How to connect your favorite music to Alexa

Listening to music with Alexa is as easy as connecting the app you want to use!

Most of us spend some time every day listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks. For some folks, it’s how they workout at home, while others like to lounge on the couch and listen to a good story after a hard day at work. It doesn’t really matter why you want to listen using Alexa and your Amazon Echo, just that you know how to do it when you are ready to relax with some tunes.

• How Alexa lets you listen to your music
• How to connect a music app to Alexa

How Alexa lets you listen to your music

Alexa has tons of great features that you can use to stay up to date on the news, weather, and more. It also allows you to connect a variety of music and audiobook apps, so that when you want to listen to some music you’re good to go. This should only take a few short minutes, and it’s all done from within the Alexa app.

From within the app you can connect 6 different music specific apps, 2 different audiobook apps, and even Dish for video. You just need to take a few minutes on your phone to link the accounts so that Alexa can access the music you’ve already saved or liked in those apps.

Now it is worthwhile to mention that not every music app is available to link with Alexa, and once you have linked an account you’ll want to adjust your default music apps from within the settings. This is so that when you tell Alexa to play an album, she accesses music from the correct app, rather than always trying to use Amazon Music.

How to connect a music app to Alexa

Open the Alexa app on your phone.
Tap the overflow icon in the upper left corner.

Tap Music, Video, and Books.

Tap the music app you want to link.
Tap Link your Account.

Log in to the account you want to link.

Tap Okay to link the account.

Are you listening?

Have you connected a music app to Alexa? Is this how you like to listen to music or podcasts when you’re at home? Be sure to leave us a comment below, and let us know about it!

Amazon Echo

• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

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Polk Magnifi Max SR soundbar gives 5.1 sound in a compact package

American audio manufacturer Polk Audio has announced the Magnifi Max SR soundbar, with the SR representing the fact it has surround speakers for a more authentic 5.1 surround sound experience.

Design-wise, there’s not a huge amount to differentiate the Magnifi Max from other soundbars. It’s a black bar with an 8-inch wireless subwoofer. Inside the main bar you’ll find two tweeters and five full range drivers, coupled with Polk’s proprietary Voice Adjust and SDA Surround technologies.

The voice adjust technology works in a similar way to a centre speaker in a conventional 5.1 surround sound system. It boosts the vocals in both music and movies, to project them toward the audience, without being drowned out by the surrounding bass. The SDA technology meanwhile helps the ‘bar to emulate a surround sound effect from a single unit, if you don’t have the wireless rear speakers.

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The Magnifi Max SR has full Dolby Digital and DTS decoding onboard, although it’s not Dolby Atmos compatible. Instead, it can faithfully handle any 5.1 soundtracks thanks to the two wireless rears mentioned earlier. The only cable they need is for power, but then they connect to the main bar via a mesh network, which keeps lag to an absolute minimum.

Connections include three 4K compatible HDMI inputs, digital optical and an auxiliary input. The Polk Magnifi Max SR will be available from August for £649. You will also be able to get the soundbar without the two surround speakers for £499.

Google Chrome to get own built-in ad blocker

Google is working on its own ad blocker, that it will build into future versions of its Chrome browser.

At present, the AdBlock Chrome plug-in is one of the most popular downloads for the browser by far, but it has a cavalier approach to blocking advertising, which doesn’t help content creators and websites (such as Pocket-lint). It shuts out all ads on a site.

Google’s idea is different. It will eliminate adverts that it considers a nuisance and intrusive, but will leave “compelling, useful and engaging” online commercials.

The software giant has joined the Coalition for Better Ads, a group that strives to make online advertising meet higher standards. That way visitors won’t find it necessary to block all adverts, just those that blare music or get in the way of the content they enjoy.

And in that case, websites will be able to serve their visitors better and still retain a financial model that includes advertising.

Google’s plans were revealed by the Wall Street Journal, that claims online publishers will have six-months to get their sites in order before blocking any ads on the domain. They will also have access to a Google tool to help determine which adverts are considered worthwhile and which should be binned.

Ads currently on the unacceptable list include pop-ups, videos that auto-play with audio, adverts that appear before a website loads and full-screen scrollover ads on mobile.

The Chrome ad blocker is expected to be launched by the start of 2018.

Amazon Echo gets cool new features, check out what Alexa can do now

Amazon has introduced a couple of major new features to Alexa, to be used through compatible devices such as the Amazon Echo. They are available in the US currently and are coming to the UK and Germany soon.

There are two main features added: Reminders and Named Timers.

Reminders enables users to ask Alexa to set a reminder for a specific date and time, so that they don’t miss an upcoming event.

A reminder can be set through a simple contextual sentence, such as, “Alexa, remind me to pick up the dry cleaning on Thursday at 5pm.” The blue light on an Amazon Echo, for example, will then glow blue at 17:00 hours on Thursday that week. Alexa will also give you a verbal nudge.

You don’t even need to set reminders so far ahead. You can use it for daily chores like cooking or laundry by saying something like, “Alexa, remind me to change the laundry in 40 minutes.”

Reminders can also be set or altered through the alerts and alarms section of the Alexa app.

• Amazon Echo: What can Alexa do and what services are compatible?
• Amazon Echo vs Amazon Tap vs Echo Dot vs Echo Look vs Echo Show: What’s the difference?

Named Timers are also handy for daily tasks, cooking especially. You can set multiple timers and get Alexa to name each one in turn. For example, if your pasta takes longer to cook than garlic bread, you can set one timer for the garlic bread and one for the pasta. Alexa will then tell you when each is ready.

You can alter and cancel active timers by voice or in the app. You can even ask Alexa how long a timer is left to run.

The Amazon Echo is currently £149.99 in black or white on Amazon.co.uk. It costs $179.99 on Amazon.com in the States.

V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless review: Jaw-dropping sound from new neckband earphones

V-Moda has won accolades and superlatives from all sectors for its big on-ear and over-ear headphones. The in-ears have been around a little while, but somehow have been a little outshone by the bigger sibling. And with the V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless, we may just have found one of the best pairs of neckband style earphones available. 

V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless review: Design

• Sweat/weather resistant
• 3 pairs of sports fins
• 8 pairs of tips – XS, S, M, L
• 22.5 grams

V-Moda earphones are instantly recognisable for their stylish, eye-catching design. Specifically, on their big over-ear headphones, the chunky hexagonal cans are easy to distinguish from their competition. This same design appears on the in-ear Forza Metallo too, except the earbuds are naturally much smaller. Indeed, they’re impressively tiny.

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If the basic design hasn’t got quite the level of flair you desire, you can also buy 3D printed caps to slip over the top.

Unlike most members of the recently developed “neckbud” family – which features the likes of the Bose QC30 and Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear Wireless – the Forza Metallo’s neckband doesn’t extend all the way around your neck.

Rather than have a relatively thick collar made of plastic covering resting around your shoulders, the V-Moda has a single elongated hexagonal plastic housing that sits on the back of your neck. The idea is that you can hide it under a shirt collar if you want to. As a bonus feature, there’s a vibrate motor inside which vibrates when powering up and down, or when you’re receiving a call.

The rest of the Forza Metallo’s neckband is made up of what is essentially some thick and fairly rigid cabling, which still offers some flex. It sits almost unnoticeably on the shoulders. More importantly, it’s a durable design that makes it very hard to break and – while it’s easy to bend and flex – it always keeps goes back to its original shape. V-Moda calls this Titanium Traplock Ergonomics. 

Of the neckband style headphones we’ve tested so far, these are by far the least obtrusive and most comfortable to wear. You still get the freedom of movement, thanks to the slack in the earbud cable, but you don’t get the full collar made of chunky plastic.

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Right at the end of this neckband on both sides are inline controls, each shaped like elongated hexagons to keep with the brand image. The left control has the power button, which also doubles as the pairing button. On the right are the three buttons with the usual set of functions.

The middle button plays and pauses music, as well as accepting and ending calls. You can also skip forwards by double-pressing it, and skip backwards by triple pressing. Top and bottom buttons, as you’d expect, adjust the volume. Despite these button being close together, we found it easy to tell them apart by touch alone, thanks to their placement and texture.

One other minor thing with the buttons we enjoyed – probably more than we should – is that the power button powers the earphones on and off with a single press. No pressing-and-holding for a few seconds and waiting to see an LED light. Click and it’s on. Click again and it’s off. Easy.

While they might not look like sports headphones, V-Moda has built the Forza Metallo Wireless to outlast even your sweatiest workouts. As well as being finished with a protective nano-coating against sweat and rain, they come with different sized “sports fins”. These hold onto the inside of your ear to keep them fitted securely. In our testing, they worked well, and because the material used is quite flexible, they don’t feel uncomfortable at all. Not once did they feel like they would slip out.

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As well as the sports fins, the Forza Metallo come with eight pairs of eartips. There are two each of the usual small, medium and large sizes, but there’s also the very tiny extra-small tips which just about cover the ends of the drivers.

When in the ear, they close you off from outside world very effectively. That does mean quite a snug in-ear fit that might be uncomfortable for some. There’s definitely that sense of the “need to pop my ears” when the air is squeezed in. Despite this, we were able to wear them for a few hours at a time without experiencing any real discomfort.

V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless review: Performance and Battery

• 10 metre range
• 10+ hours battery
• Fully charged in 90 minutes
• Pair two devices

Like its big brother, the Crossfade II Wireless, the Forza Metallo is equipped with Qualcomm’s aptX connectivity technology. That means you get high quality audio – sadly not Hi-Res – and a rock solid, reliable Bluetooth connection. In our testing it didn’t drop its connection once. And, as a kicker, it’s capable of being paired to two devices simultaneously.

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Similarly, the battery life is pretty impressive too. V-Moda claims 10 hours or more of playback from a full charge, which puts the Forza firmly in the same territory as the Powerbeats. Sadly there’s no app to give you an accurate view on the battery level, but you do get a little indicator in the iPhone status bar. Even after between four and five hours of listening to music through Spotify, the battery indicator still showed it was more than half full, so we’ve found the 10 hours playback claim to ring true.

Real life battery usage will vary depending on what you listen to, and at what volume, but our testing suggests you should be able to get through your daily commutes for a full week without needing to plug them into a power outlet. When you do plug them in, they use “quick-charge” to give you a full top up in 90 minutes, or two hours worth of juice in just 15 minutes.

V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless review: Sound

• Qualcomm aptX
• 5.8mm micro hi-res driver
• 10Hz – 22,000Hz frequency response

V-Moda hasn’t ever been a company seeking to offer a flat, audiophile grade sound from its earphones. But it does, somehow, create an addictive signature that’s a very good listen.

What impressed us is how these small 5.8mm micro hi-res drivers handle bass. With a frequency response of 10Hz-22,000Hz they can get down into the really low frequencies, and when there is some really deep bass in a track, these earphones cope well. It’s loud and full, and doesn’t buckle under the pressure.

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For some, the overall sound might be a little too bass-heavy, but despite its bassy nature, the middle and high frequencies are well catered for too. The balance seems just as suited to guitar solos, vocals and backing instruments as it is to bass. You can hear all the little details in the audio, which almost makes you forget that they’re not Hi-Res certified. “CD Quality” here sounds plenty good.

Unlike more expensive earphones, the V-Moda in-ears don’t feature any electronic-based noise cancelling. With that said, we found that the earbuds fit tightly enough to all but kill any ambient noise. We would recommend trying all the different ear tips because this snug fit and seal is essential for the sound quality and noise isolation.

Verdict

Of all the neckband earphones we’ve tried so far, the Forza Metallo are the pair with the fewest compromises. The design is subtle and attractive, with a well designed neckband that can be easily hidden. The sound is fab, too, enveloping you in the music with enough bass to keep even the most enthusiastic dubstep fans happy.

With the solid wireless performance, battery life and sensible approach to inline controls, it’s hard to find a negative point to say about the Forza Metallo Wireless. The only gripe we think many will have is that “sealed in” sensation when you push them into your ears – but it’s not extreme enough to dissuade our recommendation.

Indeed, we’d go one better than recommending as these in-ears sound simply ace. And all for less than $200. That’s a bass-banging bargain.

Alternatives to consider

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Sennheiser Momentum in-ear wireless

One of the major benefits of the Sennheiser neckbuds is the CapTune app which lets you fine tune the audio to suit your preferences. They’re a similar price to the V-Moda earphones, and have a collar covered in soft, sheepskin leather. The eartips are a little less invasive, the battery life is the same and the default sound isn’t as bassy heavy as V-Moda’s. 

Read the full article1: Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear Wireless review

Bose QuietControl 30

Bose’s high-end QC30 earphones also use the now-popular neckband design and feature an impressive active noise cancelling system. Bose’s app also makes it easy to fine-tune how much ambient noise you want to let through. Sound quality is great to, and the wide cone-shaped tips are very easy to wear. These will cost you £100 more than V-moda’s pair though, and are noticebly chunkier. 

Read the full article: Bose QuietControl 30 review

Nintendo Switch online subscription service delayed until 2018

Ever since the Nintendo Switch was released, Nintendo has been advertising new Nintendo online subscription service. From the moment the day one patch was downloaded, owners were told that it will be launched fully in autumn 2017.

However, it has now emerged that the paid online service promised by the Japanese gaming giant has been delayed. It will now not launch until 2018.

That’s actually good and bad news. For starters, playing multiplayer games such as Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be free for a longer period than previously planned. Eventually a subscription will be needed to play online, but not until 2018 now.

In addition, to soften the blow, Nintendo has switched its plans for the subscription service. Previously, as well as online play, a paid subscription would also reward a player a different classic game each month, playable for just that calendar month. Now, Nintendo has promised access to a larger catalogue of titles – much like the recently released Xbox Game Pass.

We have also been told how much the service will cost, in the US at least. A subscription in the States will be priced at $3.99 a month, $7.99 for three-months, or $19.99 for a full year’s membership.

• Nintendo Switch review: Return of the king?
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review: Game of the year already

The Morning After: Friday, June 3rd 2017

Welcome to Friday. The big news you probably didn’t miss is that the US is withdrawing from the Paris Accord: an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions struck back in 2015. While that sinks in, we got more details and a price for the Nintendo Switch’s online service, and investigate the past, present and future of the more intimate side of live-streaming video.

Change.Trump announces the US will withdraw from Paris climate change agreement

Yesterday, the President announced that the US would initiate a four-year withdrawal process from the Paris Accord. Reached under the Obama Administration in 2015, it tied 143 countries in an agreement to reduce greenhouse gases and slow global temperature increase. He called it a bad deal and indicated that it could be renegotiated — a statement refuted by leaders of Italy, France and Germany.

In response, Elon Musk and Disney CEO Bob Iger resigned from presidential advisory councils, while Satya Nadella, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai and others issued statements in support of the agreement’s principles. In local governments, 61 mayors made a pledge to uphold the agreement, while governors of California, New York and Washington formed the United States Climate Alliance to take “aggressive action” on climate change.

The first modular computing platform that might succeed.
Intel’s Compute Card could transform the world of smart devices

It doesn’t take too long for your typical “smart” gadget to get dumb. After a few years, the hardware inside your TV or connected refrigerator will be hopelessly out of date. Typically, if you want to upgrade its smarts, your only choice right now is to buy a whole new device. Intel is hoping to change that with the Compute Card, a credit card-size device that packs in all of the hardware needed to make any device smart. Devindra Hardawar takes a look at some of the first experimental uses.

The new Play line of smartphones reflects a changing set of priorities.
Motorola’s Z2 Play sacrifices battery life for sleekness

Motorola formally announced the Moto Z2 Play today, a $499 refresh of a phone that was almost shockingly good the first time around. Our full review is still in the works (thanks, Computex) but so far it’s been a remarkably capable performer. For better or worse, though, it has the potential to shake up the Z line as we know it. Things have changed.

Weird but cheap
Nintendo Switch online features will cost $20 a year, starting in 2018

Nintendo revealed a bit more information about how Switch multiplayer will work, including its price: $20. That’s cheaper than competing offerings from PlayStation and Xbox, and will include access to multiplayer gaming, a lobby and voice chat app, plus access to a rotating “classic game selection” modded for online multiplayer. Games will include the likes of Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight and Dr. Mario.

Snap’s camera-equipped Spectacles arrive in Europe
The first Spectacle-dispensing machine in Europe is at the London Eye.

The camera company that isn’t quite a camera company is exporting its Specs to Europe, and London is first. The wearables do, however, maintain all the design flourishes and colors of something made by Fisher-Price.

To succeed, the company needs to appeal to more than pure gadget lovers.
The success of Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone may depend on carriers

When Android co-founder Andy Rubin left Google, we knew back then was that he reportedly wanted to strike out on his own, and that ultimately meant building a high-end phone: the Essential Phone. It looks gorgeous, has high-end components and all the hallmarks of a flagship smartphone. Except for one part: that all-important carrier support.

“Have you ever thought about how intimate your relationship is with your computer?”
The semi-nude lives of webcam stars

In this week’s Computer Love, we talk to Harli Lotts. She’s part of a booming at-home workforce made up of young women — and a few men — who are upending the adult entertainment industry and social media at the same time. Like Instagram influencers or YouTube makers, today’s webcam models need little more than a strong WiFi connection and an internet-connected camera to make a living. Services like My Free Cams, Flirt4Free, or Chaturbate are platforms like Facebook or Snapchat, just a whole lot more adult in nature. With the right tools and an ID that says they’re 18 or older, these 21st-century push-button celebrities don’t even have to leave their bedrooms to make a living, and they all have one woman to thank. Jennifer Ringley was just the start.

To the death of the scanner.Adobe Scan turns documents into editable PDFs

Adobe has launched a new way to turn your physical documents into PDFs with editable text, and it’s completely free. The company has released a new mobile app simply called “Scan” for both iOS and Android, and to create a digital copy of a document you merely have to point your phone’s camera at it. It effortlessly makes editable copies in the process.

But wait, there’s more…

• Netflix cancels ‘Sense8’ after two seasons
• AT&T’s $70 wireless bundle pairs unlimited data with 60 TV channels
• Apple’s kid-friendly coding app can now bring toys to life
• Plex Live TV and DVR launches for subscribers
• Samsung Galaxy Book review: You’re better off with a Surface Pro
• US is now asking for visa applicants’ social media handles

Intel starts MLB ‘Game of the Week’ VR live streams

We’d heard that Major League Baseball had virtual reality streaming aspirations, and a partnership with Intel is making them a reality. The two have reached a three-year deal for the Intel True VR Game of the Week, a Tuesday broadcast (blacked out in local markets) that will live stream via Intel’s True VR app. Currently only available via the Oculus store for Samsung Gear VR headsets, it will give fans a look at the game via a fully produced VR broadcast, or the ability to hop around through different viewing locations — captured by 4K resolution cameras — with optional stat overlays.

Broadcasts start next Tuesday, and the first four games are already scheduled:

• Cleveland Indians vs. Colorado Rockies on June 6 at 8:40 PM ET / 5:40 PM PT
• Kansas City Royals vs. San Francisco Giants on June 13 at 10:15 PM ET / 7:15 PM PT
• Detroit Tigers vs. Seattle Mariners on June 20 at 10:10 PM ET / 7:10 PM PT
• St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks on June 27 at 9:40 PM ET / 6:40 PM PT

Source: Intel

Inside the Barbican’s sci-fi movie wonderland

The best science fiction movies use costumes, models and physical props to sell their vision of the future. Alien, for instance, would be nothing without the compression suits worn by its ill-fated crew outside the Nostromo. From June 3rd, the Barbican Centre in London will be celebrating these movies and the staggering work that went into them through a new exhibition called ‘Into the Unknown.’ Walk down its dark, curving corridor and you’ll find original spacesuits from Alien, Moon, Sunshine and Star Trek, as well as original Darth Vader and Stormtrooper helmets from Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.

Delve deeper and you’ll see the black, monolithic TARS robot from Interstellar, the humanoid Sonny from I, Robot and the smiling Twiki from the 1970s TV show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. They’re flanked by manuscripts, concept art and other intriguing props — one cabinet hides a metal chair designed by H. R. Giger for Alejandro Jodorowsky’s unreleased film adaption of Dune. But the exhibition is about more than film set leftovers. There are books, adverts and contemporary art too. VFX companies Territory Studio and Double Negative have also set up small installations dedicated to their work on The Martian and Ex Machina.

Ahead of the exhibition’s launch, Engadget was invited to walk around with camera in hand. The gallery below is a selection of our favorite displays.

Google Confirms Ad-Blocking Feature Coming to Chrome in Early 2018

Google will introduce an ad-blocking feature in both its mobile and desktop Chrome web browsers early next year, according to the company. Thursday’s announcement confirms rumors back in April that the tech giant was seriously considering the feature for Chrome, and provided more details on Google’s motives behind the move.

In a blog post, Sridhar Ramaswamy, Senior VP of Ads and Commerce, said Google wanted to “build a better web for everyone” by eradicating intrusive ads online without removing all ads entirely, since so many sites rely on ads as their source of revenue.

The vast majority of online content creators fund their work with advertising. That means they want the ads that run on their sites to be compelling, useful and engaging–ones that people actually want to see and interact with. But the reality is, it’s far too common that people encounter annoying, intrusive ads on the web–like the kind that blare music unexpectedly, or force you to wait 10 seconds before you can see the content on the page. These frustrating experiences can lead some people to block all ads–taking a big toll on the content creators, journalists, web developers and videographers who depend on ads to fund their content creation.

Google said efforts to find a solution to the problem involved several steps, one of which is the ad blocking software, or “ad filter”. Chrome’s ad filter won’t block all ads, but only those that are classified as intrusive or annoying. To help with its classifications, Google said it had joined the Coalition for Better Ads, an industry group dedicated to improving online ads, and would be using the coalition’s guidance to determine which ones should be blocked.

According to the coalition’s Better Ads Standards, ad formats like pop-ups, auto-playing ads with audio, and ads with countdown timers fall under “a threshold of consumer acceptability”, so these will be blocked by Chrome. Even ads “owned or served by Google” will be blocked on pages that don’t meet Chrome’s guidelines, said the company.

Google also said it planned to support the guidance by helping publishers understand how the standards apply to their own websites. To that end, it has published an Ad Experience Report, which provides examples of annoying ad experiences, and a best practices guide offering ways to fix the issues.

In addition, Google will introduce an option for website visitors to pay sites that they are blocking ads on, called Funding Choices. Google has already been testing a similar feature for some time, but it hopes the updated model will be supported by more publishers when it goes live.

Tags: Google, Chrome
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