Oh, Christmas tree, even you are turned on by Amazon and Alexa … and it might be pretty cool Forget the WAR ON CHRISTMAS and whatever color the Starbucks holiday cup is this year. Big tech is coming for… Read More
Alexa, who’s laughing now? Five years after debut, Amazon’s voice assistant defies early critics If you woke up this morning and said anything to Amazon’s Alexa, hopefully “happy birthday” was in there somewhere, as… Read More
Play Episode Podcast Meet the hacker professor who’s saving lives with smart devices and sonar Play Shyam Gollakota has come a long way since his first day as a university undergraduate. “I didn’t know how to… Read More
Univ. of Washington researchers make futuristic baby monitors from smart speakers Alexa could soon be the ultimate baby monitor. Researchers at the University of Washington created a speaker system that is… Read More
Amazon Alexa Accelerator Demo Night: Read about the 8 startups that pitched voice-related tech Amazon’s voice technology has made some big leaps over the past two years — and so have the startups participating… Read More
How Amazon’s biggest flop paved the way for one of the company’s most important pillars A few years ago Amazon was putting the finishing touches on two important pieces of hardware that came out within… Read More
Amazon considered stricter privacy settings after criticism over handling of voice recordings After it faced public backlash against the practice of using people to review voice recordings from Alexa devices, Amazon gave… Read More
Play Episode Podcast Amazon expands Alexa’s horizons while attempting to alleviate consumer privacy concerns Play Amazon announced a long list of new Echo and Alexa products and initiatives this week — from smart glasses to… Read More
Why Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos sees new opportunity in the yard, on the sidewalk, and beyond Alexa is finally moving out of the house. That was the underlying theme of Amazon’s annual hardware and services unveiling… Read More
Alexa will sync podcasts with smartphone apps, letting listeners pick up where they left off Updated below with additional information. Almost lost amid the flurry of announcements from Amazon’s devices and services team Wednesday was… Read More
Everything Amazon announced at its devices event — Echo Buds, Echo Frames, Echo Studio, and more Editor’s note: Read on for our real-time updates from Amazon’s event. The company published its own rundown of the products announced… Read More
Amazon unveils voice interoperability initiative with more than 30 companies — but not Google or Apple Amazon announced a big partnership on Tuesday called the Voice Interoperability Initiative, taking a stand on how it believes voice… Read More
Play Episode Podcast A reckoning for the gig economy: Why Amazon and Uber are facing new scrutiny over contract workers Play From package delivery to ride-hailing, companies including Amazon and Uber are facing new scrutiny over their use of contract workers… Read More
Amazon to let anyone supply Alexa with answers; company promises safeguards against abuse Amazon today opened up its Alexa Answers program, which lets humans supply answers to queries that the digital brain can’t… Read More
Amazon announces new Fire TV devices, including first smart soundbar and more powerful Cube Amazon’s desire to power your television-viewing experience through its array of Fire TV devices took another step forward on Wednesday… Read More
Apple says Siri will no longer retain audio by default, one-upping Amazon and Google on privacy Siri won’t be so sneaky about snooping anymore. That’s the gist of a new policy announcement and accompanying apology from… Read More
Dimmest bulb on ‘Jeopardy’ is Alexa as Amazon’s A.I. is tasked with turning down the stage lights Alex and Alexa — it’s a match made in geek heaven. Amazon’s recent sponsorship of the popular television quiz show… Read More
Amazon introduces Alexa speed controls, letting users determine how quickly voice assistant talks If only we could do this with certain people in our lives! Alexa will speak up to two times slower… Read More
Earmuffs, Alexa! Amazon to let users opt out of human review of voice recordings, amid scrutiny Amazon became the latest tech giant to let users of its voice assistant opt out of human review of their… Read More
Amazon R&D and infrastructure spending spikes as tech giant staffs up on technical talent Amazon is spending more cash to hire top technical workers in key growth areas as the Seattle company competes for… Read More
Amazon’s newest Alexa accelerator cohort shows how voice apps and business models are maturing Amazon’s Alexa Accelerator is up and running for the third consecutive year as another batch of early stage startups test… Read More
Amazon reportedly working on high-end Echo smart speaker, Alexa-powered home robot Amazon’s hardware R&D teams are keeping busy, as the tech giant is reportedly working on a pair of intriguing new… Read More
UK’s National Health Service taps Amazon’s Alexa to field common medical questions The UK’s National Health Service is making Alexa available to millions of patients in another sign that voice technology is… Read More
Saykara upgrades voice assistant for doctors with independent note-taking skill Seattle-based digital health startup Saykara wants to free clinicians from the mountains of paperwork that await them at the end… Read More
Play Episode Podcast Can virtual assistants make healthcare more human? Startups create voice tech for doctors and patients Play Peek into a random hospital room in the U.S. today, and you might see something that makes you cynical about… Read More
Hey Siri, meet Alexa: Rival AI assistants become neighbors as Apple doubles down on Seattle For years, fixtures in the Bay Area tech industry have been migrating to Seattle in search of comparable jobs with… Read More
I worked out with basketball legend Sue Bird via a new Amazon Alexa skill — here’s what it was like I pretty much rely on Amazon’s Alexa to tell me the weather for the day, read some headlines and play… Read More
Can Alexa help detect a heart attack? Researchers explore life-saving potential of smart speakers At the onset of a heart attack, people often have a few telltale symptoms: pain in the chest or arm,… Read More
Amazon lets developers build premium Alexa content for kids with new in-skill purchasing feature Amazon will let developers build premium Alexa content directed at kids with an expansion of its in-skill purchasing feature. The… Read More
Does Alexa illegally record children? Amazon sued for allegedly storing conversations without consent Amazon’s Alexa is the target of a pair of lawsuits that allege the voice assistant violates laws in nine states… Read More
