-
Tech NewsAmazonReport: Amazon’s About to Release a Portable Version of Echo
Amazon’s possibly dystopian Echo voice-controlled speaker might be coming in a new portable version soon, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new version of Echo will supposedly be charged on a dock, and it will only respond to voice commands after a button is pushed. The latter makes sense because the original Echo’s always-on … Continued
-
Tech NewsAmazon
A Gift Guide for Making Any Dumb Home Smarter
Do you or someone you love (or at least give enough of a damn about to buy a holiday gift for) want to explore this whole “smart home” idea without buying into a whole ecosystem? There are plenty of ways to get started, but these gadgets seamlessly integrate into your current, IQ-challenged abode. Best of … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Reviews
There’s a new update forAmazon Echo that adds a bunch of new features, like news headlines on a particular topic, more smart home controls, and better control over alarms and timers. The full list of Alexa’s tricks is over on Amazon’s site. [Amazonvia Engadget] Contact the author at [email protected].
By Chris Mills -
Tech NewsSamsung
Amazon Echo takes one more step to becoming the benevolent central hub (or Hal 9000) to your future smart home. After connecting with Belkin’s WeMo smart devices this past May, a web-cached blogpost shows Amazon’s Echo now controlling SmartThings devices, Samsung’s acquired smart home division. Neat. [TechCrunch]
By Darren Orf -
Tech NewsAmazon
Anyone Can Buy Amazon’s Clever AI Assistant Echo Starting Today
Remember Echo? The always-on, voice-controlled home hub that Amazon launched to great excitement seven months ago—and that Amazon would only allow you to buy if you were selected from interested Prime members? Today the company said it would make Echo a readily-available product for anyone who wants to buy one. What that implies about Echo’s … Continued
-
Tech NewsGoogle
Google Is Making a Robot Teddy Bear That Can Recognize Your Face
Google’s hoping there’s a market for sophisticated artificial intelligence voice assistants you can hug. The company’s most recent patent design for an anthropomorphic voice assistant/toy reads like someone dreamt it up after watching an AI and Ted double-feature (and had obviously never seen Child’s Play). It’s a robot shaped like a teddy bear or bunny … Continued
By Kate Knibbs -
Tech NewsAmazon
Amazon’s Echo Just Added New Ways To Control Your Home With Your Voice
Just as you may have suspected, Amazon’s voice-controlled personal assistant getting even more functionality—and branching out into controlling your home’s technology with its hub. An email to Echo customers today announced that Echo will work with Philips Hue lights and switches, as well as Belkin’s WeMo gadgets, which include everything from slow cookers to humidifiers … Continued
-
Tech NewsAmazon
Amazon Echo Teardown: A Dark Tower of Voice Control
Amazon’s Echo speaker promises to make your life better by being a Siri for your kitchen, an always-listening assistant you can ask for help when your hands are covered in batter. The folks at iFixit got one, and naturally started ripping it apart. Once you dive in, it looks like spare parts for the Death … Continued
By Eric Limer -
Tech NewsAmazon
Do You Actually Use Voice Control?
Yesterday, Amazon announced Echo, a Bluetooth speaker slash voice-controlled personal assistant, an omnipresent Siri that sits in your living room and answers whatever questions you might throw at it. So clearly, Amazon thinks that voice control is cool enough to warrant a standalone product. I’m just wondering who actually uses the damn thing. Despite having … Continued
By Chris Mills -
Tech NewsAmazonIf Amazon Echo Said What It Was Really Thinking
Amazon’s Echo looks promising. It’s Amazon’s most interesting—and important—product in years, if it lives up to its promise. But what if it works, and also hates you? Amazon’s original promo is pretty optimistic (if also a little awkward). Redditor The_Invincible is a little less so, and edited together a new promo video that offers an … Continued
By Eric Limer -
Tech NewsAmazonAmazon’s Echo Might Be Its Most Important Product In Years
It’s pretty rare that a new product truly surprises us. But today Amazon did just that, introducing Echo, a talking, listening piece of electronic furniture. It’s like having the internet on your kitchen table, cracking jokes and settling bets, and it’s the most innovative device Amazon’s made in years. Echo, ostensibly a speaker, is a … Continued