Tag: Alexa
Amazon introduces new Echo devices including Echo Pop, Echo Show 5
Amazon today introduced a new lineup of Echo products —the all-new Echo Pop, Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 5 Kids. In addition, Amazon announced that the latest generation Echo Auto is now available in the UK. Says Eric Saarnio, vice president, Amazon Devices International: “These new devices give customers more options and more utility…
Amazon Devices and Service launch: 8 products coming to UK
Yesterday saw a whole raft of new product announcements at Amazon UK's London HQ, from the Kindle Scribe to new Echo devices and a Ring camera. Chris Price gives the lowdown on the new devices that are coming to the UK... 1. Kindle Scribe: Undoubtedly the headline grabber of the event was the Kindle Scribe…
Parkopedia launches voice-assisted parking for US drivers
Connected vehicle services provider, Parkopedia, has launched a new Amazon Alexa Skill for voice-assisted parking in the US. According to the American Automobile Association, a record-breaking 43.6 million Americans were estimated to have driven to their destinations during the July 1–5 period alone last year - the highest on record, and 5% more than the…
Smart speaker sales plateau in US, claims research
The smart speaker revolution is coming to an end in North America as sales numbers plateau. However, growth elsewhere in the world suggests that the revolution lives on elsewhere, says new research from Omdia. According to the latest smart speaker report from Omdia, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for smart speaker annual shipments in North…
Tech Digest daily roundup: Watching TV in self-driving cars will be allowed
People using self-driving cars will be allowed to watch television on built-in screens under proposed updates to the Highway Code. The changes will say drivers must be ready to take back control of vehicles when prompted, the government said. The first use of self-driving technology is likely to be when travelling at slow speeds on…
Tech Digest daily roundup: Meet Astro, Amazon’s house robot
Amazon is launching Astro, its first household robot, powered by its Alexa smart home technology. The company said it can be remote-controlled when not at home, to check on pets, people, or home security. It can also patrol a home automatically and send owners a notification if it detects something unusual. Amazon said it was…
Tech Digest daily round up: Alexa to get male voice, Ziggy
Amazon is rolling out a brand new voice for Alexa that will give users a more masculine option over the assistant’s default voice, and it even comes with its own new wake word. Named Ziggy, this deeper-voiced alternative has certainly been a long time coming for Alexa compatible devices. Much like the celebrity voices of Shaquille O’…
Charity develops smart speaker tool for product recalls
A new development for smart speakers could help to prevent fires in UK homes. The add on, compatible with Google Home and Alexa, will inform users, when prompted, if a manufacturer has issued a product recall. The response rate to electrical product recalls in the UK is typically low mainly due to products not being…
Tech Digest daily round up: Branson goes into space before Bezos
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson has announced his plan to reach space nine days before Amazon boss Jeff Bezos by taking part in a test flight for his company Virgin Galactic. In a video posted on Twitter, the Virgin Group founder introduced himself as "Astronaut 001" and said he will be "evaluating the customer space flight…
Tech Digest daily round up: AirCar completes 35 minute flight
A prototype flying car has completed a 35-minute flight between international airports in Nitra and Bratislava, Slovakia. The hybrid car-aircraft, AirCar, is equipped with a BMW engine and runs on regular petrol-pump fuel. Its creator, Prof Stefan Klein, said it could fly about 1,000km (600 miles), at a height of 8,200ft (2,500m), and had clocked…
