Video chat was always one of Echo Show and Spot’s biggest selling points. But until now, the products have been tethered to Amazon’s own software. This week, however, the company took another big step in its ongoing relationship with Microsoft by adding Skype calling to mix. Now just about every Echo device past and present […]
View More Amazon Echo devices can now make Skype callsCategory: echo
Pandora Premium arrives on Echo and other Alexa devices
Pandora Premium is finally available on Echo devices. The streaming music company this morning announced its top-level paid subscription tier will launch across Alexa-powered devices, including the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show, as well as on all third-party Alexa devices that support Pandora. The company’s free, ad-supported music service has been available on […]
View More Pandora Premium arrives on Echo and other Alexa devicesTidal arrives on the Amazon Echo
One key thing the HomePod has on the competition: streaming service synergy. It’s an important advantage at the heart of the premium smart speaker. While both Amazon and Google have their own streaming options, they pale in comparison to the top services, so third-parties are really the way to go. Amazon’s just added another key […]
View More Tidal arrives on the Amazon EchoJimmy Fallon will tell you bad jokes on your Amazon Echo
Want the voice of one of the most annoying men in America to tell you even more annoying jokes? Now you can!
Jimmy Fallon unveiled a new partnership with Amazon on his Tonight Show on Monday. For the next month, if Echo users ask Alexa to “tell me a …
Echo vs. Echo Dot: What’s the difference?
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F882171%2Fde7d5036-c0c2-4b1b-8a32-970a65f8c69f.png)
The smart home concept is increasingly becoming the norm. Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in voice recognition assistants and connected devices to make our busy lives more seamless. With a few speaking commands, we don’t have to lift a finger to play music, stream content, turn off the lights, or pick up the phone to call family members. With these advanced products, we can take the stress out of daily life tasks and have time for things we really enjoy.
With this technology boom though, it can be hard to transition your home from “basic” to “smart-home” status. First, there’s the whole convenience factor, considering some gadgets can be too complicated to use or require advanced Wi-Fi to operate. Plus, smart living doesn’t always come cheap, because you’ll most likely be dropping major bucks to access hands-free control, voice recognition, and other advanced features. Seriously though, who has the budget to replicate the high-tech pad in Disney’s Smart Home movie? Read more…
More about Echo, Speakers, Echo Dot, Mashable Shopping, and Shopping Amazon
View More Echo vs. Echo Dot: What’s the difference?50 best stocking stuffers: Gift ideas for guys, girls, adults, teens, and everyone in between
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fstory%2Fthumbnail%2F83223%2Fdb5079fc-4fa8-4f25-aea2-3cf2f6260cf2.png)
Gift guides are taking over again — gift ideas for him, gift ideas for her, and suggestions for every ultra-specific person in between seem to be everywhere you look. But one thing that’s often left until the last minute? The beloved stocking stuffer.
Whether you’re gifting on a budget, have a spending limit within your gifting circle, or need a tiny-but-expensive gift to add as a surprise, small stocking stuffers are a necessity.
But let’s be clear: Just because stocking stuffers need to be small in size doesn’t mean they should be dinky and worthless. Fake poop or an emergency clown nose are technically cheap and technically fit in a stocking, but we doubt anyone was dying to open those. Sure, it’s funny for a minute and you’ll be the class clown for the day, but you know it’ll end up in their junk drawer. Your friends and family will appreciate a Bluetooth tracker or wine stain remover way more. Read more…
More about Echo, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Amazon, Shopping Linkshare, and Gift Guide 2018
Amazon is beefing up Alexa with real-time election data
Alexa can’t vote, but Amazon’s digital assistant can help you do it.
In the run-up to election day in the U.S. (Nov. 6, if you weren’t sure), Amazon is giving Alexa a more civic mind by beefing up the assistant’s knowledge base of election data, incl…
Alexa for Business opens up to third-party device makers
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 makersAmazon Echo Dot (2018) review: Alexa’s gateway drug is more potent than ever
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F870017%2Fc5ebf69f-f276-426e-8305-d5c7424e6fa4.jpg)
Amazon Echo Dot (2018)
$49.99
The Good
Good sound • Can pair with another Echo Dot for stereo • Elegant design • Still affordable
The Bad
Sound lacks bass • Power cord is now proprietary
The Bottom Line
Amazon’s 2018 refresh of the Echo Dot turns its entry-level Alexa product from a merely passable audio experience into something much more pleasing to the ear.
Mashable Score4.25
Cool Factor3.0
Learning Curve5.0
Performance4.0
Bang for the Buck5.0
The Echo Dot may be the most important piece of hardware Amazon has ever made.
You heard me. Not the Kindle. Not the original Echo. Certainly not the Fire Phone. While the first Amazon Echo unlocked the possibilities that go hand-in-hand with voice, it was the Dot, with its simple design and more affordable price, that made that experience ubiquitous by putting it in every room. Read more…
More about Amazon, Reviews, Echo, Echo Dot, and Smart Speaker
View More Amazon Echo Dot (2018) review: Alexa’s gateway drug is more potent than everAlexa can now reserve conference rooms
Amazon is debuting a new feature that will allow businesses to use Alexa for booking conference rooms. The addition is part of the Alexa for Business platform, and works with linked calendars from either Google’s G Suite or Microsoft Exchange, as well as over an API, arriving soon. The feature is part of Amazon’s broader […]
View More Alexa can now reserve conference roomsEcho Show 2 review
With the original Echo Show, Amazon added a new dimension to the smart speaker. To critics, the device was little more than a station tablet. For Amazon, however, the product unlocked a new vertical in the rapidly expanding category. The day to usefulness wasn’t always clear, but the potential certainly was, as Amazon and the […]
View More Echo Show 2 reviewAmazon Echo Dot 3 review
Amazon has sold a lot of Echo Dots. Like a crazy, silly, unfathomable number of the things. Over the past two generations, it has arguably become the single-largest driver of the smart speaker craze. There’s nothing exceptional about the product, of course. It’s a simply designed hockey puck of a product, designed to mostly stay […]
View More Amazon Echo Dot 3 review