Intel and Amazon team up to help developers build Alexa devices
At this week’s Amazon Web Services conference re:Invent, the online retailer revealed two smart home initiatives that are getting a big hand from Intel. First, Intel built a reference design for a smart speaker that employs the Alexa virtual assistant to help with tasks. The device is meant to encourage other companies to make their own gadgets with Amazon’s voice tech and the Intel platform. Developers and manufacturers will be able to get their hands on the reference device during the first quarter of 2017.
Second, Intel brought Alexa voice controls to its Smart Home Hub, including wrangling smart devices, asking questions and more. In other words, Intel is helping developers build connected home products that can be controlled primarily through voice commands in addition to your phone, computer or tablet. Alexa already has some smart home skills through Echo, like controlling Logitech’s Harmony Hub. The virtual assistant also went to work on LG’s SmarThinQ hub, but it doesn’t help with any household tech there.
“With voice as the central interface, customers have an even more natural way to manage the hundreds of tasks they experience every day,” said Alex content marketing manager Ted Karczewski in a blog post.
Intel making a bigger push into the smart home is no surprise. Earlier this year, the company formed an alliance with Microsoft and Samsung to help all of that connected gear in your house talk to each other. Intel also announced a new chip for the IoT industry back in October, following years of investment in the area and its own platform for the smart devices.
Source: Intel, Amazon
The Engadget Podcast Ep 16: Feds Watching
Managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O’Brien to talk about the week’s biggest tech news, including Nike’s new self-lacing shoes, Netlix’s offline mode and “yelfies.” Then they’ll rant about what’s been bother them this week, whether that’s DirecTV, crappy touchpads or Amazon’s convoluted pile of apps. Lastly they’ll try to unravel the complicated mess that is Rule 41 and what it means for privacy in America.
Wins
Loses
Winning %
Christopher Trout
5
1
.833
Mona Lalwani
3
1
.750
Devindra Hardawar
14
10
.583
Dana Wollman
10
8
.555
Chris Velazco
3
3
.500
Cherlynn Low
7
9
.437
Nathan Ingraham
4
6
.400
Michael Gorman
1
5
.167
Relevant links:
- Yelp wants you to add a ‘Yelfie’ to your restaurant reviews
- A first look at Nike’s self-lacing HyperAdapt sneakers
- Netflix’s offline viewing mode was inevitable
- Amazon needs to simplify Prime Video to compete with Netflix
- AT&T’s DirecTV Now streaming service launches on November 30th
- DirecTV Now is a good start for AT&T but nothing truly original
- How an obscure rule lets law enforcement search any computer
You can check out every episode on The Engadget Podcast page in audio, video and text form for the hearing impaired.
Watch on YouTube
Watch on Facebook
Subscribe on Google Play Music
Subscribe on iTunes
Subscribe on Stitcher
Subscribe on Pocket Casts
Amazon lets Prime members add HBO and Cinemax to their plans
Amazon already offered Prime subscribers the ability to add streaming services to their account and today it tacked on two more big names. If you’re willing to pay a few extra dollars a month, you can now add HBO and Cinemax to that annual membership. Through Amazon Channels, HBO will set you back $15 a month while Cinemax requires an extra $10 monthly fee. Of course, the advantage here is that you’re getting on-demand access to content from the two networks without the need for a cable plan.
Showtime was already available through Amazon’s Channels program alongside NBC’s SeeSo comedy streaming service, PBS Kids, History Channel Vault, Starz and more. As you might expect, any of these networks that you link to a Prime plan are available though the retailer’s video app on phones, tablets and connected TVs. Owners of Amazon’s Fire TV, Fire TV Stick and Fire tablets also get easy access to any of the aforementioned streaming add-ons.
The best part of the news? HBO and Cinemax are available today for Prime customers. Just head over to the Channels page to get started.
Source: Amazon (Business Wire)
The Morning After: Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
Take a trip to Super Mario World on MDMA while touching an Echo. It’s Wednesday, where hackers are the ones getting hacked and the Internet Archive needs a Canadian backup copy.
Put a tablet on itAmazon’s next Echo could include a touchscreen
In case you were wondering what’s next for Amazon’s Alexa-connected devices, a Bloomberg rumor suggests the answer is a 7-inch embedded touchscreen. The rumor points to a “premium” device with the display built-in, running (of course) a version of its Android-based FireOS, optimized to show info like forecasts, calendar events and news.
Timewasters that don’t involve fake newsFacebook Messenger supports 17 multiplayer games
Facebook’s Instant Articles have been joined by Instant Games, a suite of experiences built into its Messenger app and web experience that lets friends play together without installing anything extra. “Pac-Man,” “Words with Friends,” “Galaga,” “Arkanoid” and more are available, complete with leaderboards for maximum competition over bragging rights.
What a twist!SF Muni hacker gets hacked
In a turn of events, Brian Krebs reports that the hacker who attempted to ransom the SFMTA’s computers had their systems hacked, revealing quite a bit about how their business works. The data exposed indicates the individual has pulled this scheme on other companies running vulnerable Oracle server products. The transit agency told its attacker to kick rocks, however, restoring the systems from a backup instead of paying up. The lesson here? Back up everything regularly, and don’t use easily-guessed password reset questions.
It’s all about verticalityDinosaurs are a perfect fit for VR
Since we’re still in the early days of VR, everyone is trying to get a handle on what experiences work best. Plop on a headset, and you’ll quickly notice that many developers have picked an element straight from our kindergarten favorites list: dinosaurs. As Oculus artist Derrick Hammond explains, they “have an epic sense of scale that immediately makes you appreciate the potential of VR.”
Super Mario World, for realUniversal Osaka, Orlando and Hollywood are getting Nintendo video game areas
Now we know a bit more about the team-up between Universal Parks & Resorts and Nintendo, like where the integrated experiences will appear. According to execs, visiting the themed areas will make tourists feel like “they’ve walked into their favorite gaming platform.” Most of the details are still fuzzy but expect to see the new areas open up separately at each park over the next few years.
MDMA as a prescription drug? The FDA just approved large-scale trials using ecstasy to treat PTSD
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has gained approval to expand its studies using MDMA as part of a treatment for people suffering from PTSD. They’re trying to find out if drug-assisted sessions combined with therapy can help patients when currently approved methods don’t work. If it’s approved, the “club drug” could be available for use in treatment by 2021.
The impact of these policies go far beyond businessExtremely competitive work-visa programs face an uncertain future under President Trump
The president-elect recently released his 100-day plan that says he will call upon the Department of Labor to investigate visa programs, but not much is clear beyond that. Cherlynn Low interviewed several lawyers about the future of H-1B visas as well as other programs tech companies rely on for hiring.
But wait, there’s more…
- Google timelapses offer a 32-year look at Earth’s history
- The non-profit behind the Wayback Machine wants to create a copy of the internet in Canada
- Nanotubes can turn water solid when it should be boiling
- Just like Uber, now Lyft will show you the price of a ride before it even starts
Amazon’s next Echo might have a 7-inch touchscreen
Amazon is still riding high on the success of its Echo speakers, and there’s only one place to go now that it has a low-cost option like the Echo Dot: to the high end. Accordingly, Bloomberg sources hear that Amazon is working on a “premium” Echo-style speaker whose centerpiece would be a roughly 7-inch touchscreen. The visuals would give you a clearer look at your calendar, the weather and other data where Alexa’s voice can’t provide a perfect description. It would sound better, too with “high-grade” speakers that sound good regardless of volume levels.
If this sounds a bit like a tablet with speakers, you wouldn’t be far off the mark. The insiders claim that this speaker would run an “optimized” variant of Fire OS, the Android spinoff that you see on Fire tablets and the Fire TV. That would give you the ability to display info unrelated to your voice commands, such as an in-testing feature that would let you pin photos and other items to the home screen. It’s not certain that this has any relation to “Knight,” the Alexa-guided kitchen device rumored back in May, although there are at least some superficial connections.
There’s no mention of pricing (besides more than the $180 standard Echo). If the scoop is accurate, however, Amazon could ship the speaker as early as the first quarter of 2017. That sounds like odd timing, but the internet retailer does have an incentive to move quickly. Google Home undercuts the standard Echo’s price, so there’s a strong incentive to offer something beyond what Google can offer. And remember, there are rumors of an Apple smart speaker in the works — Amazon might not want to be caught without an answer to whatever is cooking in Cupertino.
Source: Bloomberg
Amazon Developing Echo Speaker With 7-Inch Touchscreen to ‘Fend Off Competition’ From Apple and Google
Amazon’s next iteration of the Echo speaker will be a “premium” model that includes a touchscreen measuring around seven inches, marking “a major departure” from the tall, cylindrical design of the Echo currently on sale. The company is said to be upgrading Echo for two reasons: to capitalize on the device’s success, and as early preparation to “fend off competition” from Google Home and Apple’s rumored entry into the smart home speaker market (via Bloomberg).
The logic behind adding a touchscreen to Echo is reasoned as a way “to make it easier to access content,” like the weather and upcoming calendar events. Currently, Echo is a voice-activated device with limited volume and mute buttons on its topside. While the exact design of the speaker wasn’t pinned down, people familiar with the plans said it will be larger and “tilt upwards” so users can read the screen when the Echo sits on a kitchen counter or desk.
The new device will have a touchscreen measuring about seven inches, a major departure from Amazon’s existing cylindrical home devices that are controlled and respond mostly through the company’s voice-based Alexa digital assistant, according to two people familiar with the matter. This will make it easier to access content such as weather forecasts, calendar appointments, and news, the people said. They asked not to be identified speaking about a product that has yet to be announced.
Amazon’s planned expansion of the Alexa-powered line coincides with growing competition from Alphabet Inc.’s Google Home speaker and Apple Inc.’s interest in building a home device using its Siri digital assistant.
The upgraded Echo is also believed to get a major boost to speaker quality and “sound much better” than the current line of Echo speakers. One version of Amazon’s prototype of the upcoming device placed the speakers below and behind the screen, which is said to help the new generation of Echo “play high-quality audio at all volume levels.” The current Echo was designed to sound better at only moderate volume levels.
In total, Amazon is now selling the Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Echo, for $50, $130, and $180 respectively, and the upcoming speaker — believed to be announced as early as Q1 2017 — is expected to be the most expensive Echo in the line.
On Apple’s side, the most recent reports placed the Cupertino company’s Siri-fueled, Echo-like device in the prototype phase. The Siri speaker is expected to include the usual support for music playback, search queries, and dictation, with additional potential for new technology, like facial recognition.
Tags: Amazon, Amazon Echo
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Amazon to Crack Down on Counterfeit Goods Sold on its Marketplace
Amazon has acknowledged a worsening counterfeit problem on its site and says it has made fighting the fake products a “major goal” for next year (via The Verge).
Last month Apple filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star LLC which it accused of infringing upon its trademarks and copyrights by selling counterfeit power adapters and cables on Amazon. Apple claimed the fake products posed a risk to life, and said it had found that almost 90 percent of so-called genuine Apple products and accessories it purchased from Amazon over the last nine months were actually counterfeit.
Following the lawsuit, Amazon said it had “zero tolerance for the sale of counterfeits” on its website and said it was working closely with manufacturers and brands to aggressively pursue the wrongdoers.
Bloomberg reports that Amazon now says it plans to create a registry to prevent fakes and wants legitimate brands to register even if they don’t plan on selling products on the site. Merchants then have to obtain official brand permission before they can sell goods from the company.
Amazon has reportedly been experimenting with Nike and other brands to build the registry, but the company says it will target more brands in 2017 in an attempt to get them to sell their products on Amazon’s marketplace. According to the report, Amazon tried to get the NFL and MLB to sell merchandise through its online marketplace, but the negotiations stalled because of a perceived lack of control over existing fake goods.
Tag: Amazon
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Amazon goes a step further to battle counterfeit goods
Amazon is getting even more serious about preventing the sale of counterfeit goods on its site. According to Bloomberg, the online retail giant is organizing teams in the US and Europe that will work with major brands to establish a registry of recognized sellers. It has also made fighting fakes a major goal for 2017, said Bloomberg’s source. We’ve reached out to Amazon for confirmation, and have yet to hear back.
Bloomberg’s sources say that the company’s new teams will seek out brands, even those that don’t sell through Amazon, to register with it. Then, it will require any marketplace merchant offering those items to prove they have the brand’s permission to sell them online. The plan is to target thousands of big companies to get them to register, including brands that don’t want to sell on Amazon, in part because of the prevalence of knockoffs.
Earlier this year, the e-commerce giant reportedly start imposing hefty fees on independent sellers who wished to sell products from brands such as Adidas, Hasbro and Samsung. Those who wanted to list their items on Amazon’s Marketplace had to provide invoices, no more than 90 days old, showing the purchase of at least 30 items, with at least five different products across the receipts.
These measures may seem drastic, but cracking down on counterfeit goods is important for Amazon. The company has seen discussions with the National Football League and Major League Baseball stall due to concerns over the online retailer’s lack of control over fakes, Bloomberg’s source said. If Amazon doesn’t find a way to curb the problem, it could see business losses from unhappy vendors and shoppers.
Source: Bloomberg
Mobile shopping reaches an all-time high on Black Friday
Did you get some of your holiday gift shopping done on your phone, instead of your PC? You’re far from alone. Adobe has determined that mobile shopping (both phone and tablet) was responsible for $1.2 billion in US online sales on Black Friday — the first time it has ever crossed the $1 billion mark, in fact. It’s still in the minority, representing 36 percent of the total $3.34 billion, but that’s still a huge 33 percent spike over the shopping frenzy from last year.
Those mobile users actually outweighed their PC counterparts in terms of viewing, racking up 55 percent of visits. In other words, some of those people shopping from their PCs still checked on their phones before committing to a purchase. As for what Americans bought? In terms of tech, the highest-grossing gadgets were iPads, Samsung 4K TVs, MacBooks (particularly the 13-inch Air), LG TVs and the Xbox One.
Adobe’s data lines up with what the retailers themselves are saying. Amazon is shy on numbers, as usual, but says its mobile orders on Thanksgiving alone topped what it saw last year. Target reports that over 60 percent of its record-setting online sales came from mobile, while over 70 percent of Walmart’s web traffic was from mobile devices.
The figures were likely helped by incentives. Amazon, Target and Walmart all offered perks for shopping from your phone, such as exclusive discounts and early access. Still, it’s clear that online stores ignore the mobile crowd at their peril — they’re leaving a lot of money on the table if they assume you’ll buy gifts at a computer.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Adobe, Target, Walmart
Amazon will spend $1 billion to conquer the Middle East
Amazon is one of the world’s largest retail destinations, but it doesn’t have much traction in the Middle East. That’s why rumors that it’s looking to buy Souq.com, the Amazon of the Middle East, make so much sense. Bloomberg is reporting that Jeff Bezos and crew might spend up to $1 billion on the site to gain a foothold across Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Neither party is talking about the deal, but if it’s getting reported in an august financial publication like Bloomberg then it must be serious.
Souq has looked to solve challenges that aren’t so prominent in the US and other countries where Amazon is dominant. Inc. profiled the company a few months ago, revealing that the retailer had to develop a new payment platform for a region where credit cards aren’t ubiquitous. So, users are able to shop for products by topping up a prepaid card available at various brick-and-mortar retail outlets. Another issue is logistics, since some regions don’t have as sophisticated delivery services as others — but perhaps that’s something that Amazon can help with.
Source: Bloomberg
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