They say that news is what happens to a writer on his way to the bathroom and I’ve recently discovered something fascinating. Alexa – and, to a degree, Siri and Google’s OK Google solution – have become indispensable additions to our home. The kids tell Alexa to turn on the lights and start Netflix. We ask her how to spell words and do basic math. She tells us which day… Read MoreAmazon.com
They say that news is what happens to a writer on his way to the bathroom and I’ve recently discovered something fascinating. Alexa – and, to a degree, Siri and Google’s OK Google solution – have become indispensable additions to our home. The kids tell Alexa to turn on the lights and start Netflix. We ask her how to spell words and do basic math. She tells us which day… Read More
If the Amazon Echo is the face of home automation, a smart home hub is the brains. It sits silently, stuffed under a couch or sat on a bookshelf, connecting all the smart devices around a person’s home. There are a few competing hubs available, but the latest from Wink packs the most connectivity options. This is the second Hub from Wink. Called the Hub 2, it costs $99. The changes… Read MoreWink 2 Hub Review: A smart home hub built for ...
If you need an Uber, Amazon Alexa has your back. Unfortunately if what you need is a conversation buddy, the personal assistant isn’t quite up to the task. In an effort to bolster Alexa’s social intelligence, Amazon is putting $2.5 million into a new university competition to design and build “socialbots” for the platform. Engineers will use the Alexa Skills Kit to… Read MoreAmazon to spend $2.5M on university competition to build “socialbot”
Plex is a pirate’s best friend. It’s by far the best way to get movies downloaded illegally from the computer to TV. Sure, Plex has a handful of useful, legal features, but let’s be honest, its big claim to fame is hosting and serving downloaded movies. And now the company behind the software announced a service where users can stream movies, photos and music stored on… Read MoreMovie pirate? Don’t trust Plex Cloud
Plex is a pirate’s best friend. It’s by far the best way to get movies downloaded illegally from the computer to TV. Sure, Plex has a handful of useful, legal features, but let’s be honest, its big claim to fame is hosting and serving downloaded movies. And now the company behind the software announced a service where users can stream movies, photos and music stored on… Read MoreMovie pirate? Don’t trust Plex Cloud
Of all the products I’ve seen this year, none are more worthy of our time and attention than the Ripple Rug. Created by Fred and Natasha Ruckel, the Ripple Rug is a rug with holes and lumps in it. Your cat can climb inside, stick its paws out, and generally get all up inside that business. It’s 35 inches on each side and made of recycled plastic bottles.
Why is the Ripple Rug so… Read MoreThe Ripple Rug: You know, for cats
Wireless speaker system maker Sonos announced two software partnerships today with Spotify and Amazon. The Spotify integration allows users to control their Sonos speakers via the Spotify app, essentially turning each Sonos speaker – or all of them – into a Spotify Connect system. The Sonos/Amazon partnership is a bit more interesting. Your Sonos speakers will be able to work… Read MoreSonos partners with Amazon, Spotify for enhanced music control
Amazon wants to do what it does best, selling subscriptions with a competition-beating value prop. This time around, it hopes to provide a subscription music streaming service for $4 or $5 per month, with the catch being that only Amazon Echo own...
Amazon said to plan cut-rate streaming music for Echo devices
Amazon-owned Audible announced a new service called Channels today, one that differs from its typical audiobook business in offering more bite-size content from original content producers, as well as recordings of news stores from NYT, WSJ, The Washington Post and others. The original programming will be rolling out over time, covering comedy, investigatory journalism (think Serial) and… Read MoreAudible’s new Channels audio content subscription service is a bet ...
I’ve spent the last week trying to pretend the new Kindle Oasis is the same as reading a real book. It’s not. I love books. I love Kindle’s e-readers and was hoping this was the melding of the two. That real book feel was part of the inspiration for the latest Kindle in the family and why it comes with a protruding one-sided grip handle able to flip from left to right… Read More