Amazon unveils $79 Echo Dot Kids Edition, shipments start in May

Amazon seeks to widen its smart speaker lead with a new product intended for children's use, that comes pre-packed with parental controls, and access to some of Amazon's subscription services included in the purchase price.

Stephen Silver 8 years ago 29

Amazon touts 100M Prime users as Apple quietly passes a quarter-billion paid subscriptions

Apple now has a customer base of more than 250 million paid subscriptions across its Services offerings of Apple Music, iCloud and App Store continuing payments. Viewed against Amazon's recent announcement of 100 million Prime members, that figure is substantial. But Apple is also adding around 30 million new subscriptions every quarter.

Daniel Eran Dilger 8 years ago 30

Lennar now integrating Amazon Alexa surveillance into new home construction

Major U.S. home builder Lennar, along with other regional home builders, has partnered with Amazon to install multiple Echo microphones into new housing together with Alexa-controlled light switches, thermostats and even door locks that grant access to Amazon delivery workers—creating a wider threat of Facebook-style corporate surveillance and invasions of privacy.

Daniel Eran Dilger 8 years ago 49

April Fools: get ready for the worst jokes in the tech industry

Every year, several companies—most notoriously Google—float various unfunny, excessively long dad jokes on April Fools Day. But rather than waste your time detailing these latest flat attempts at humor in tech, why not take a moment on April 1 to take a look at the really foolish stuff the tech media serves up virtually every day?

Daniel Eran Dilger 8 years ago 64

Amazon docs suggest original TV shows drew in over 5M more Prime members

Perhaps explaining Apple's rush to air original TV shows, internal Amazon documents claim that the retailer's own ventures into TV managed to pull in some 5 million Prime subscribers between late 2014 and early 2017.

Roger Fingas 8 years ago 9

Amazon continues to claim top spot in Harris reputation poll, Apple plummets to 29th

In the annual poll that measures the reputations of various major companies, Apple has dropped all the way to 29th, after years in the top five.

Stephen Silver 8 years ago 22

'Hundreds' of employees at Amazon's headquarters out of a job

Amazon may be preparing to build a second headquarters, pitting various cities against each other with the promise of staggering amounts of new jobs — but that doesn't mean the jobs of its current corporate employees are necessarily safe.

Stephen Silver 8 years ago 7

Amazon allows iPads to make calls through Alexa app to contacts using Echo devices

Amazon has expanded the usability of its Alexa calling and messaging via the Alexa app to tablets, allowing iPad owners to be able to make and receive free calls to and from friends and family members who own an Echo device from the retailer's growing range.

Malcolm Owen 8 years ago 0

Amazon Alexa's 'Follow-Up Mode' enables successive requests without trigger word

In an attempt to stay one step ahead of the virtual assistant competition, like Apple and Google, Amazon recently released a new feature that allows users to ask multiple questions in succession without repeating the "Alexa" wake word.

AppleInsider Staff 8 years ago 20

Amazon Echo users report strange 'laugh' sound randomly played by Alexa [u]

Reports of a strange error from owners of Amazon's Echo device range have surfaced, claiming the Alexa digital assistant is making an odd 'laugh' sound at random times, with the noises sometimes made without any verbal prompts, commands, or external forces interacting with the voice-activated speakers.

Malcolm Owen 8 years ago 35

Smart speaker assistants compared: Siri vs. Alexa vs. Google Assistant

Apple's HomePod brings Siri into the home for the first time, but how does the virtual assistant stack up against established technologies like Amazon's Alexa and Google Home's Google Assistant? We put the latest versions of each smart speaker to the test in this video comparison.

AppleInsider Staff 8 years ago 32

Amazon to stop sales of all Nest products as battle with Google intensifies

Customers will soon be unable to find products made by Google-owned Nest on Amazon, a result of a decision the online retail giant made to not to carry the smart home device maker's latest gear, a report said on Friday.

Mikey Campbell 8 years ago 30

Amazon's Alexa goes quiet on Echo devices amid AWS disturbances

Alexa, Amazon's digital assistant used by the Echo device range, is suffering from service outages that are affecting a number of users in the United States, issues that are likely to be caused by a regional outage of Amazon Web Services in Northern Virginia. (Update from Amazon)

Malcolm Owen 8 years ago 24

Video: Apple HomePod vs. Amazon Echo 2nd generation

Apple's HomePod is more than twice as expensive as Amazon's second-generation Echo, incorporates a less capable virtual assistant in Siri and is limited to Apple's ecosystem of service. So why would anyone choose it? It's all about sound quality.

AppleInsider Staff 8 years ago 38

Amazon acquires smart doorbell manufacturer Ring, HomeKit still on the way [u]

App-enabled doorbell manufacturer Ring has been bought by Amazon, adding to its lineup of security-related home automation products — but work and certification of HomeKit for the Ring Pro and Floodlight are still ongoing.

Mike Wuerthele 8 years ago 23

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