Alexa

Apple’s AirPods are the most popular earbuds on the planet, as most of our readers know. There are also several AirPods deals right now that can save you some money. Even with those discounts, however, you shouldn’t get any new AirPods model if you’re an Amazon Alexa user.You probably love using Alexa in your house to answer questions, play music, control smart home devices, and more. It’s such an important tool in our everyday lives now. But did you know that the fun doesn’t have to stop once you leave your…

Amazon’s massive online marketplace and its disruptive nationwide distribution network are obviously both impressive. Especially now that Amazon has overtaken UPS and FedEx as the biggest delivery business in the US. But it’s possible that neither one is Amazon’s crowning achievement at this point. Instead, it might actually be Alexa, which has become absolutely essential to countless millions of people out there.Everyone knows Alexa, and everyone is familiar with common Alexa devices like Echo speakers and Echo…

You're suddenly thrown into a situation where you must perform CPR to save a life. Oh, no — you don't remember anything from that course 15 years ago.You might think a quick "Hey, Siri" would pull up the instructions quickly and clearly, but that's absolutely the worst thing to do. In a recent study, researchers asked voice assistants about cardiac arrest emergencies. Yep, it was a complete disaster.We’re giving away a $1,000 laptop! Enter to win right now here. Good luck!TECH LIFE UPGRADES SMARTER THAN THE STUFF ON…

In September 2023, Amazon announced the Echo Hub, “Amazon’s first smart home control panel that makes connecting and managing smart devices intuitive,” in the US for USD 179.99. Back then, the company said that it would make the product available to purchase in the country later that year. However, that didn’t happen. Well, after a delay of a couple of months, Amazon has finally made the Echo Hub available to purchase in the US. You can purchase it in the ‘Device only’ configuration for USD 179.99, which comes with a…

During a recent investigation, researchers posed cardiac arrest scenarios to voice assistants. The results were highly unfavorable.Although voice assistants such as Siri or Alexa are frequently relied upon for tasks like weather updates or setting timers during cooking, using them in critical situations may not be advisable. While it's hoped that individuals never encounter a medical emergency, it's cautioned that relying on Siri or Alexa for assistance in such scenarios should be avoided.As reported by Fox News, a recent…

The Aamoth household is comprised of five human beings and five Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.While these Alexa devices are most commonly used to play music and set timers, they’ve also drastically cut down on the yelling between the various floors of our house.That’s thanks to two powerful, kinda-sorta overlapping features common to Alexa speakers: Drop In and Announcements—both of which can be used as an ad-hoc home intercom system.Here’s how to set it up yourself.First, the devicesYou’ll need Alexa-enabled speakers, of…

June Wan/ZDNETZDNET's key takeawaysStarting at $269, the Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen)In the hierarchy of smart glasses, you can think of the Echo Frames as the entry-level pair, ideal for users who want something discrete but with just enough technology to scratch that consumer itch. I've worn a few too many pairs of smart glasses over the past year, and these from Amazon may be the most normal-looking of them all. That's a good thing, as I learned during my flight to CES in early January.Also: Amazon unveils way to…

The most famous virtual valets around today—Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant—are a lot less impressive than the latest AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT or Google Bard. When the fruits of the recent generative AI boom get properly integrated into those legacy assistant bots, they will surely get much more interesting.To get a preview of what’s next, I took an experimental AI voice helper called vimGPT for a test run. When I asked it to “subscribe to WIRED,” it got to work with impressive skill, finding the correct web…

Amazon abandoned its $1.4 billion acquisition of Roomba maker, iRobot, on Monday after regulators in the European Union threatened to block the deal. The deal’s implosion means the robot vacuums, and the company’s maps of 40 million floor plans across the globe, will not join the growing list of smart-home devices Amazon uses to collect information about you.Uh Oh, Amazon Bought Your Favorite Robot Company“We’re disappointed that Amazon’s acquisition of iRobot could not proceed,” said David Zapolsky, Amazon SVP and…

June Wan/ZDNETZDNET's key takeawaysStarting at $269, the Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen)ZDNET RECOMMENDS Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen) Smart audio glasses that come with lens options for blue light filtering, prescriptions, and shades. In the hierarchy of smart glasses, you can think of the Echo Frames as the entry-level pair, ideal for users who want something discrete but with just enough technology to scratch that consumer itch. I've worn a few too many pairs of smart glasses over the past year, and these from…