These Cameras Work With Amazon Echo Show and Echo Spot

The Amazon Echo Show and Echo Spot are special because they have displays. And that means they have a very special set of skills. The better to see you with, my dear.

So you’ve got an Amazon Echo Show or Echo Spot. Those, as you’ll well know, are the Amazon Echo devices that in addition to being powered by Alexa and able to do all of those Alexa-esque things, also have a display.

The Echo Show is the larger of the two, with a 7-inch touchscreen. The Echo Spot is a baseball-like device with a screen about half that size. And both can show you all sorts of things, including feeds from some popular security cameras you might have at home.

(And it’s worth mentioning that the Echo Show and Echo Spot aren’t the only Alexa-powered things that can view your camera feeds. The Amazon Fire TV is hooked into Alexa, of course, and generally has a huge screen — a television set — hooked up to it. The Amazon Fire tablets also have Alexa, and so they also can view the feeds.)

You’ll just need to enable the specific Alexa Skill for your brand of camera, and then you’re on your way. Just be sure that your cameras have distinct names that are easy to remember.

Here’s a quick look at the more popular cameras Amazon that support Alexa.

• Ring doorbells and security lights
• Nest cameras
• Netgear Arlo cameras
• Logitech Circle 2
• Amazon Cloud Cam

Ring doorbells and security lights

Ring Video Doorbell 2 ($169 at Amazon.)

Ring started out with connected doorbells — it’s got many good ones from which to choose — and it’s since expanded to connected security cameras. They all connect to Alexa via a Skill, and you can view any of the feeds on any of your Alexa-enabled devices.

The process is the same whether you’re talking about a Ring doorbell or camera — just tell Alexa to show it to you, and she’ll do it.

The full line includes:

• Ring Video Doorbell ($179)
• Ring Video Doorbell 2 ($199)
• Ring Video Doorbell Pro ($249)
• Ring Video Doorbell Elite ($499)
• Ring Spotlight Cam ($199)
• Ring Floodlight Cam ($249)

See at Amazon

Nest

Nest Security Camera ($168 on Amazon.)

Nest’s line of cameras remains an excellent option, particularly in conjunction with Nest’s own connected thermostat or the newer Nest Secure security system.

Nest has a basic indoor camera, as well as an outdoor camera. Or for some extra smarts, you’ll want to check out the Nest IQ line, which can learn to identify individual faces. The Nest Hello doorbell should also tie into Alexa.

The full line includes:

• Nest Cam Indoor ($199)
• Nest Cam Outdoor ($199)
• Nest Cam IQ ($299)
• Nest Cam Outdoor IQ ($349)
• Nest Hello Doorbell ($229)

See at Amazon

Arlo

Arlo Pro ($150 on Amazon.)

Arlo is the full line of security cameras from Netgear (which you probably know better as the maker of all kinds of networking gear). The big deal about Arlo cameras is that they’re great for wireless setups, with mounting options that are as easy as they are flexible.

The full line supported by the Alexa Skill includes:

• Arlo Wire-free ($179, Model VMC3030, VMS3x30)
• Arlo Q & Q Plus ($249, Model VMC3040, VMC3040S)
• Arlo Pro ($189, Model VMC4030, VMS4x30)
• Arlo Pro 2 ($439, Model VMC4030p, VMS4x30p)
• Arlo Go ($417, Model VML4030)
• Arlo Baby ($198, Model ABC1000)

See at Amazon

Logitech Circle 2

Logitech Circle 2 ($179 on Amazon.)

The Logitech Circle 2 is consistently rated as one of the top DIY camera solutions. It’s got a number of mounting mechanisms (including a very cool one that plugs directly into a 110v outlet. It’s another camera that has numerous options for mounting and powering. The wired camera runs $179, and the wireless option is just $20 more.

And, of course, it’s all tied in with an Alexa Skill.

See at Amazon

Amazon Cloud Cam

Amazon Cloud Cam ($99 at Amazon.)

Amazon has is own Cloud Cam. It’s the least expensive of the bunch at just $99, and it’s a pretty simple product, with no real frills to speak of. You just figure out where you want to put it, plug it in, and go. It ties into Amazon’s services via its own app (instead of through the Alexa app). And while it does have a Skill, it’s automatically enabled on all Alexa-capable devices, so you don’t have to do anything separate.

See at Amazon

Updated June 4, 2018: Added the Nest Hello doorbell as a supported camera.

Amazon Echo

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

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Apple Unveils ‘ARKit 2’ and New LEGO AR App That Connects to Physical Sets

Craig Federighi today announced ARKit 2 at WWDC 2018, which will include improved face tracking, realistic rendering, 3D object detection, persistent experiences, and shared experiences. The company gave a demo of two users sharing a virtual environment using ARKit 2, playing on a table with wooden toys and trying to knock down the other player’s objects.

Continuing from that demo, Apple brought on Martin Sanders, the Director of Innovation at LEGO, who demonstrated an all-new LEGO AR iOS app that will integrate with ARKit 2 features and connect to physical LEGO sets. An entire LEGO city was shown off in the demo, allowing users to build objects, place characters, go on quests, open sets to see inside, and play with friends in the same world.

Up to four friends can play in the same set on four different iOS devices, and notably all of the virtual aspects of the LEGO AR app will be connected to physical LEGO sets. “We can save our entire world back into our physical set, and pick up where we left off later,” Sanders said.

Tag: WWDC 2018
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Apple Unveils New ‘For You’ Tab and Sharing Suggestions Coming to Photos in iOS 12

Apple has announced at its WWDC keynote that a new For You tab is coming to its iOS 12 Photos app that will include intelligent Sharing Suggestions.

Apple explained that the Photos app is gaining a new “For You” tab, similar to Apple Music, that has an “On this day” section showcasing existing memories, looping Live Photos, Portrait photos, and more.

The For You tab will also suggest editing tools to try out to improve pictures in your library.

The Sharing Suggestions feature meanwhile essentially uses AI to suggest people with whom you might want to share your photos, based on who appears in them. Photos shared through the new feature can be shared at full resolution over iCloud.

Related Roundup: iOS 12Tags: Photos, WWDC 2018
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Apple Details Siri Updates Alongside ‘Shortcuts’ App to Create Customized Voice-Controlled Workflows

Apple has revealed a collection of Siri improvements coming to iOS 12, centered around a new app called “Shortcuts.” Shortcuts will let users connect certain third-party apps to Siri to greatly streamline voice controls. For example, the Tile app will let you add a shortcut to Siri so you can say “I lost my keys,” activating Siri and showing Tile actions right in the Siri UI.

Other examples include creating a Shortcut to automatically open an app when you get to the gym every day, turning on Do Not Disturb at the movies, calling a family member on their birthday, and more. With the Shortcuts app, all of these customizable edits can be added and connected to an invokable Siri phrase.

Apple gave another example where a person created a Shortcut from the Kayak app, connecting their hotel address with the Siri phrase “Travel Plans.” So, when they quickly needed to get the address all they had to do was say “Travel Plans” to Siri and it came up immediately.

Far more intricate Shortcuts will be available, with one Siri phrase able to do things like adjust HomeKit thermostats, text a friend, read the news, and more, by simply saying something like “Hey Siri, I’m heading home.”

Tag: WWDC 2018
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Apple Announces Third-Party Navigation Apps Like Google Maps and Waze Coming to CarPlay in iOS 12

Apple revealed at its WWDC keynote today that third-party navigation apps are coming to its CarPlay dashboard system as part of iOS 12.

Nav apps coming to CarPlay that have already been confirmed include Google Maps and Waze.

More to follow…

Related Roundup: iOS 12Tag: CarPlay
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Apple Explains How iOS 12 Will ‘Help You Limit Distractions’, Announces Grouped Notifications

As expected, Apple today revealed a handful of features coming to iOS 12 that will improve the user’s digital health and “help you limit distractions.” There will now be a Do Not Disturb during bedtime feature, where all you see is the clock and no notifications.

Apple will also launch a new app called “Screen Time,” offering deep insight into how you’ve been using your iPhone and iPad over the past week. You’ll see things like longest continuous session, most used apps, after bedtime use, and how often the device is picked up.

You can set limits on the apps you don’t want to use as much, and Screen Time will warn you with notifications like “5 Minutes left for Instagram today.” For kids, parents will be able to create allowances, create downtime, limit app usage, and more.

Notably, Craig Federighi also revealed that iOS 12 will introduce grouped notifications so you can see updates grouped by apps and triage a great number of them at once.

Tag: WWDC 2018
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Live From WWDC 2018: Coverage of Apple’s Keynote with iOS 12, macOS 10.14, and More

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.

Good morning, developers! #WWDC18 is here, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on! pic.twitter.com/d7YuKTmt6Y

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 4, 2018

We’re expecting to see a number of announcements, although it appears Apple will primarily be discussing software this year.

Apple is providing a live video stream on its website and via Apple TV. iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 are expected to be the main focus as usual, with Apple itself leaking macOS details heading into the weekend.

In addition to Apple’s video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today’s announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

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Apple Reveals iOS 12 With Focus on Performance Improvements, Available on Same Devices as iOS 11

At its Worldwide Developers Conference today, Apple revealed iOS 12, which will be available on all the same devices as iOS 11. The company focused on performance improvements during the keynote, promising that apps launch up to 40 percent faster, the keyboard comes up to 50 percent faster, and more.

The company is detailing more information about iOS 12 as the keynote goes on today, including updates to ARKit and other augmented reality features.

Tag: WWDC 2018
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Apple Creates Its Own AR Measuring App Called ‘Measure’

Apple today revealed that it has created its own augmented reality-enabled measuring app, called “Measure.” The iOS app uses ARKit to measure objects, get automatic measurements of things like photos and tablets, and more.

Numerous measurement apps have been available on the iOS App Store since Apple launched ARKit last year, but now the company will have its own first-party option. A launch date wasn’t detailed yet for Measure.

Tag: WWDC 2018
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Apple Announces New USDZ Augmented Reality File Format

Apple today announced a new augmented reality file format called Universal Scene Description (USDZ) during its keynote event at WWDC in San Jose, California.

Apple explained that USDZ is an open file format optimized for sharing Augmented Reality assets in a compact, single file.

Adobe was introduced during the keynote to confirm that it will have native support for Apple’s new AR file format in its entire suite of Creative Cloud software applications, and will also be adding a new AR design app to CC with easy-to-use tools for creating new experiences.

More to follow…

Tags: augmented reality, WWDC 2018
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