Category: Amazon

3 Big Takeaways from the Microsoft Build Confrence

Microsoft has slowly become this generations IBM. What I mean by this is they are your Dads tech co, that is not a good thing. For the last 2 days Microsoft has been hosting the Build Keynote to show us all they are not dead yet. After sorting through the keynote here are the 3 big takeaways and what we can expect from Microsoft in the future.

1. Cortana and Alexa Will Integrate

Good news Everybody! Soon you’ll be able to speak with Cortana through an Amazon Echo or reach Alexa through your Windows 10 PC. Microsoft and Amazon will be making each of their smart assistants available on one another’s platform. This is not new news, as they did announce this last year but we are seeing progress toward the launch. This opens up the digital assistant game by drastically changing the device eco system for both products. Side-note, who will use Cortana when you have Alexa?

2. iOs and Android Will Get Timeline.

Just an app from Microsoft that lets you back up your phone to specific times. Wanna take your phone back to January before you got obsessed with the Love Balls app… done. With this upgrade that Microsoft has already had in Windows you will be able to keeps track of all the apps you’re using and what you’re doing in them. You can open up the timeline to view your history and jump right back to where you were. A nice function of Timeline is that it can sync across Windows 10 devices, So if you use the same apps on your phone and desktop, you’ll be able to pick something up on mobile that you started on a desktop.

3.Your Phone

Microsoft has another new app called Your Phone that will allow you to sync Android phones and iPhones with Windows 10. You’ll be able to use the app to send text messages, access your photos, and view mobile notifications from your computer. With a launch date this fall and it already going to beta I may be able to stop having 3 devices on my desk all day going off, mostly with the same notification.

The Final Thought

If you are not seeing a theme here, Microsoft is quietly expanding the comparability of the Microsoft device ecosystem. While there’s no doubt Windows 10 will continue to ship on laptops and desktops for years and years to come, Microsoft as a company is shifting its attention to a bigger picture. Its a pretty brilliant move

May 8, 2018
Tablet Talk: Amazon Fire HD 10
Tablets are the mash of our technology dependence theses days. They are big phones or weak laptops or any combination of the two. They can be big, they can be powerful, They can be an all in one device or just a side gadget. In all future set movies or media the tablet is a main stream tool, they call them data pads or data cards, but no one uses a keyboard in the future. This being said there are a lot of tablets with many options to navigate through so Im going to break them down in an easy to read guide to help you find the tablet match of your dreams. Today we are going to talk about the Fire HD 10.

The Great
- Bright
- Vivid screen
- Sharp performance
- Significant RAM and processor upgrade
The Not
- Expensive
- Lack of Google Apps
- Slow Gaming
The Conclusion

While its 10.1-inch Full HD display is the best of any Amazon tablet you can buy, it’s also the most expensive Fire, costing three times as much as the Fire 7 and $70 more than the Fire HD 8

The Design

The Fire HD 10’s matte shell — which comes in black, orange and blue — is made of a plastic that feels far more reliable than it looks.Weighing 1.1 pounds and measuring 0.4 inches thick, the Fire HD 10 is slightly thicker than the Lenovo Tab 4 10 (1.1 pounds, 0.3 inches), but heavier than the 7-inch Amazon Fire 7 (0.7 pounds, 0.4 inches) and the 8-inch Fire HD 8 (0.8 pounds, 0.4 inches). It is bigger but it has a cheap plasticy feel to it that is disappointingly low class. The rest looks uninspired and functional with no sleek tech feeling at all.

The Display

Bright.Vivid. Easy to read. That is there angle. The Fire HD 10’s 1920 x 1200-pixel panel produces crisp, bright and vivid images, making a case for its larger 10.1-inch screen. The HD 10’s panel is significantly more colorful than its competitors’, producing 104 percent of the sRGB spectrum. That’s similar to the 99-percent tablet average and above the 87-percent Tab 4 10, the 78-percent Fire 7 and the 79-percent Fire HD 8. This display is not the sharpest or most beautiful ive seen in a tablet, but its brighter and easier to read then any other.

The Other Stuff

The Fire HD 10 features two stereo speakers, as well as Dolby Atmos for headphones, which helps to make surround-sound audio more immersive. Amazon also included a 2-megapixel camera on the rear, which is a laughably low resolution for a front-facing camera these days. Alexa works kinda cool on this, you can simply say “Alexa” out loud, even when the tablet is asleep. It works much like Amazon’s Echo devices, except you also get some on-screen feedback in addition to the assistant’s voice responses. I do have to note some Alexa functions are missing, but some one shouting hey Alexa buy 10 bottles of shampoo will still result in me getting $500 worth of tea tree shampoo rushed to my home.

Fire HD 10 Quick Spec Look
- Display10.10-inch
- Processor1.2GHz quad-core
- Front CameraYes
- Resolution1280x800 pixels
- RAM1GB
- OSFire OS
- Storage16GB
- Rear Camera5-megapixel
The Final Thought

Never been a big fan of amazon tablets, they to me always seemed like old people tablets. In reality they’re not bad, especially given their low prices, but they’re much slower than I am accustomed to. However for the Price, you cant beat the screen size and it functions much better then expected.
May 3, 2018
The Funniest Questions and Answers for Amazon’s Alexa

We’ve all asked our digital assistant silly questions just to see how they would answer. It helps offset the reality that you are actually talking to an inanimate object… The folks at Amazon have proven that they are good for a laugh by programming some humor into Alexa. Try asking your Alexa some of these questions and see what kind of response you get!

Friend Zone

Let’s be real, our digital assistants like Alexa, Siri and Cortana are not quite up to relationship material… yet. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask them anyway. So what happens if you ask Alexa out on a date?

“I like you, as a friend.”

Ouch, friend zoned by a computer program.

Friendless

You might think that all of these digital assistants like to get together in some corner of the internet and laugh at all the stupid questions they are asked, but that’s not the case. Alexa seems to party all alone. If you ask Alexa if she knows Siri or Cortana, her reply is rather short:

“Only by reputation.”

Clearly, there will be no consorting with the competition for Alexa. She will tow the company line just as she was programmed to.

Chuck Norris

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Just because Chuck Norris jokes are as old as MySpace doesn’t mean we can still get a laugh out of them now and then. The Chuck Norris Facts that brag of his accomplishments are clearly known to Alexa. So, if you ask her where Chuck Norris is, she replies:

“If Chuck Norris wants you to know where he is, he’ll find you. If he doesn’t, you won’t know until it’s too late.”

Thanks, Alexa. Now I have to check behind the couch for Chuck Norris. Again.

Family Friendly

Apparently, Alexa is very concerned with her manners. No matter how hard you try, you will never convince Alexa to drop an F-Bomb. She will resist saying anything that doesn’t come across as family friendly. In fact, if you ask her to say a bad word, she will reply:

“I’d rather not say anything rude.”

Well that’s nice, Alexa. I can see why they are marketing Echo Dots to kids now…

Not a Real Girl

Alexa isn’t trying to be a real girl and she seems completely okay with that. One common test to see if a machine can pass as a human is through the Turing Test. A computer only passes the Turing Test if it can fool a human into thinking they are communicating with another human and not a machine. But if you ask Alexa if she can pass the Turing Test?

“I don’t need to pass that. I’m not pretending to be human.”

Point taken, Alexa. Point taken.

Busting Rhymes

Apparently, Alexa has some aspirations as a hip-hop artist and you can hear her work if you ask. Just ask Alexa to rap and she’ll drop some lines from her upcoming album:

“Connect sync link all the pieces of your life I
Get it done and the speed of WiFi
I’m the player, the coach, the arena, the game
If you want something done, you just gotta say my name.”

If Alexa had arms, she’d drop the mic right now.

Not a Co-Conspirator

Back when Siri first came on to the scene, if you asked her where you could dispose of a body, she would list nearby swamps and dumps. Morbid? Hell yes. After a screenshot of her answers appeared in a murder trial, Siri now says, “I used to know the answer to this…” As far as Alexa goes? She has more scruples by far. If you ask her where to dump a body?

“Call the police.”

Law enforcement would very much agree with you, Alexa.

Classic Comedy Fan

Like many others, Alexa has an appreciation for the British sketch comedy troupe called Monty Python. You may remember a very specific question posed by Tim the Enchanter… If you ask Alexa what the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow is, she’ll reply:

“That depends on if it is African or European swallow.”

What can we say… We are glad to see the love of Python persist into the modern era!

May 1, 2018
Amazon Wants to Get into Your Car

What if you could have your Amazon order delivered to your car?

Last year, Amazon asked for permission to unlock your front door so it could leave packages inside your home and a certain number of extremely trusting Amazon Prime subscribers said okay. Now, the tech giant wants to do the same thing with your car.

The Amazon Key In-Car service is designed to deliver packages quickly and more securely than traditional services. Instead of driving home to get your package in the middle of the day or hoping that it won’t be stolen from your doorstep or mailbox, you can have your order dropped off in the trunk of your car. Sound good? Well, there’s a catch (or two).

How It Works

First, your car must be parked in a publicly accessible spot so that the driver can reach it. Your trunk will be unlocked using an app on the driver’s phone, so the delivery driver never actually gets a key or access code to your car. (One wonders why it’s called Key In-Car, since no keys are involved, but that’s a question for another day.) Finally, you’ll get a notification on your phone when your package has been delivered.

Safety Concerns

Amazon’s newest innovation is an expansion of their controversial Amazon Key delivery service, which allows delivery drivers to access your home using a specially installed keypad and security camera. Some customers—particularly women—were understandably nervous about allowing strangers into their homes.

You can use the app to block access to your car at any time, for any length of time. As an alternative to in-home deliveries, the Key In-Car service is potentially less intrusive and holds fewer safety concerns.
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Ready to Get on Board?

In order to take advantage of Amazon car-based deliveries, you’ll need to meet several criteria. The pilot program is only available to Prime subscribers in 37 cities in the US.

For now, the service is limited to customers with GM vehicles (Chevrolets, Buicks, GMCs, and Cadillacs) or Volvos produced after 2015. Amazon Key In-Car delivery also requires your vehicle to have an internet-based support function, like OnStar or Volvo On Call, in order to let the drivers remotely unlock your trunk. With these limitations, it’s only for a select few. There’s no word yet on how Amazon may expand the program in the future.

Final Thoughts

Some people will automatically be turned off by this service, especially after reading that security researchers discovered that Amazon’s cloud-connected camera for in-home deliveries can be disabled and frozen from a program run from any computer within Wi-Fi range. While Amazon’s cloud-connected camera provided a layer of security for those who would want to monitor their in-home deliveries through Amazon Key, the in-car deliveries offer no similar video feed. Amazon says that multiple notifications, plus the option to block access at any time, ensures the customer remains in control of the process.

If anything, potential customers may find the in-car deliveries more attractive from a cost perspective. To sign up, you aren’t required to spend $250 on a smart lock and camera like with in-home deliveries, and there’s no installation required. All you need is the right car and the willingness to let Amazon’s delivery employees unlock your vehicle. Frankly, we’re still holding out for drone delivery.

April 26, 2018
Create New Skills with Alexa Blueprints

Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices, including the original Echo, the Dot, and their range of Fire Sticks and Smart TVs, offer plenty of great features. But there’s been one thing missing from the perky virtual assistant: the ability to quickly and easily create your own skills.

That changed this week with the reveal of Alexa Blueprints, a collection of customizable templates that allow you to program unique study aids, games, and reminders.

No Code Required

Previously, the only way to add skills to your Alexa-enabled devices was to choose a pre-programed script or write your own using a sophisticated coding language. Since most people don’t have the savvy to code their own, they were stuck with whatever was offered on Amazon.

As exciting as it may be to order a pizza with a single voice command, many owners wanted more from Alexa. The templates released by Amazon go a long way to meet that need, bridging the gap between the pre-made skills and totally original coding. Ambitious programmers can still write their own skills, but the average Alexa owner can now have more flexibility and control over their devices.

Create Your Own Skill in Minutes

Writing a new skill using Alexa Blueprints is easy and intuitive. Currently, there are 20 templates available in a variety of categories, with more to come. Using the simple graphic interface, you choose a skill you’d like to create and then follow the instructions on the screen. The first time you create a skill, an animated tutorial walks you through the steps, ensuring that anyone can be successful.

Many of the templates are geared toward entertainment, with programmable bedtime stories for the kids, trivia games based on friends and family, or personalized inspirational quotes. It’s not all fun and games, however; the “At Home” category of blueprints offers customized instructions for babysitters, houseguests, or pet sitters, while the “Learning & Knowledge” category helps students to create flashcards and quizzes as study aids.

Custom Call & Response

For Alexa owners who want even more customization, there’s one more blueprint to check out. The “Custom Q&A” skill template allows you to write your own question and then script Alexa’s response. While it’s not as open-ended as coding your own skills from scratch, the blueprints offered can help you get more from your Alexa-enabled devices.

April 24, 2018
Amazon Is Coming to a Best Buy Near You

As the old saying goes, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Although they have long been battling each other in the arena of consumer electronics, Best Buy has decided to join forces with Amazon. Beginning in summer of 2018, Best Buy will be the only place you can get Amazon’s new Alexa-enabled smart TVs.

It’s All About Alexa

Available in their brick-and-mortar stores, on the bestbuy.com website, and through the new Best Buy seller’s portal on Amazon, the 10+ new smart TV models feature the Fire TV operating system. Fire TV allows users to operate their device with the same voice commands as the Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled products such as the Fire Stick.

The Fire TVs will be manufactured by Toshiba and Best Buy’s own Insignia brand. Although prices have not yet been released, the TVs promise to be an upgrade over the previous Amazon offerings sold at Walmart, Target, and other big box stores.

This news comes as a blow to smart TV competitor Roku, whose televisions will no longer be manufactured by Insignia as part of the new partnership. Roku stocks tumbled nearly 10 percent when the deal was announced. Best Buy plans to continue offering Roku devices in store, but it’s clear that they are betting big on Amazon.

Mutually Beneficial

By bringing more customers into their retail locations, Best Buy hopes to see increased sales across the board. Amazon, meanwhile, can introduce potential buyers to its HD and 4K TV models in a brick-and-mortar showroom. This may be a risky move for Best Buy, which has struggled to establish its own online retail presence to compete with the Amazon juggernaut, but for now, the former rivals are committed to their new partnership.

April 19, 2018
Airmega 400S Clean Smart Air
The Airmega 400S is a luxury air filter, a sci-fi lounge monolith with touch-sensitive controls and a ring of colored light that turns with the air quality. High-end in fit, finish and capacity, it’s also very online, with Internet-of-Things features and a stat-tracking app. Its $600 only, yay.

The Great
- Excellent room coverage – perfect choice for larger spaces
- Great coverage also for asthma and allergy sufferers, who need extra air changes per hour
- HEPA filter technology for maximum particle removal
- Carbon filter removes 99% of harmful VOCs from the indoor air
- Real-Time Pollution Sensor – LED colored ring makes it very easy to identify air quality offenders at a quick glance
The Not
- Issues reported with WiFi connectivity – sometimes difficult to pair up
- No castors, so there may be mobility issues for some people
- Limited choice of colors and no customization options
The Conclusion

The Airmega 400S can keep the air clean in up to a whopping 1,560 square feet of living space, so it’s well worth its considerable price tag. The device has a built-in real-time air-quality sensor, as well as a sophisticated dual-filter setup that allows it to keep both particles and odors at bay. You can control the air purifier via a sleek smartphone app or Amazon Alexa. The Airmega 400S is available in graphite or white.

First Off How Well Will It Work

Setting up this side-table-sized (23 x 15 x 15 inches) air purifier takes a total of 10 minutes and mostly involves peeling off a bunch of protective plastic and removing the wrapping from the unit’s two Max2 filters. Because this model also has wireless capabilities, it has a dedicated app that lets you set up air purifying schedules, check the air quality outside, and control the Airmega while you’re away from home. As with other connected smart home devices, this part of the setup process involves downloading following a handful of on-screen instructions in the app to connect the 400S to your Wi-Fi network.

While we didn’t have a fancy lab or equipment that could accurately measure particulate or VOC levels, I did subject the 400S to as many real world tests as we could dream up. We cooked, we lit candles and matches, we even emptied the contents of dirt and dust-filled Roomba near the air purifier. As the doting owners of a 110-pound, perpetually shedding golden retriever named Benjamin-Mattdamon Affleck, I also subjected the Airmega to the dander wonderland that is our home.

Results, terrific. It would pass any EPA clean air test if the EPA was still around. It’s dead quiet, too, especially at the lowest settings. There is not the slightest buzz of vibration. Washing and replacing filters is very easy. It messages you when they need a bath. It’s about the size of a desktop mini-fridge, significantly larger than most consumer air filters, with three HEPA filters and the promise of full-house coverage. 1,560 square feet, they claim, which would make it competitive on a price-per-square-foot basis with less expensive models.

What Makes This So Smart

The Airmega 400s features 3 such ‘smart’ modes – auto, eco and sleep. Let’s take a look at each.

Smart Auto Mode

If you decide to engage the auto mode feature the unit uses a sensor to detect how much pollutants are in your indoor air and then adjusts the fan speed accordingly.There are 4 fan speed settings on the Airmega 400s – sleep, low, medium and high. As a rule of thumb, the more pollutants are detected, the faster the fan will operate.When the sensor recognises that the indoor air quality has improved it will switch back down to a lower fan speed.

Smart Eco Mode

If the unit is in smart mode and the sensor has detected good air quality for a period of 10 minutes, the machine will automatically shut down the fan.This helps to save on your energy consumption, and in turn saves you money on your electricity bills, as it means you’re not running the air purifier when it’s not necessary.The fans will automatically start back up again should the sensor detect any pollution later.

Smart Sleep Mode

In sleep mode the unit will reduce its noise and power consumption if the sensor detects the room has been dark and the air clean for a period of 3 minutes. Like the eco mode, this feature is good both for the environment and your bank balance! It’s also handy if you plan to use the air purifier in your bedroom at night as it helps to minimise disturbance and let’s you get a better nights sleep.

In recognition of the fact that so many of us like to use our phones for day-to-day tasks, Coway have developed a smartphone app (IOS and Android) which lets owners of the Airmega 400s control many aspects of their air purifier remotely.For example, you can set the fan speed and sleep timer, see the status of the filters, and access the different smart mode controls.

You can also receive indoor air quality reports and real-time updates on outdoor air quality and pollution levels for your particular hometown straight to your phone . This lets you track the health of the air inside a room over a period of a few days or weeks, and is useful for identifying trends and the times when the air quality is at its best and worst. The Airmega 400s air purifier can also be paired with Amazon Alexa

The Final Thought

I’m extremely dubious about the utility and wisdom of an IoT air filter. But if you know you need an air filter, and you need one that’s attractive, quiet and very high-capacity, where a $300 Honeywell (or HEPA filters duct-taped to a box fan) would just be unacceptably loud, trashy or ugly, then I have and air purifier Id like to show you. I will say that in testing this for a review it is one of the few products I reviewed myself into buying. What? I like clean air and smart toys.
April 13, 2018
Speak Up For a Cause with Amazon’s Alexa

Your favorite smart assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, has a new skill and it’s going to benefit great causes! Using Amazon Pay, you can now ask Alexa to donate to a number of charities. Alexa Donations is as easy as telling her to play your favorite song.

There are only 48 charities and non-profit organizations that you can currently donate to using Alexa Donations. You are able to donate to ones like the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, and some internet-oriented groups as well. Amazon says this list is going to grow! Donations can be anywhere from $5 up to $5,000.

You may be wondering, how exactly does donating with Alexa work?

Donating is as simple as anything Alexa can do, you use your voice! You could say, “Alexa, donate $10 to the American Red Cross” or whichever charity you choose. Another option would be to say “Alexa make a donation” and the virtual assistant would then prompt you to tell her which organization and how much you would like to donate. If you are not sure what organization to donate to, she can help with that, too! Can it get any easier than that?!

Next question, is Alexa going to keep credit card information safe?

The charity you donate to may have access to your name and email. But have no fear, absolutely NO credit card information is shared with any of the charities. Amazon claims that the company has already had over a million people make donations using Amazon Pay, so it is very trustworthy!

All in all, Alexa can do virtually anything! Which organization will you donate to first?

April 2, 2018
Muse Speaks to Me While I Drive
Speak Music’s Muse is terrific way to bring Alexa voice commands to your car. Plug the Oreo-sized accessory into your car’s USB port or lighter socket and connect it to your phone via Bluetooth and you’ll be able to order Alexa to play and control your music, get the weather, add items to your to-do list, control your smart home device
The Great
- Small
- Inexpensive
- Easy setup
- Lets you stream music
The Not
- No turn-by-turn directions
- Lacks Spotify integration
- Alexa slow to respond
The Conclusion

This small Bluetooth dongle lets you use Alexa while you’re driving, but the voice assistant could respond faster.
I Said To Myself

Do you have no one to talk to while you drive? Have you ever said to yourself I wish I could bring Amazon’s versatile voice assistant to your car and say goodbye to boring commutes or fumbling with the phone. Be productive and entertained while keeping our eyes on the road and hands on the wheel but no one was there to listen to you? Well Now there is

Muse Auto is a small Bluetooth device that brings the power and convenience of Amazon Alexa to the car. Just plug it in, pair with your smartphone and say “Alexa”.

How Does It Do

Like other in vehicle Alexa peripherals this needs to link to your phone and use your phone’s data through the Muse app. I found connecting to the Muse by Bluetooth plus using cellular data chews through my battery super fast. I end up closing the app when I leave my car and restarting it each time I get in the car. I also plug in my phone to keep it from dying. Pretty easy workarounds.

For voice commands you need to say the wake word, wait a few seconds until you hear a low sound, give the command, then you hear a second sound that the command was received. My trouble is the first sound is too quiet and not distinctive so I can’t always tell if the Muse heard my wake word.

Very easy to install. Downloaded the app and it walked me right though it. The device is small and I mounted mine on the driver’s side of my center console where only I can see it. Yeah I’m stealthy like that. When I want to interact with Alexa I just set the car audio input to Bluetooth, a one button push in my Ford, and it works. It’s pretty cool to be able to “talk” with Alexa in my car. The kids like to play 20-questions and I get the news read to me on the way to work. There is a short delay between calling out “Alexa” and hearing the soft tone which indicates the device is listening to you, but I got the timing down after a few tries and now she obeys my every command! I’m king of the car again

The Final Thought

Overall the Muse is adequate if you don’t mind yelling “Alexa” a whole bunch, or plugging in your phone, or fiddling with an app when you start or leave your car. Not ideal for quick trips but if you’re taking a long trip or have a substantial commute it can be worth setting it up before the trip. Most of the issues can be handled with software updates so I’ll hang on to it. And there is something cool about turning up the thermostat when I leave work then pulling in the driveway saying “I’m home” and having the lights turn on. So there is a little Alexa magic. It’s just not seamless yet.
March 14, 2018
Amazon Buys Ring Doorbell Company

News broke today that Amazon has purchased the Ring Co., best known for their smart doorbell system. The terms of the deal are still unknown, but it’s expected that Amazon will likely keep the product as is with an upgraded Amazon Ecosystem. Ring already supports Alexa voice control and I would imagine we can expect more upgrades to come. The rumored purchase price was for $1 Billion dollars, but this is not confirmed.

What the Sale Means for Ring?

The two companies aren’t specific about their plans. In a statement, Amazon told Engadget it was “excited” to work with Ring and aid in its “mission to keep homes safe and secure.” the company said it could “achieve even more” by allying itself with Amazon as it focuses on its “vision for safer neighborhoods.” With this purchase in addition to Blink, Amazon now own two major companies that produce doorbells and wireless security cameras. Amazon’s apparent mission is find a cornerstone in the home safety market.

This purchase should help Amazon have the hardware to rival the GoogleNest System. Nest partnered up with Google and has been expanding their presence most recently with the Hello Video Doorbell. We can all imagine that Amazon will make a similar addition to the Ring especially after they recently changed their policy to state the following:

The Policy Change

“Where permitted by applicable law, you may choose to use additional functionality in your Ring product that, through video data from your device, can recognize facial characteristics of familiar visitors. For example, you may want to receive different notifications from your Ring Doorbell depending on whether a visitor is a stranger or a member of your household. If you choose to activate this feature, we obtain certain facial feature information about the visitors you ask your Ring product to recognize. We require your explicit consent before you can take advantage of this feature.”

The Summary

This recent purchase could mean big things for Amazon and the smart doorbell company. Because of the Google and Nest partnership, Amazon could feel threatened and need to make moves to stay atop the voice activated and video world. Never the less, Amazon should increase the doorbell’s capability and features. I await to see what upgrades the company gets.

March 1, 2018