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.
Digital assistants have come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. Starting with Apple’s clunky early iteration of Siri in 2011, it’s only taken a few years to get here, with multiple competitors in common use (including Cortana and Google Now) and dozens of new versions to come.
Amazon has tried for years to build their Appstore into a real competitor to Google Play. Part of that strategy was to give away normally paid apps, and insert ads in place of payment; Amazon helped the developers make money via ads, consumers were able to access normally paid apps for free, and Amazon could build their library of apps.
Portable? Yes. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Enabled? Yes. Rechargeable Battery? Yes. Talk and Touch Control? Yes. Android Tablet With Touchscreen? Yes. Stereo Speakers? Yes. And perhaps best of all, the Clarity Speaker works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Voice services. It’s coming soon and we can’t wait to check it out. Preorder pricing is $149. After that, it is $199.
My family is pretty invested in Amazon’s ecosystem – Kindle readers, Kindle Fire tablets, Fire TV on our main TV, and Echo devices throughout. Perhaps my LEAST favorite of all the Alexa devices has been the Amazon Tap – but now that has been corrected.
LG Electronics had a lot to show off at their Press Conference yesterday but the star of the show was their new Smart InstaView Refrigerator. Yes, at a CES where it’s all Alexa all the time LG rolled out a refrigerator that is not only powered by LG’s own webOS smart platform but also leverages Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service.
To call the FABRIQ speaker cute is a fair assessment. It is fair… but it is incomplete. Because while the FABRIQ is a small, cute, Bluetooth speaker, it is also a smart speaker that integrates with Amazon Alexa, has an affordable $49 price, and offers multi-speaker connectivity. Those last two points, price, and multi-speaker connectivity are an especially nice combination.
Securifi’s Almond 3 Smart Home WiFi System provides expandable wireless coverage for your entire home while also acting as a smart home hub and home security system. The complete system comes with three Almond 3 routers, all of which have touchscreens for simple setup and maintenance and starts at $399.99. It’s an impressive combination of router, home automation, and security. The Almond 3 system sets up a mesh WiFi network throughout your home, meaning that it uses an expandable number of routers to blanket your home with reliable coverage. One Almond 3 will be enough to cover most 1,300 square…
We’ve got two TCL 4K Roku-enabled televisions in our house, and I feel like TCL is one of those brands that isn’t yet well-known, but they should be. TCL products are extremely well made, they work exactly as promised, and they are generally well priced.
I love my Amazon Echo and the way Alexa controls so many of my smart home features; I love the simplicity and power of the Logitech Harmony Hub and Remote, and I especially love the fact that the two now work together. A new Amazon Alexa Skill makes it all possible.
Good riddance! Amazon has finally banned the ultra-shady practice of providing free products for honest and unbiased reviews. This creepy practice was showing up in nearly every review of a second or third tier knock-off product I’d read over the past several months. It seemed especially prevalent in the smartphone accessory category.
Amazon just introduced an updated Fire TV Stick which is priced at $39.99 and due for release on October 20, 2016. The new device looks and acts a lot like the old one with the addition of Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant.
How did you do on Prime Day? Amazon reported its biggest day ever, 60% bigger than last year’s event and ~20% bigger than either Black Friday or Cyber Monday from 2015! Still, some people had difficulties accessing deals, including a high-profile linked deal with Amazon’s Rewards Visa card. The deal provided a promo code “VISA30” that offered $30 off a purchase of $150 on Prime Day when you used the Amazon Rewards Visa for payment. Here was what the offer said:
Good(ish) news-Amazon is bringing back Prime Day tomorrow, July 12th! Prime Day was a bit underwhelming last year, but Amazon is hyping it up big time this year, so hopefully they’ve learned from past mistakes. In the meantime, they’re previewing sales across multiple departments, so it’s really more like Prime week!
Did you get an email from Amazon telling you that you have credit from the Apple eBook Antitrust Settlement? I just got mine, and it was a doozy …
This is a public service announcement for anyone considering buying a Kindle: be sure to get the extended warranty. Why? Because Amazon doesn’t repair them (at all) when they break; the best option you will get (after a bit of haggling) is $20 off a new one. You’ve been warned.
Do you have Amazon Prime? If you do, you probably take advantage of Prime videos and certainly use the free shipping. But it seems like Prime Music tends to be the forgotten child of Amazon’s services, especially in the face of competitors like Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music. But Prime Music is free with Prime subscription, and it’s rapidly improving!
The Amazon Fire Tablet has been an affordable tablet since it debuted at $49.99. Today they’re making it even cheaper and more irresistible for only $39.99! How cheap is that? Well, let’s see what else $40 could and could not get you…
Beginning today you can now officially hail an Uber ride. Connect your Uber account to Amazon Echo and you’re off and running. The functionality allows you to hail a specific class of ride , “Alexa, ask Uber to request an Uber X,”.