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Sonos promises Alexa-powered Spotify controls by December 21st
Sonos made a big hubbub about its first voice-controlled speaker a few weeks ago, which makes the Sonos One not having Alexa support for Spotify out of the box all the more suspect. That will change by December 21st as the speaker company says it will push an update enabling "full voice support" for Amazon's digital assistant before the self-imposed deadline. Meaning, it could be around seven weeks longer before your free Echo Dot will take advantage of everything a Sonos speaker can offer. It isn't clear if this is the timeline for Alexa control on older Sonos speakers. At the moment, you can only start music with either the Sonos or Spotify apps. Oh well; this is the future we live in. The update should be out in time for your winter solstice playlist, at least.
UE's Blast and Megablast join the Alexa smart speaker family
These days, the launch of yet more speakers with Alexa onboard isn't the most exciting announcement. However, these aren't stout smart home speakers or a mere software update, but an entirely new line for Ultimate Ears -- a long-standing favorite for its speakers' audio output and resilience. Today, the company introduces the Blast and Megablast, the network-capable and Alexa-enabled siblings of UE's Boom 2 and Megaboom. This new line was built explicitly for the Amazon Alexa ecosystem of apps and features, and along with the Power Up charging base, offers always-on functionality to cater to your verbal demands. Unlike many other options though, this one also includes an on-board battery for portability.
Alexa helps you reserve a ride with car2go's carsharing service
You can now order a car2go by commanding Alexa to find the nearest one and reserve it. The pay-by-time carsharing service is the latest automotive-related company to get a skill that integrates it with Amazon's voice assistant, following BMW and Nissan.
Sonos One hands-on: Betting on voice control to evolve
After months filled with teases, rumors and speculation, Sonos has finally introduced its first speaker with built-in support for voice commands. Today, at an event in New York City, the company unveiled the Sonos One, a device billed as "The Smart Speaker for Music Lovers." As expected, the main attraction here are the voice features, which at launch will be powered by Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant. We say "at launch" because Sonos CEO, Patrick Spence, ended the presentation with the news that the One will also work with Google Assistant in 2018.
Yamaha's smart pianos work with Alexa and teach you how to play
Of the many things we expected to see at IFA 2017, cutting-edge instruments weren't one of them. But Yamaha is using its time in Berlin to showcase the Clavinova all-electric smart pianos, which use an iOS device and LEDs above each key to teach you how to play. With the Smart Pianist application, which will also be available on Android next year, you can learn how to play tracks in real-time thanks to blue and red lights that will come on every time you're supposed to hit a key. (Red LEDs are placed above white keys, blue above the black ones.) Not only that, but if you can read music, there's a chord chart being displayed on the iPad in real-time for whatever song you're playing.
Lenovo made a basic Echo Show out of a tablet dock
Lenovo's collaboration with Amazon to make Alexa-powered devices began with the Smart Assistant speaker in January, but the PC maker is far from done with its smart-home ambitions. Today, the company unveiled the Home Assistant Pack, which is basically a $70 speaker dock that attaches to and props up tablets while boosting the audio capabilities. In short, stick this on the side of your tablet, and you'll give it more volume, better microphones and an Echo Show-like display for Alexa.
Alexa and Cortana will soon work with each other
Amazon and Microsoft are integrating their digital assistants. Alexa and Cortana will soon be able to communicate with each other, allowing users of one AI to benefit from the other's skills. In the near future, summoning the AI helpers will be as easy as saying "Alexa, open Cortana," or "Cortana, open Alexa." That may sound like an odd fit now, but both Amazon and Microsoft are convinced of its perks.
Alexa helps Android users shop in the Amazon app
iPhone users have been enjoying Amazon's Alexa digital assistant within the retailer's main shopping app for some time. Now, however, Android owners can finally ask Alexa about package shipping, to watch a show on Netflix, or even to pay their American Express bill from the Amazon shopping app on their Google-powered handsets.
Amazon’s Alexa will keep you up to date with the UK election
It's general election week, and politicians have only four days left to curry favour before we fill those ballot boxes on June 8th. Between work and everything else, staying on top of the week's developments can be a tall order, so Amazon's tasked Alexa with keeping you informed while you're busy cooking dinner and cleaning up after the kids. You can now bark various commands at your Echo devices (or any other Alexa prison) to catch up on latest news, including "what's the latest with the election/the Conservatives/Theresa May?"
Amazon's Echo Look app is ready for your fashionable selfies
Amazon still hasn't said when it plans to ship its new Echo Look camera, but it appears that will be happening very soon. The company has started rolling out companion iOS and Android apps for the device, which costs $200 and is only available via invite to Prime customers -- at least for the time being. To refresh your mind, Echo Look is an Alexa-powered camera for people who want to take pictures or videos of their daily outfits, enhanced by an artificial intelligence algorithm that'll learn your habits and make clothes recommendations based on that.
The first television with Amazon Fire TV built in is just fine
Sure, you can get a Fire TV stick with an Alexa remote and plug it into your existing television set to make it smart. But that setup can't pull in streams from all the devices you have connected, like your PlayStation, antenna and whatever else you have stuck in your HDMI ports. Nor can it integrate all those inputs seamlessly into the OS. But if a central hub for all of your streaming content is important to you, and if you have money just laying around, consider the new Element Fire TV Edition. It's the first television with Fire TV OS built in, thanks to a collaboration between Amazon and TV maker Element. Starting at $449 for a 43-inch version, the Edition adds a few conveniences to the existing interface that you won't get with only the stick.
Pay an American Express bill just by talking to Alexa
With Amazon's Alexa getting smarter every day, soon enough you won't have to do much yourself. American Express is the latest company to tap into the virtual assistant's skills, allowing customers to use voice commands to check their account balance, review recent charges or make a payment. Alexa devices will also connect to Amex Offers, which is going to let card members browse limited-time deals that may be available through their card. It's worth noting American Express isn't the first financial service to bring these kind of features to Amazon's platform; Capital One started doing something similar earlier this year. If you have an Amex card, as well as an Alexa-enabled device, you can learn how to set this up right here.
Let's hope this isn't Amazon's touchscreen Echo
Rumor has it Amazon is about to introduce a touchscreen version of its Echo speaker. Bloomberg was the first to report about this last November, although no images of the purported device were shared back then. But today, thanks to AFTVnews, we may be getting an idea of what Amazon has been working on. The original gossip suggested the new Echo would come with a 7-inch touchscreen, and this leaked photo certainly fits the bill. You'll also notice what appears to be a front-facing camera above the display, which makes you wonder whether Amazon could port over some of the fashion features from the Echo Look.
GE's futuristic Alexa lamp accepts your voice commands in style
Amazon's Alexa, the voice-controlled platform that powers the company's own Echo line, continues to gain support from third-party manufacturers. The C by GE Sol is the latest product to embrace the technology, in the form of a table lamp that looks straight out of a sci-fi film. GE actually announced the device December of last year, but now it's finally starting to take pre-orders. As a refresher, the C by GE Sol features a circular LED light and, most importantly, doubles as a hands-free voice assistant and Bluetooth speaker. GE is letting early adopters pre-order the Sol for $160 right now, with units expected to ship in September. If you decide to wait until it hits stores, it'll cost you $200.
Amazon offers its voice-recognition smarts to other companies
Amazon's Alexa has become the flag-bearer for AI assistants. Not only does she possess an exhaustive list of useful skills, but she's also started finding new homes in everything from phones to cars, watches, little robots and even refrigerators. There's a reason Amazon's Echo and Echo Dot speakers are particularly suited for ordering Alexa around at home, though. They both feature a fancy far-field, seven-microphone setup and audio processing smarts that help Alexa understand your muffled commands shouted from the downstairs bathroom. Today, Amazon's announced it's releasing this mixture of hardware and software in a new development kit, so other companies can build Alexa prisons that recognize you want to add mixed spices to your shopping list, and not listen to a Spice Girls mix (liar).
Alexa on Huawei's Mate 9 won't listen unless you press
When we first learned that Huawei planned to bring Amazon's Alexa to its Mate 9 flagship, there weren't many details on what the execution would look like. All we really knew was that it would be rolling out via a software update to the phone, and that its availability would be limited. Today, Huawei has revealed just how the integration will work. Sadly, parts of this implementation don't make sense, with the most disappointing piece being that you have to press your phone at least once before you can talk to Alexa. That basically defeats the point of even having a voice assistant.
Logitech turns your car into an Amazon Alexa controller
Amazon's Alexa platform is no longer confined to the home: Ford, Hyundai and Volkswagen have all revealed plans to integrate the voice assistant into their vehicles. That's great if you're a die-hard Amazon customer and in the market for a new car. For the rest of us, Logitech's aftermarket ZeroTouch mounts and companion app bring the same dash-based Alexa experience but to the car you already own.
Alexa will make your car smarter -- and vice versa
Every year at CES, some of the world's biggest tech companies try to one-up each other. TVs get thinner and brighter. Home appliances get chattier and robots get friendlier. But this year, instead of standing out for their memorable devices, a lot of companies showed up with a shared identity: the voice of Alexa.
Car makers can let Alexa ride shotgun later this year
Amazon's Alexa assistant can already communicate with some cars, but the conversations are a little one-sided. You can tell your home-bound Echo to start warming up your Hyundai on a frosty day, for example, or send directions to your BMW ahead of setting off. But when you're on the road, you're on your own. Later this year, though, car makers will be able to put Alexa in the passenger seat, giving drivers a virtual assistant that'll put on some tunes, load up an audiobook and carry out many other tasks while their hands are stuck to the wheel.
Amazon Echo comes to every room in Wynn's Las Vegas hotel
Since launching it in 2015, Amazon has been improving its voice-controlled home assistant Echo, from adding thousands of recipe walkthroughs to releasing its hockey puck-sized sibling, the Dot. But soon the device will be moving in to hotel rooms, too. The Wynn Las Vegas will begin outfitting all 4,748 guest rooms with an Echo this month, allowing visitors to control environmental conditions with vocal commands.
