Amazon Echo

Apple may not be building Siri-powered Amazon Echo rival after all

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2017

Tim Bajarin, writing for Time magazine, is claiming that Apple may not be building an Amazon Echo rival after all. Instead, he said, the company could be more interested in turning Siri into a ubiquitous feature across its device lineup.

“After talking with Apple executives, I've come away with the impression that they're more interested in turning Siri into an omnipresent artificial assistant across devices, rather than designing a single device specifically to serve as a Siri machine,” he said.

Amazon working on premium Echo model with 7″ touchscreen to “fend off competition”

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 29, 2016

Bloomberg's well-informed Mark Gurman reported Monday that online retail giant Amazon is developing a brand new premium model of its Echo wireless speaker that will feature a built-in seven-inch touchscreen in an effort to “fend off competition” from Google's Home device and Apple's rumored entry into the connected home market with its own Siri-powered hardware.

Amazon may release a higher-end Echo device, known internally as “Knight,” early next year. It will target kitchens and cost more than the current Echo models.

Bloomberg: Apple’s Echo-like Siri appliance is now in prototype testing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 31, 2017

Apple's rumored Amazon Echo-like Siri hardware has exited the company's research and development lab and is now in prototype testing, Bloomberg reported Friday. The project started more than two years ago, but Apple is now “pressing ahead” with the development of its unnamed Siri-driven smart home appliance after Amazon's Echo proved a surprise hit, even to Apple engineers working on the project.

Amazon wants to create a $5 per month music service just for Echo owners

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 23, 2016

Owners of the Echo wireless speaker with built-in Alexa assistant may soon be treated to Amazon's new music-subscription service that charges half as much as competing offerings from Spotify, Apple, Google and others. The bargain-priced music service should cost between $4 and $5 per month, Re/Code reports, and would only work on Echo hardware.

You no longer need Amazon’s Echo speaker to enjoy Alexa

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2016

If you've ever wanted to take Amazon's Alexa digital assistant for a spin but bulked at the though of dropping $180 on the company's Echo wireless speaker, now you can.

Originally started by Nexmo developer Sam Machin at a hackathon in 2015, a web-based Alexa simulator runs in any standards-compliant web browser.

Apple’s Amazon Echo rival could detect users via built-in camera and facial recognition

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 27, 2016

Apple's rumored Amazon Echo rival, which we learned yesterday could actually be an upgraded Apple TV, will have a built-in camera and use facial recognition to detect users as they enter the room, said the people briefed on Apple's plans who spoke to CNET on condition of anonymity.

Upon recognizing a user, the device would pull up their preferences, such as the music and lighting they like, the sources said.

Check out Home, Google’s Amazon Echo killer

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 18, 2016

During the keynote presentation this morning which kicked off Google I/O 2016, the Internet giant previewed its much-anticipated entry into the voice-activated home device market in the form of a new appliance, named Google Home.

With a built-in Google Assistant that also powers Duo, a new smart messaging app coming to iOS and Android this summer, Home lets you retrieve information from the Internet, get answers to simple questions and carry out basic tasks—using your voice and the familiar “OK Google” wakeup phrase.