Amazon Alexa

How to use Alexa’s Drop In and other communication features

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ April 22, 2020

No matter how big or small your home is, there’s sure to be a time when you yelled to someone in another room. Whether to tell them dinner is ready or that you need their help with something, we have all been there. But luckily, if you own an Amazon Echo speaker you don’t have to holler anymore!

With Alexa on your device and your Amazon speaker in the other room, you can communicate without shouting. We’ll show you how to use Alexa’s Drop In feature along with additional communication options that can help you finally stop the yelling.

How to use the Alexa app for your alarms, reminders and timers

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ April 21, 2020

Siri is a great assistant and HomePod is a terrific smart speaker. But these aren’t the only players in the game, right? Maybe you don’t want to spend the money on an expensive HomePod and appreciate that other assistants exist besides Siri.

Alexa and Amazon Echo are excellent alternatives. Plus, you don’t have to have an Amazon smart speaker to use Alexa because the app works on your iPhone without one.

If you want to give the Alexa app a try for your alarms, reminders, and timers, with or without a speaker, here’s how to set them up.

How to set up and play Spotify on Alexa

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ April 20, 2020

If you enjoy listening to music on your devices, then you may have more than one app for it. Apple Music is a terrific choice that lets you play songs and playlists on any of your Apple devices. But Spotify is another great option for hearing the tunes you love.

With Alexa, you can easily tune in and turn on your Spotify music. Whether on your iPhone or Amazon smart speaker, here’s how to set up and play Spotify music with Alexa.

How to play Apple Podcasts on Alexa and Amazon Echo

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ March 3, 2020

We’ve covered a few helpful articles for using Alexa and Amazon smart speakers with Apple services like Apple Music and iCloud Calendar. And now we’ll show you one more; how to play Apple Podcasts with Alexa.

If you own an Amazon speaker instead of a HomePod, like the Amazon Echo, then this is super handy. You can listen to the Apple Podcasts that you subscribe to while making dinner, changing a diaper, or folding laundry because you don’t need to pick up your Apple device.

LG’s 2020 8K TV lineup features eight new TVs with AirPlay and HomeKit integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 3, 2020

LG's lineup for this year includes TV sets with up to 8K resolution and support for Apple's AirPlay 2 media streaming protocol and the HomeKit software for the connected home.

Apple, Google, Amazon and others team up on an open standard for smart home devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 18, 2019

Apple, Amazon, Google and the Zigbee Alliance are establishing a working group tasked with the creation of a royalty-free connectivity standard smart home devices.

You can now ask Alexa to play Apple Podcasts on your Echo-enabled speaker

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 13, 2019

Amazon and Apple today expanded their existing partnership that enables Echo owners to use Apple Music by introducing support for Apple Podcasts.

Lasers can control Siri and other voice assistants: Researchers

Peter Cohen ∙ November 5, 2019

Researchers in Japan and the United States announced they'd found a way to hijack voice assistants including Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Siri using lasers and other focused beams of light, according to a report in the New York Times.

Apple staffs HomeKit team to compete with Google, Amazon

Peter Cohen ∙ October 28, 2019

Apple is playing catchup with Amazon and Google by putting new recruiting efforts into its smart home device plans, according to a new report by Bloomberg. Apple is adding personnel to its smart home software and hardware effort, according to the report.