Our smart speakers are listening to us all the time. This isn’t really spying, but rather they are listening out for commands so that they can respond whenever we ask a question. However, we totally get it if you feel a bit uncomfortable knowing that a company could possibly be listening to your every word and you don’t know for sure if they aren’t.
Apple’s iPhones and Google’s Android devices come with their own digital assistants in the form of Siri and Google Assistant. One of the advantages of having a native digital assistant is that it is deeply integrated into the operating system, allowing them to do things that third-party digital assistants can’t.
Over the years, Amazon has come up with all kinds of creative ways to help its customers quickly shop for products. This has come in the form of Dash Buttons where these buttons lets users quickly order a product at the press of a button. They also launched the Dash Wand which combines Alexa and a barcode reader.
Back in 2017, Amazon expanded on its Echo series of smart devices with something called the Echo Look. This was basically a smart camera of sorts, where users could rely on AI and also crowdsourced information and feedback to determine if what they’re wearing looks good and to seek out advice on what to wear.
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Bang & Olufsen’s speakers are pretty well-known, and if you are in the market for a new set of Bluetooth speakers, then you might want to check out the company’s Beosound A1. If this sounds familiar, it is because the A1 was originally launched back in 2016, but this particular model is the second-gen model that comes with some changes and improvements over its predecessor.
Have you ever showered midway and realized that you needed to do something but are worried you might forget when you’re done? Not to worry because Kohler has unveiled the Kohler Moxie Showerhead which comes with a built-in speaker that also comes with Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa integrated into it.
When it comes to virtual assistants, depending on the phone and platform you use, you could be using any number of virtual assistants ranging from Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and so on. But if there was a “world’s biggest” title when it comes to digital assistants, would Siri necessarily be a name that comes to mind?
Amazon, Apple, Google, and Zigbee Alliance are teaming up to form a new working group that aims to develop an open standard for smart home devices.The new working group is also referred to as “Project Connected Home over IP“. You can also find a dedicated website for that.Basically, with this new working group, these tech giants are trying to develop a common connectivity standard which can be used for all […]
For those unfamiliar, back in 2018, Amazon acquired Ring. In case you did not know, Ring is a company that makes smart video doorbells, but the company has also since branched into creating security cameras. However, could the company be planning on expanding their portfolio with more smart home devices?
Amazon’s smallest Echo speaker is the Echo Dot. While it is tiny, the downside to the speaker is that it still requires users plug it into a wall outlet in order to keep it powered. This does reduce its portability a bit, but it seems that Amazon has decided to address that by launching a portable version of the Echo speaker powered by batteries.
Software usually requires a certain level of hardware to run, and depending on the application, it could be run by just about any device, or only a device with enough power. This in turn creates limitations since not all devices are created equal, but this is something that Amazon is hoping to overcome as they are eyeing the possibility of bringing Alexa to low-powered devices.
If the idea of being able to stream your Spotify playlists through speakers like those made by Sonos, Bose, or any Alexa-powered speaker, you might not have been able to unless you’re a Spotify Premium user. However, the good news is that Spotify has since announced that they will now allow streaming for its free users as well.