U.S. smart speaker owners grew 40 percent over 2018 to now reach 66.4 million – or 26.2 percent of the U.S. adult population – according to a new report from Voicebot.ai and Voicify released this week, which detailed adoption patterns and device market share. The report also reconfirmed Amazon Echo’s lead, noting the Alexa-powered smart […]
View More Over a quarter of U.S. adults now own a smart speaker, typically an Amazon EchoCategory: smart speakers
Alexa’s new Song ID feature can announce what music is playing next
Amazon today is launching a new feature called “Song ID” that aims to help users discover music they like, using Alexa. When enabled, Alexa will announce the title and the artist name before playing each song while you’re listening to a radio station, playlist or new release on Amazon Music over your smart speaker. The […]
View More Alexa’s new Song ID feature can announce what music is playing nextThe Jibo home robot just sang its own death knell
Ignored in life, not celebrated in death. It’s time to say goodbye to the robot everyone has already forgotten about.
The Jibo home assistant — think of it as a cuter Amazon Echo without all the features — just announced its own retirement to bewildered owners around the world. The smart speaker, introduced to technology enthusiasts back in 2014, was meant to usher in an era of “social robots.” Instead, in the form of a message broadcast to customers, it said it would mostly cease to function after its servers are turned off.
Videos of the news were posted to the Facebook Jibo owners group on March 1, and later shared on Twitter. Read more…
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Put Alexa and a JBL speaker in your ceiling with this clever LED downlight
This light makes the smarthome even more accessible. Installed as any other ceiling downlight,the June AI downlight features Amazon Alexa through an integrated JBL speakers. There’s a light in there too. The idea is great: make the smarthome invisible. Instead of having an Amazon Echo sitting on a table, this device sits in a person’s […]
View More Put Alexa and a JBL speaker in your ceiling with this clever LED downlighteMarketer: Amazon took 2/3 of smart speaker sales in 2018, but Echo will feel the squeeze in 2019
Smart speakers that let you control services and other connected devices in your home will continue to be a popular gift choice during the holiday season and into next year, when usage is set to rise by 15 percent, to 74.2 million people in the U.S., working out to 26.8 percent of the U.S. population, […]
View More eMarketer: Amazon took 2/3 of smart speaker sales in 2018, but Echo will feel the squeeze in 2019Sonos delays Google Assistant integration until 2019, private beta to launch in 2018
Sonos today announced that Google Assistant will not be available on its products until at least 2019. The service was supposed to launch in 2018 but the company said in a blog posting it needs a bit more time. Additional information about timing will be released in early 2019, Sonos says. Eager customers can sign […]
View More Sonos delays Google Assistant integration until 2019, private beta to launch in 2018Alexa 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 makersNielsen: U.S. smart speaker adoption grew to 24% in Q2 2018, 4 in 10 own more than one
In the second quarter, the adoption of smart speakers – like Amazon Echo and Google Home devices – grew to 24% in the U.S., up from 22% the prior quarter, according to new data from Nielsen, released this week. The measurement firm took a look at how consumers were using their speakers, when, as well […]
View More Nielsen: U.S. smart speaker adoption grew to 24% in Q2 2018, 4 in 10 own more than oneAmazon leaks Alexa-powered smart plug and a subwoofer for your Echo
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Amazon is rumoured to launch eight new Alexa-powered devices at some point this year, and here are two that could be part of its arsenal.
Spotted by Pocket-Lint on Amazon UK, the first product is the Echo Sub, designed to add more oomph to your Echo speaker setup.
The Echo Sub carries a 6-inch down firing woofer, and can be paired wirelessly with one or two Echo devices.
Amazon Echo Sub is a plug-and-play subwoofer to boost your Echo music https://t.co/uzDbbcawvf @Christhall pic.twitter.com/GTTIMu7D11
— Pocket-lint (@Pocketlint) September 19, 2018 Read more…
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View More Amazon leaks Alexa-powered smart plug and a subwoofer for your EchoGoogle Home Mini was the best-selling smart speaker in Q2
Amazon’s Echo Dot may have been a bestseller on Prime Day, but Google’s Home Mini device is now the top-selling smart speaker worldwide, according to a new report out this morning from Strategy Analytics. The analyst firm says Google’s small speaker accounted for 1 in 5 smart speaker shipments in Q2 2018, edging out the […]
View More Google Home Mini was the best-selling smart speaker in Q2Investors are tuning out Sonos after a disappointing quarter
Sonos stock is still struggling to recover after a disappointing earnings report sent shares of the audio hardware manufacturing company plummeting. The stock is currently down over 18 percent in trading on the Nasdaq after yesterday’s news that the company lost 45 cents per share on revenues of roughly $208 million for the quarter. The […]
View More Investors are tuning out Sonos after a disappointing quarterAmazon Alexa’s new ‘Answer Update’ feature will notify you when Alexa learns something new
Amazon confirmed it’s rolling out a new feature called “Answer Update” to Alexa device users over the next week, which will notify users when Alexa learns the answer to a question the assistant didn’t know when first asked. The idea is to allow people to better take advantage of Alexa’s quickly improving Knowledge Graph – […]
View More Amazon Alexa’s new ‘Answer Update’ feature will notify you when Alexa learns something new