Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K review
Amazon’s streaming stick game is strong, and the Fire TV Streaming Stick 4K is no exception. A few minor issues aside, this fully loaded streaming device offers virtually everything you could want, including Dolby Vision HDR, Amazon Alexa, basic TV controls, and much more.
Amazon is reportedly planning a bigger, better Echo smart speaker
There's a lot of competition in the smart speaker space, which may be why reports now say that Amazon is planning a new, better-sounding version of its Echo smart speaker for 2020. The new model would likely compete with the Sonos One, Google Home Max, and Apple's HomePod, for the higher-end of the market.
Best Amazon and Walmart July 4th deals on Alexa and Google smart speakers
Amazon and Walmart are gearing up for Prime Day 2019 with early deals on smart home devices. The retail giants are going head-to-head this 4th of July with deals and competitive prices for smart speakers, the gateway products you need to talk with Alexa or Google Assistant to manage your smart home with voice commands.
A Delaware senator stepped into the ring with Amazon over information privacy
If you don't trust Amazon with your data, you aren't alone. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) demanded answers from Amazon over exactly how long user voice recordings and transcripts were kept, and what the information was used for. The company's answers did not inspire confidence in the senator.
Ring Peephole Cam review
Easy to install with no physical damage, Ring Peephole Cam is the perfect smart doorbell for renters and apartment owners limited by strict lease agreements or homeowner association rules.
Apple’s new Seattle campus may mean big things for Siri, artificial intelligence
Apple plans to hire 2,000 more employees for a new Seattle campus, the company announced Monday, with a significant number of those jobs focused on the Siri voice assistant and artificial intelligence. The new campus marks a major expansion right in Amazon and Microsoft's backyard.
iRealm’s Smart Plug 2.0 with built-in touchpad makes its Kickstarter debut
The iRealm Smart Plug 2.0 debuted on Kickstarter this week. The device aims to solve the problem of smartphone-only control in connected devices by including a touchpad for local control. This touchpad is said to work without Wi-Fi or batteries thanks to a low-voltage connection.
Digital Trends Live: Alexa monitors for heart attacks, robot fish, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we discuss the biggest trending tech stories of the day, including Alexa’s new skill of monitoring for cardiac arrest, Nintendo Switch Mini speculation and a possible leak, a Nest Home security flaw, robot fish powered by battery blood (!), and more.
Forget the remote: Yamaha offers two new affordable, Alexa-enabled soundbars
Yamaha announced two new soundbars aimed at fans of Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. The affordable new soundbars, called the YAS-109 and YAS-209, are both designed to provide viewers with great sound at an affordable price, with Alexa voice control built-in, allowing you to forget the remote.
Garmin DriveSmart 65 puts Alexa in your car and tells you where to go
Garmin just upped its dashboard game by integrating Amazon Alexa with DriveSmart 65, the company's top-of-the-line, voice-controlled navigator. Now drivers can access two digital voice assistants in the same device: Garmin voice ready to help with travel and Alexa for everything else that Echo smart speakers can do.
Amazon tablet deals: Fire HD tablets get steep discounts for Father’s Day
Apple’s iPad may still be at the top of the tablet game, but there’s an array of Android tablet offerings from brands like Amazon, Samsung, and others. Right now, Amazon is offering its Fire HD 8 tablet for just $60, and its premium Fire HD 10 tablet for just $120. Score your Fire HD tablet today.
Best deals on Amazon Echo and Google Home Nest devices for Father’s Day
Save on a wide range of devices for Amazon Echo and Google Home Nest smart homes for Father's Day. The majority of smart homes use devices compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Here are the best discounts on smart speakers, smart displays, video doorbells, and smart outdoor security cameras.
Having a chat with Alexa will soon feel a lot more natural
The Echo is already a part of the household, but a series of new improvements will soon make conversations with the smart assistant more natural and fluid than ever before. Amazon announced a new algorithm that allows Alexa to guess what users might say.
Orwell’s 1984 was nothing like actual 1984. But it’s exactly like 2019
70 years ago today, George Orwell published 1984: a dystopian novel that sat squarely in the realm of fiction at the time it was published. Today, however, the book is an astonishingly accurate depiction of the world we live in now -- and somehow everyone seems to be okay with it.
What is an Echo Dot?
What is Echo Dot? Now in its third generation, Amazon's tiny smart home hub can help you order from Amazon, keep track of to-do lists, play games, get weather information and much, much more, all using the power of Alexa. Here's what you need to know about this tiny dynamo.
UN finds voice assistants aren’t helping combat sexist gender stereotypes
Most voice assistants have a female-sounding voice. While you may not think much of it, the United Nations believes it is reinforcing negative gender stereotypes that place women in antiquated roles. The study also argues that companies haven't done enough to have A.I. rebuff hostile language.
LG’s 2019 TVs slide Alexa next to Google Assistant, with Siri on the way
LG has announced that Alexa will be the next voice assistant on its 2019 lineup of ThinQ A.I. TVs, joining Google Assistant. Users will be able to control their TVs and thousands of smart home devices with just their remote, no external speaker required. AirPlay 2 and Siri support is still expected later this year.
Alexa and Google Home smart speakers bring A.I. to nearly one in three U.S. homes
A new Consumer Technology Association (CTA) study found that 31% of U.S. households own smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home. If that percentage seems low, consider that only 8% of households owned smart speakers in 2016. Smart speaker ownership almost doubled in each of the last two years.
Digital Trends Live: WhatsApp security flaw, Alexa Guard, and more
On the latest episode of Digital Trends Live, we take a look at today’s top tech stories, including a WhatsApp flaw that left phones open to attack, Alexa’s new “Alexa Guard” advanced home security features, Netflix’s foray into gaming, Japan’s test of its new high-speed bullet train, and more.
Amazon Alexa’s Guard is a new security feature to keep your smart home safe
Smart home security is a lucrative market but Amazon is getting ahead of the competition with its rollout of Alexa Guard, a new set of smart home security features enabled by the Alexa digital assistant that allows the speaker to monitor for intrusions or fires, control smart home lighting, and more.
New version of Alexa app for Windows 10 offers hands-free capabilities
Amazon released a new version of its Alexa app for Windows 10 PCs this week. The new version now offers support for hands-free access to Amazon’s flagship voice assistant and for playing music through Pandora. Windows 10 PC users can download the new version from the Microsoft Store.
Alexa, stop recording me: Bill would limit eavesdropping by smart speaker makers
Alexa and other voice assistants are listening and recording what you say. California wants to control what they can hear. A new proposed bill would prohibit companies that make smart home speakers -- including Amazon, Google, and Apple -- from storing recordings without a user's content.
Survey says Siri and Google Assistant are the most used voice assistants
Alexa might be extremely popular because of smart speakers, but it still has a way to go to catch up to voice assistants the are built into smartphones. A recent survey conducted by Microsoft found that Apple's Siri and Google Assistant tied for the most used voice assistants on the market.
Hola, Alexa. Voice assistant will soon add support for Spanish speakers
Amazon's voice assistant is getting support for Spanish. The company announcedthat its Amazon Skills Kit development program will allow apps and skills creators to build support for Spanish into their services. Alexa devices will have Spanish support enabled later this year.
Digital Trends Live: Alexa knows where you live, lab-grown meat, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we discuss how Amazon Alexa's auditing team has access to locations, Verizon's 5G roadmap, the technology of lab-grown meat, the benefits of percussive therapy, how cloud gaming can affect the environment, a review of Sony's 8K TV, and more.
Sonos Beam review
Sonos makes some of the best single-speaker home theater products, but they’re expensive. A more affordable model would help a lot of people make the jump to Sonos. The Sonos Beam looks to be that product, with Alexa built-in. But did Sonos remove too much in the effort to keep the price down?
Sonos One review
To compete in the smart speaker space, Sonos could have just made a better-sounding Alexa speaker. But the company has a reputation to uphold, and went much further than that. Our Sonos One Review reveals how Sonos does Alexa better than Amazon. The Sonos One remains one of the best you can get.
Amazon’s free Spotify competitor is here. Just ask Alexa
Just ask Alexa to play your favorite song. Amazon has launched a free, ad-based music streaming service to compete with Spotify's free tier on its popular Echo devices, aiming to keep listeners into the Amazon ecosystem, and to bolster subscriptions to its paid Amazon Music Unlimited service.
There will be 200 million smart speakers by year’s end, analysts say
The research and analysis firm Canalys predicts that the worldwide market for smart speakers like Amazon's Echo devices and Google Home smart speakers will reach a massive crescendo this year, topping 200 million smart speakers by the end of 2019 with the U.S. accounting for nearly half the market.
Alexa, Google, Siri put their bilingual skills to the test in translation battle
One Hour Translation, an online translation company, compared how Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Siri stack up against one another in regard to translation capabilities. Google Home performed the best in three out of four languages, but none of the devices managed to perfectly translate the quotes.
Logitech’s Harmony Express remote: a steep price for simplicity
For those who find Logitech's series of Harmony universal remotes too intimidating, the company's latest product, the Harmony Express, might be the answer. Virtually every function can now be done by voice thanks to the remote's built-in Alexa support. But at $250, is it worth it?
J.D. Power finds voice assistants are becoming important for new car buyers
What matters most when buying a new car? For some car buyers, it is increasingly becoming the inclusion of a voice assistant. A new study conducted by J.D. Power found that car buyers — especially younger ones — are increasingly interested in having a familiar voice assistant inside their vehicle.
Amazon reportedly has thousands of workers listening to Alexa chats
Amazon says it sometimes uses your spoken requests to help it improve the accuracy of its Alexa digital assistant, but did you know that teams of humans around the world are reportedly doing some of the listening? A report on Wednesday claimed thousands of people are employed by Amazon to carry out such work.
Need to check your blood sugar results or see a doctor? Just ask Alexa
Alexa is capable of a lot of things and saving your life might be next on the list. The intelligent digital assistant has recently acquired a bunch of new skills related to the HIPAA Act of 1996. Commands include the ability to schedule an urgent care appointment or check blood sugar results.