Last year, Amazon announced a new initiative, Alexa for Business, designed to introduce its voice assistant technology and Echo devices into a corporate setting. Today, it’s giving the platform a big upgrade by opening it up to device makers who are building their own solutions that have Alexa built in. The change came about based […]
View More Alexa for Business opens up to third-party device makersCategory: Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa goes AWOL for many users
Some Amazon Alexa users are currently having problems reaching the voice assistant. Instead of reacting to commands, Alexa simply says “sorry, something went wrong.” Amazon hasn’t commented publicly yet on the issue. Based on tweets and Down Detector, users began having trouble reaching Alexa around 7AM PST. While some had their connection issues resolved quickly, […]
View More Amazon Alexa goes AWOL for many usersComparing Google Home Hub vs Amazon Echo Show 2 vs Facebook Portal
The war for the countertop has begun. Google, Amazon and Facebook all revealed their new smart displays this month. Each hopes to become the center of your Internet of Things-equipped home and a window to your loved ones. The $149 Google Home Hub is a cheap and privacy-safe smart home controller. The $229 Amazon Echo […]
View More Comparing Google Home Hub vs Amazon Echo Show 2 vs Facebook PortalAmazon’s second-gen Echo Show is a huge step up from the original
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F858307%2F62a8a5cd-9423-484b-83e5-1625c7564157.jpg)
Amazon Echo Show (2nd Gen)
$229.99
The Good
Sleeker design • Larger • vibrant display • Clear room-filling audio • Skills that take advantage of screen work great • Really nice entertainment options • Easy setup
The Bad
Video quality isn’t the best • Many skills underutilize the screen • Lousy camera
The Bottom Line
Amazon’s second-generation Echo Show has a larger screen, booming audio, and fast performance, making the $229 price worthwhile.
Mashable Score4.0
Cool Factor4.0
Learning Curve5.0
Performance4.0
Bang for the Buck3.0
The larger display and sleeker design on the second-generation Amazon Echo Show make a world of a difference over the previous version. That’s good news since, as Echo devices go, the Show isn’t cheap. Not only that, but it essentially serves as Amazon’s reference design of how screens should work with on Alexa-enabled products. Read more…
More about Amazon, Reviews, Review, Amazon Echo, and Amazon Alexa
View More Amazon’s second-gen Echo Show is a huge step up from the originalAlexa is reported down across Europe
Reports are coming in that Amazon’s Alexa service is down in parts of UK, Spain, Germany and Austria. According to Down Detector and Twitter, the problem started surfacing around 8am local time and still continues. Interestingly, some users are reporting the issue is isolated to Echo Dot 2 models and while other Echo devices are […]
View More Alexa is reported down across EuropeAlexa skills can now offer one-time-use purchases, like in-game hints or points
Alexa skill developers will now be able to sell “consumables” within their voice apps, aka Alexa skills, Amazon announced this morning. The company says that, starting today, developers in the U.S. will be able to take advantage of this new feature to sell products to Alexa device owners, which can be purchased, used, then purchased […]
View More Alexa skills can now offer one-time-use purchases, like in-game hints or pointsAmazon’s Alexa is coming to Sony smart TVs and Lenovo Smart Tabs
Amazon wants Alexa to interact with as many people as possible, including the ability to show them things. And that means freeing the virtual assistant from the confines of Amazon’s screen-supporting smart speaker Echo Show or Fire TV, devices that give Alexa a face (and of course a voice). The company announced Thursday at its […]
View More Amazon’s Alexa is coming to Sony smart TVs and Lenovo Smart TabsYour nightstand needs this Alexa-compatible smart alarm clock that’s on sale
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F846981%2F5f8fd1d8-de2a-4011-9618-6dac7a9aee6c.jpg)
Odds are you’ve probably had the same fake-wood-paneled drugstore alarm clock since the Bush administration, or you’ve resorted to setting an alarm on your smartphone and laying it next to your pillow every night.
If any of that sounds familiar, you should check out Vobot. This cute little device is like a combination white noise machine, personal assistant, and stereo, plus it’s fully compatible with Amazon Alexa. It deserves a prime piece of nightstand real estate if you ask us.
SEE ALSO: Best deals for Sept. 17: Save on Apple iPad, Nintendo Switch, FitBit, Amazon Echo Spot, Samsung Galaxy Note9, and more Read more…
More about Amazon Alexa, Alarm Clock, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Stackcommerce, and Tech
View More Your nightstand needs this Alexa-compatible smart alarm clock that’s on saleAmazon could drop 8 new Alexa-powered devices, including a microwave
“Alexa, cook my burrito.”
Yes, that could be our glorious future as Amazon is planning to introduce at least eight new Alexa-powered devices this year, according to an internal document obtained by CNBC.
Some of them will be revealed at an even…
Amazon Echo Dots are coming to every St. Louis University dorm room
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F829485%2Fe56e9047-b098-4749-9283-39b317104776.jpg)
Alexa, can you wake me up for my 8 a.m. class?
St. Louis University in Missouri is equipping all its dorm rooms — more than 2,300 of them — with Amazon Echo Dots that are customized to SLU-specific questions: sports, concerts, speakers on campus, and other collegiate activities.
This is the first university campus to implement personal smart speakers (other higher education institutions like Arizona State University have put devices in shared student spaces), but this is really part of a greater trend of smart speakers taking over communal areas. Read more…
More about University, Amazon Alexa, Echo Dot, Saint Louis, and Tech
View More Amazon Echo Dots are coming to every St. Louis University dorm roomHere’s the only good use for ‘alexa play despacito’ in a Tinder message
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fstory%2Fthumbnail%2F78674%2Ffc4370fc-8755-42ed-b0f3-0c7f13f49ecc.jpg)
Though women named Alexa the world over are likely over the Amazon Alexa jokes, one Tinder user still managed to squeeze one in during a DM conversation.
Reddit user u/weedlewarrior69 shared a conversation with a recent Tinder match named Alexa, in which they decided to take a shot at a classic Amazon joke—a fairly common occurrence these days.
U/weedlewarrior69 asked Alexa how likely it was that she would “unmatch” in response to a joke about Amazon’s AI assistant, to which she replied: “Very likely.” This prompted the response: “this is so sad alexa play despacito”—a reference to one of the best memes of the year thus far. Read more…
More about Reddit, Dating, Tinder, Dating Apps, and Amazon Alexa
Someone taught Amazon’s Alexa sign language
Abhishek Singh, a software engineer and generally awesome person, created a mod that lets Alexa understand sign language. Watch it in action! Read more…More about Amazon, Mashable Video, Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Alexa, and Sign Language
View More Someone taught Amazon’s Alexa sign language