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ChatGPT's voice operation shows that voice assistants will never replace your smartphone
ChatGPT has introduced voice dictation, but there's a reason why it'll never truly take off
Amidst turmoil at OpenAI, the company announced that ChatGPT would soon be able to interact with users via their voices on Android and iOS. Not only can a user speak to ChatGPT, but they'll now receive an audible response, too. While that's cool on the surface, there's a reason voice dictation, a technology that's been mostly mature for many years now, hasn't really taken off. Sure, almost every major ecosystem has its own version, from Amazon Alexa to Siri, but the tech has so many flaws that not even ChatGPT can make it interesting.
Alexa's birthday brings big savings on Fire TV, Echo Show, smart TVs and more
Massive savings of up to 56% on Fire TV, Echo Show, smart TVs, and more for a limited time.
Alexa is celebrating nine years today, and Amazon is offering heavy discounts on some of its best products that support the retailer's digital voice assistant. That means for a limited time, you can score some great deals and save up to 56% on Fire TV, Echo Show, smart TVs, and more.
This smart surge protector might be the best $33 you spend on Prime Day
It works with Apple Homekit, Google Assistant, Alexa, and more
Smart plugs and power strips like this one from Meross make it easy to connect "dumb" appliances to your smart home setup. They're also perfect for those who are dipping a toe into the smart home world. The Meross smart power strip highlighted in this deal is a great option to consider, especially for those who want something simple to get started and don't want to spend a lot of money chasing the best smart plugs out there. The Meross Wi-Fi-enabled smart plug, which usually goes for $41 on Amazon, is currently down to just $33 for a limited time. This surge protector would be a solid addition to your home, and it's also very easy to recommend at the discounted price of just $33 during Amazon Prime Day.
How to listen to Apple Podcasts on the Amazon Echo
Listening to Apple Podcasts on an Amazon Echo device isn't as straightforward as doing so on a HomePod speaker.
The Amazon Echo is a great smart speaker for those not fully invested in Apple's ecosystem. Thanks to its cross-platform support, users with both iOS and Android phones can take advantage of it. And unlike Apple's HomePod, you can download skills on it to further integrate it into the services and apps you actively depend on. This means you can rely on an Amazon Echo speaker to listen to Apple Podcasts. You don't even have to settle for third-party clients since Apple Podcasts is available as an official skill.
How to create an Amazon Alexa skill from Blueprints
If you've ever wanted to create your own Amazon Alexa Skill, it's actually really easy with the company's own Blueprints system.
If you're looking to make your Amazon Echo even more personalized and tailored to your needs and interests, you should definitely consider checking out some of the best Alexa Skills. Skills are like apps for your Echo device that can add new features and functionality. They are developed by third-party companies and can be easily enabled on your Echo through the Alexa app. With Skills, you can ask Alexa to do a whole range of things beyond the standard out-of-the-box functionality, such as getting news updates, setting reminders, playing games, or even ordering food. If you want to create your own Skill, you can do that with Alexa Skill Blueprints, a tool that allows you to easily build and publish your own personalized Skills without needing any coding or development experience. Simply choose from a variety of templates, fill in the details, and you'll have your own custom Skill in no time.
This $70 deal on the 2nd-gen Echo Buds gives you Alexa and ANC support on the cheap
Amazon's Echo Buds (2nd Gen) are currently discounted by $50, and you can grab a unit for just $70. Act fast before this deal expires!
Some last-minute Black Friday deals are still floating around, and you may come across some excellent finds. Amazon's Echo Buds 2nd Gen are one example. These cheap wireless earbuds typically cost $120, but for a limited-time only, you can own a unit for just $70. It's extremely tough to find quality earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) support that cost as little. So if you've been eyeing these accessories, now's the right time to act and buy a pair.
How to customize your Amazon Echo Alexa flash briefing
The Alexa flash briefing is one of the best features you might not be using on your Amazon Echo. Here's how to build your own personal one.
One of the many fun things you can do with an Amazon Echo is to create a morning routine that includes a flash briefing. This flash briefing is designed to serve you up just the news you want to hear without needing to scroll around on your phone. Since it is audio-only, you can listen while you get dressed, while you eat breakfast, or make coffee. Plus, you can also trigger it anytime to get updated during the day. The Sky News briefing, for example, is updated on the hour, every hour.
Amazon reveals Alexa Game Control at Gamescom to play games using your voice
Amazon's Alexa Game Control puts the infamous voice assistant technology right inside your games. And that sounds awesome.
The first big, in-person games event in some time is underway in Germany and one of the early, interesting announcements comes from Amazon. Revealed as part of Opening Night Live at Gamescom, Amazon is launching Alexa Game Control.
Lenovo Smart Clock Essential with Alexa Review: The best smart speaker to put at the side of your bed
Lenovo's second Smart Clock Essential went Alexa instead of Google Assistant, got some new features and a makeover. It's really good.
In a world where a smartphone is charging on every nightstand, the humble alarm clock is a bit of an antique. Or is it? Lenovo certainly doesn't think so with its now second attempt at a smart clock that's part smart speaker. The first one, the Smart Clock Essential, came with Google Assistant. The sequel makes the switch to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant.
How to replace Kinect with Alexa and an Amazon Echo to control your Xbox
Microsoft killing Kinect removed a lot of handy voice control features from the Xbox, but you can get most of them back with an Amazon Echo.
Once upon a time, Microsoft had the Kinect. It was, for its time, an extremely advanced piece of tech that counted among its features full voice control of your Xbox One console. Fast forward a few years and Kinect has joined the great Microsoft tech graveyard. But you can still get voice control for your Xbox game consoles thanks to the Amazon Echo.
Nothing Ear (1) receives Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri support
In a blog post earlier today, Nothing revealed that Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri are now available on the Ear (1). Read on.
The Nothing Ear (1) is a fantastic pair of truly wireless earbuds. Their unique transparent design sets them apart from the competition. And that, combined with great sound quality, ANC, and an affordable price tag, make them one of the best budget TWS earphones on the market. However, the earphones do miss out on one important feature: Google Assistant support. While Nothing originally said it had no plans to add voice assistant support, it seems to be having a change of heart.
Amazon Alexa's web search results told a child to play with a power outlet
When a 10 year old child asked Alexa for a challenge to do, the assistant quoted a news article about a dangerous TikTok challenge.
Amazon's Alexa digital voice assistant has had its fair share of valid criticism over the years, especially regarding how voice clips are recorded and stored. However, Alexa is now under fire for a completely different issue: it told a young child to play with a wall power outlet (sort of).
Alexa smart speakers can now detect more types of sounds
Amazon Alexa speakers can now detect the sound of water running and appliances beeping, and they can activate automated tasks.
Amazon has offered 'Routines' with its Alexa voice assistant for a while now, allowing people to set up multi-step automations that can be activated by a voice prompt or select other triggers (similar to Google Assistant routines and Apple Shortcuts). Alexa routines now have more options for sound-based triggers, including water running and appliances beeping.
WALL-E meets Alexa with Amazon's new Astro home robot
Amazon has announced Astro, a home robot that follows you around your home. It's a combination of Echo and Ring, with a lot of features.
Amazon has been long-rumored to be launching a home robot of some kind, and now we've finally gotten to see it. Meet Amazon Astro, the result of what you get when you cross Disney's WALL-E with Alexa. Astro is being sold as part of "Day 1 Editions", a program that allows consumers to sign up to request an invite when it starts shipping. It effectively saves the company from another disastrous Fire Phone should Astro sell poorly, and means that only enough will be produced for the level of interest that is gained. The kicker, though, is that Astro costs $999 -- initially. Once fully released, it will cost $1,449.99.
Amazon reportedly working on wall-mountable Echo, TV soundbar, and more
Amazon is reportedly working on a wall-mountable Echo, a TV soundbar, and a whole host of other products. Check them out here!
Amazon is reportedly working on a number of new products in new markets. The company is making a massive push in the direction of custom chipsets and interoperability between products. Between an Echo with a wall-mountable screen, a TV soundbar, more advanced car technology, and more wearable products, the company has a lot that it's working on currently.
Amazon Echo Show 8 2021 launched in India for ₹11,499
Amazon has launched its brand new smart display -- the Echo Show 8 -- in India and it comes with an 8-inch display and some new improvements.
Amazon's Echo series of speakers have gained a fair bit of popularity in India over the years. The speakers produce good sound, have smart functionality with Alexa, and can be used to control other appliances. Moreover, Amazon has made these Echo speakers available in the country at relatively affordable prices, at least for entry-level models like the Echo Dot. While the Echo Dot is just a speaker, Amazon's Echo Show is a smart speaker with an in-built display that can be used to view content, make video calls, or control your music. Today, Amazon has launched a newer version of the Echo Show in India -- the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) with some improvements and new features.
You can now trigger Alexa Routines with multiple phrases
You can now trigger the same Alexa routine with up to seven different phrases. Check the post for instructions.
Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, supports a variety of commands. You can use it to play your favorite songs, get weather updates, answer queries, read out the news, and much more. Additionally, you can use Alexa to control smart home devices. On top of that, Alexa offers a feature called Routines that lets you automate tasks based on pre-defined factors or commands.
How to Enable the Male Voice on Amazon Echo Speakers
Amazon's Echo speakers now have a new feature that lets you enable a male voice for Alexa. Here's how you can enable it on your speakers.
Amazon's Echo lineup of speakers is quite popular in most households. They're affordable, have good enough sound quality for most people, and well, they're smart. All the Echo speakers come with Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa, in-built. Alexa can answer your queries, play your favorite tracks, order stuff for you from Amazon, and do a host of other cool things. Until now, Alexa would only communicate with you in a female voice. However, that's no more the case since Amazon has just introduced a new male voice on Amazon Echo speakers, called Ziggy.
Verizon's Alexa-enabled Smart Display will launch in beta this fall
Verizon has confirmed that it will launch an Alexa-enabled Smart Display later this fall. Read on to learn more about the upcoming device.
Verizon has been working on a smart display with 4G connectivity for a while. We got our first look at the device earlier this year in March when it received certification from the FCC. At the time, we learned that the device would feature an 8-inch 1280x800 display, 4GB RAM, a front-facing camera with a privacy shutter, 16GB of onboard storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G connectivity. The FCC filing also mentioned Amazon's voice assistant Alexa and a "Hi Verizon" voice prompt. But it revealed no further details. Now, Verizon has finally confirmed that the Smart Display is real, and it's coming this fall.
Sonos demands action against Google to force voice interoperability on smart speakers
The Chief Legal Officer for Sonos, Eddie Lazarus, has demanded action be taken against Amazon and Google to force voice interoperability.
Eddie Lazarus, Chief Legal Officer at Sonos, has demanded legislative action against Amazon and Google to force voice interoperability between Alexa and the Google Assistant. Sonos has developed a technology that allows the concurrent use of multiple voice assistants. This means that you would be able to call the Google Assistant in one sentence and then call Alexa in the next, without needing to select one or the other exclusively. The problem is that Google prohibits this.