Alexa is an intelligent personal assistant developed by Amazon.com's Lab126, made popular by the Echo. She is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic and other real time information. Alexa can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation hub. Most devices with Alexa allow users to activate the device using a wake-word (such as Echo), other devices require you to push a button in order to activate listening-mode. Currently, interaction and communication with Alexa is only available in English.
All stories in Amazon Alexa
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Study: AI expert Gary Marcus explains how to take AI to 'the next level'
The field of AI, especially in the realm of deep learning, is at an inflection point. We're either going to break on through ...
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2010 – 2019: The rise of deep learning
No other technology was more important over the past decade than artificial intelligence. Stanford's Andrew Ng called it ...
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300-word review: The Sonos Move is a great (but pricey) wireless speaker
Reviews are great, but often they're just too long. This is why we're doing a 300-word review! This time round, it's on the ...
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[Best of 2019] Think about privacy the next time you ask Alexa the weather
As long as voice assistants are on the rise, data privacy should be too. The market is now saturated with voice assistants ...
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Amazon's 2nd Gen Fire TV Cube is a great buy — if you don't have the original
Amazon beefed up its Fire TV Cube with a few new hardware upgrades, refreshing it for the 2019 market. It's undoubtedly better ...
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A laser pointer can trick your smart devices into opening your doors, starting your car
A thief lies in wait across the street, hiding in the bushes and waiting for the lights of your television to go dark. Once ...
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Amazon's roadmap for Alexa is scarier than anything Facebook or Twitter is doing
Amazon has big plans for its virtual assistant. One day, perhaps sooner than you think, Alexa will take a proactive role ...
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Vulnerability in Asus Wi-Fi software put users at risk of fraud and robbery
A data leak in Asus Wi-Fi software made it possible for hackers to sniff your data and hijack your smart home devices, including ...
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CHEAP: Stop, thief! There's $90 off a Ring Video Doorbell 2 and an Echo Dot
Video doorbells are cool. That's a fact. But what's even cooler is getting $90 off a Ring Video Doorbell 2 and an Echo Dot. ...
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Alexa can now speak Español in the US
Alexa users in the US can now speak to their devices in Spanish. Better yet, you can alternate between English and Spanish ...
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CHEAP: Begone, darkness — these Philips Hue lightbulbs are only $10 each
Smart lighting is cool. That's a fact. But something even cooler is discounted smart lighting. Like this Philips Hue lightbulb ...
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Apple and Google suspend monitoring of voice recordings by humans (Update: Amazon too)
Apple is globally suspending the use of Siri voice recordings after reports emerged that contractors hired by the company ...
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CHEAP: Light up your life with this Philips Hue starter kit for $55
Do you enjoy controlling your lights without even lifting a finger? Then this Philips Hue 3-bulb starter kit might just be ...
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Every Alexa and Echo device Amazon announced this week in one handy list
Amazon hosted a massive hardware event this week, announcing a cavalcade of new Alexa-enabled and IoT devices. Make no mistake: ...
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Amazon forays into wearables with Alexa powered-glasses and smart ring
Along with a ton of other connected devices, Amazon announced an Alexa-enabled ring (Echo Loop) and glasses (Echo Frame) ...
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Amazon's new Echo Studio promises high-end, 3D sound with Dolby Atmos
Amazon revealed an onslaught of new devices today, and among them was its first 'high-end' speaker: the Echo Studio. Amazon ...
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Amazon's Alexa assistant now speaks Hindi
Amazon officially today announced the integration of Hindi language in Alexa voice assistant, allowing users to issue voice ...
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Fitbit's $199 Versa 2 goes on sale September 15
Fitbit's latest fitness tracker/smartwatch, the Versa 2, was introduced a couple of weeks ago, but the company did not provide ...
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CHEAP: A Philips Hue starter kit (with white & color bulbs) for $110? SÍ, DA, JA, YES!
If you've been looking to get some smart lights in your house, now's the time — there's a great deal on this Phillips Hue ...
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PRIME CHEAP: At $22, who cares if the Echo Dot is spying on you?
Welcome to PRIME CHEAP, our series about things that are good, cheap, and part of Amazon’s Prime Day sales. Hey, we gotta ...
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PRIME CHEAP: A 4K Fire TV Stick For $25? This must be a mistake
It's Prime Day! That means one thing: deals. And right now there's an amazing offer on Amazon's 4K Fire TV stick media streamer. ...
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UK Alexa users can now get answers to medical questions right from the NHS
The NHS teams up with Amazon's Alexa digital voice assistant to help answer medical queries with advice from the service's ...
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Amazon confirms it retains your Alexa voice recordings indefinitely
Amazon has confirmed that it keeps Alexa transcripts and voice recordings indefinitely, and only removes them if they're ...
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How to install and use Alexa on Windows 10
Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, ...
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Full moon patents: Futuristic airplane ‘slingshot’ and Google’s painted solar panels
Ugh, the Gregorian calendar is so boring. That’s why we’re disrupting monthly series with a lunar cycle-based series ...
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Fewer parents are naming their kids Alexa or Siri
The tech industry seems to be destroying the popularity of human names.
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Why Alexa and Siri won't function as robot helpers
“Alexa, are you ready to have a body?” Steady advances in artificial intelligence and natural language processing have ...
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PSA: You can now delete your voice recordings with an Alexa command
Amazon is now rolling out a pair of Alexa voice commands that allows you to delete voice recordings without using its website. ...
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Review: Brilliant's smart home controllers are the antidote for smart-speaker hell
My home is inundated with smart speakers. I've got Echo Dots aplenty, Google Minis to spare, and enough third-party voice-assistant ...
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CHEAP: Binge into oblivion with $1,000 off an LG 4K smart TV
LG's TVs are on discount now. LG OLED65C9PUA Class 2019 model for $2,499 ($1,000 off) or LG C8 of OLED65C8PUA class for ...
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CHEAP: Irritate the ancient with 25% off a pair of Sonos One speakers
Old folks just can't handle the new tunes, make sure you're in the latter camp by taking advantage of this amazing offer ...
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CHEAP: Get 3 (yes, a whole 3!) Amazon Echo Dots for only $70! WOW!
With Easter fast approaching, the deals are coming out in full force. Today, you can get three of Amazon's Echo Dots for ...
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Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant are changing how we interact with the world by doing it for us
Innovation shapes our daily experiences, offering us the chance to seize the convenience offered by modern technology. Since ...
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Amazon's plan to rival Apple AirPods is about more than selling you earphones
Bloomberg reports that Amazon is working on wireless earphones, similar to Apple's AirPods - but with support for the Alexa ...
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You’re teaching Alexa to be an asshole
“Shut up, Siri!” “Screw off, Alexa!” We’ve all heard people berating their voice assistants, often in colorful ...
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Sorry, I’m too busy planning our smart home to help pack
A smart outlet review from a guy who is shopping for smart gadgets on the internet instead of helping his family pack for ...
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Review: Optoma's UHL55 is a versatile and flawed 4K projector with Google Assistant and Alexa
There's no home theater experience quite like a giant projected screen. TVs get bigger by the year, but once you cross the ...
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How AI will change storytelling and become the next great art form
We spoke to Fable founder and executive producer Edward Saatchi about the future of VR, art, entertainment and AI. Get ready ...
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Alexa gets a Sims 4 integration, while Sims get an off-brand in-game Alexa
The Sims is now available on Alexa as an experience featuring trivia, music, and interesting facts. Your Sims also have their ...
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Amazon adds its new Alexa Voice Remote to its Fire TV Stick
Amazon has updated its streaming hardware, the Fire TV Stick, with a new controller: the Alexa Voice Remote. Oh, and it's ...
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Polk's Alexa-enabled soundbar now supports multi-room music
Polk's Comand Bar is the first third-party Alexa-enabled smart speaker to offer multi-room music support. Say that five times ...
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What Amazon’s Alexa microwave teaches us about interacting with AI assistants
Does it make sense to put a voice assistant in your microwave? Amazon, the leader in smart speakers and voice assistants, ...
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For some bewildering reason the new Petcube has Alexa support
At CES 2019, Petcube announced the launch of two new products: the Petcube Bites 2 and the Petcube Play 2. Oh and they have ...
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How you can teach AI to speak Welsh (and other minority languages)
Pioneering smart home technologies and voice assistants don’t, as a rule, speak Welsh – although the Welsh government ...
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Day 13 of TNW’s Advent Deals: Sonos, HP, and 23andMe
This holiday period, Plugged is running a very special advent calendar. Over the course of 12 days, we’ll be sharing a ...
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These are the 10 coolest Kickstarter campaigns of 2018
Kickstarter is always a mixed bag. On the one hand, there are some of the most innovative products on Earth, all in one place. ...
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What Amazon’s Alexa microwave teaches us about interacting with AI assistants
Does it make sense to put a voice assistant in your microwave? Amazon, the leader in smart speakers and voice assistants, ...
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How to prepare your business for voice search
By 2020, 30% of search is voice-conducted. Here's how you prepare.
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Forget Siri: Here's how to use Google Assistant on your iPhone or iPad
It's safe to say the digital assistant wars are over. Siri, arguably, is awful, and the clear-cut favorite in the space is ...
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Shark S87 robotic cleaning system: A great vacuum with bad AI
I remember a time not so long ago where robot vacuums would set you back $1,000 or more and prove more work than they were ...
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5 lovely predictions on how Alexa will change our behavior
Happy birthday Alexa! Four years after her birth as a new kind of house servant, let’s blow out the candles, take a ...
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Animation reveals what could be Google's new 'Pixel Stand'
A new accessory for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL could give Alexa devices a run for their money. The Pixel Stand, as its reportedly ...
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Alexa isn't the shopping behemoth Amazon hoped it would be
Voice shopping was supposed to be the future. Remember? Both Amazon and Google touted a world where barking a simple command ...
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Amazon Echo review: Alexa's a great listener, but is awful at search
Amazon Echo review: The nine-inch tall cylinder is designed to be a personal assistant but it still feels very much like ...
