Amazon has just announced its next step toward safe and secure package delivery via its Amazon Key services. Amazon Key In-Car has been launched in some 37 markets around the U.S. where the delivery driver will place packages inside your GM or Volvo vehicle.
Toyota has introduced a revamped RAV4 model at the New York International Auto Show. The all-new 2019 Toyota RAV4 is focused on offering premium tech to the popular small sport utility vehicle. Toyota has also introduced an all-new Sporty Hybrid Grade model, the XSE Hybrid.
I’ve had a couple Amazon Echo Dots for about a year now. I thought they were great. Then this past Christmas, I picked up a couple Google Home Minis just because I wanted to check them out. Now Amazon’s Echo Dot has been pushed to a backup system as I think the Google Home system is so much better.
When we saw the Frywall on Shark Tank, Raina said, “That’s genius! I want one of those.” I neglected to order one, and the next time she cooked the kitchen was covered with oil. So I ordered one from Amazon. At $21.95 for the 10″ and $28.95 for the 12″, it is pricey, but it does exactly what it promises.
Sonos has seemingly put the final nail in the coffin for the extremely overpriced HomePod by announcing a deal that will get you not one, but TWO Sonos One speakers for the same $349 you would get for Apple’s latest speaker.
Amazon is listing all variants of the new Google Pixelbook as 10% off for users of Amazon Prime Student. Models available include the Google Pixelbook i5 with 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage, Google Pixelbook i5 with 8 GB RAM / 256 GB storage, and the Google Pixelbook i7 with 16 GB RAM / 512 GB storage.
There are very few laptop brands that non-tech geeks recognize. They’re aware that Samsung, HP, and Dell make PCs, but the one laptop that evokes an “Oh yeah, those are supposed to be great, right?” is the ThinkPad.
Both Greg and I love the Jabra Elite Sport Buds. They are comfortable, sound amazing and offer a ton of features. Now Jabra has announced three new Elite Series headsets– the Jabra Elite 65t, Elite Active 65t and Elite 45e that have Amazon Alexa integration baked in. I, for one, am pretty darn excited to try out them out.
It seems like everyone is coming out with smart speakers this fall. New to the game is 808 Audio. They recently released the XL-V Smart Speaker. It includes voice-control for Alexa, Bluetooth and is priced at $129. It looks similar to the original Amazon Echo, and it’s a good option if you are in the market for a smart speaker.
I’ve been a huge fan of Ultimate Ears speakers and have always impressed with both sound and aesthetics. In fact, the ROLL 2, BOOM 2 and MEGABOOM serve as our poolside speakers all summer long. (Check out all the reviews!) Now the company has announced the BLAST and MEGABLAST. They look amazing and have Amazon Alexa hands-free voice control baked in.
The Apple/Amazon ebook feud was settled several years ago, and last year big credits started hitting people’s accounts. These were reimbursements for overpaying for ebooks at the time, determined by the price fixing contracts that had gone on between the publishers and the ebook sellers. Apparently there’s been a recalculation, because several of us at Gear Diary received an additional amount in settlement credits! These credits work just like the last ones; you can buy anything you want at Amazon, and the credit is good for six months. There’s been a few versions of the credits, from ebook-specific credits to…
After years insisting their system be as closed as possible with regard to everything but the streaming music services with which it has partnered, Sonos has finally moved into the “smart speaker” space. With the launch of the Sonos One, Amazon Alexa will be available out of the box with support for Google Assistant sometime in 2018.
I love my Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and FABRIQ Speakers with Amazon Echo built in. Now Amazon has gone to town with not one, not two, but a host of new products that expand the Echo lineup. They look great, cover a lot of ground and I can’t wait to get my hands on a few of them.
Amazon is not kidding around when it comes to their acquisition of Whole Foods. They proposed to Whole Foods at the end of June, and their merger goes through on Monday! This is like the corporate equivalent of a shotgun wedding, but no one’s pregnant (we hope). All joking aside, Amazon has already laid out some of their plans for Whole Paycheck Foods, and the message is clear: Prices are going down, and get your Prime membership ready!
The ever-popular Amazon Echo smart speaker is back on sale. Normally $179, Amazon has the device listed for $99. Previously we’ve seen it drop as low as $159.98 for two (with coupon code).
It wasn’t that long ago that the only Nokia phones you could buy were Windows OS Phones; I remember one of my gadget wishes being that Nokia would release their same fabulous hardware but with it running Android. That day has come, and the Nokia 6 is an excellent combo of Nokia’s fab hardware with Android OS.
Hulu Live TV (currently a beta) launched in early May of this year, and immediately put competition like SlingTV, DirecTV Now, and others to shame. Boasting 50-plus channels, multiple accounts and DVR for $40 sounds like a Cord cutter’s dream. And starting today if you have an Amazon Fire TV, you can experience it for yourself. Initially, when launched, the Live TV service worked primarily on five devices: Apple TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android mobile devices, including the Google Chromecast. However many cord cutters, including myself, longed for the service to create an app for the Fire Stick. Well,…
A few months ago I spoke on how my home is almost exclusively connected to Apple’s HomeKit, and with the recent addition of Koogeek’s P1 Smart Plug, my Smart Home has gotten that much more advanced.
Did you know that there is an Amazon service that offers great deals on unlocked phones? Check out Prime Exclusive Phones; today they are extending their lineup to add the new Nokia 6, the Alcatel IDOL 5S, the Alcatel A50, the Alcatel A30 PLUS, and the MotoE4.
Amazon just added a Sirius XM skill allowing users (All Access or Streaming Subscription required) to listen to SiriusXM channels on any of their Amazon Echo devices. SiriusXM joins existing music services Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Tunein Radio as music integrations that work on Amazon Echo devices.
It’s no secret that Amazon’s Echo devices are popular. The AI that powers the system, named Alexa, allows owners to do a lot of unique things, like ordering new products with voice commands or even controlling smart home technology. The space is really starting to get competitive with Google Home, and now what is rumored to be an Apple-branded smart voice assistant. That’s right — rumors claim Apple will be launching a smart speaker that will house Siri, the company’s own AI personality.