echo smart speakers. An Alexa skill is a natural progression for the premium app, allowing users to pick up where they left off on their smartphone at home. Using a series of voice commands, you'll be able to continue listening on your Echo device, ask for a recommendation, request a random podcast, or play the latest episode of your favorite show. Of course, you can currently beam audio from Pocket Casts to smart speakers like Google Home (via Cast) and the HomePod (via AirPlay 2), but the Alexa skill lets you go hands-free.
