Amazon updated their line of Kindle Fire HD 10 tablets today, adding a new aluminium version. The new metal construction looks and feels much more premium than the plastic that preceded it, but it’s available at the same price.
The Amazon Echo is a pretty basic idea – a speaker for the home, with an voice-controlled AI assistant that can answer questions, add items to your shopping list or play music. The tech industry at large seems to have taken to the Echo – and Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant – and now we’re seeing other major firms work to get their own Echo alternative on the market. Google announced Home, its own speaker-cum-AI last week, and now a new report suggests that Apple is working on exactly the same thing. Here’s what we know so far.
Amazon’s vocal assistant Alexa is the cornerstone of its recent releases, popping up in the Echo speaker, the Echo Dot and the Tap… but none of these devices have yet come to the UK. It’s also coming to the Triby, as we reported earlier, but that device hasn’t been updated with Alexa support yet. What’s a Brit to do? If you have some basic programming skills, then one answer could be just to build your own Alexa-powered speaker… and Amazon have revealed exactly how to do it.
Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant is at the heart of its coolest recent product, the Echo home speaker. The virtual assistant is improving quickly to rival Siri and Cortana, with lots of useful integrations that let it control your lights, answer questions, order an Uber or adjust your house’s temperature. Amazon announced Alexa is coming to two new devices this week, the Amazon Tap and the Echo Dot. Both are interesting takes on the original Echo, designed to be used in slightly different environments.
Triby is a fridge-friendly connected speaker for the kitchen. Designed to be used by families or coworkers, the magnetically-attached unit boasts integrated calls and messages, radio and Bluetooth speaker functions and a cheerful, rugged exterior. It’s also the first third-party device that will support Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant (more on that later). For now, let’s take a closer look at what’s possible with the Triby!