Amazon Alexa is now a small home robot thanks to Omate
As Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant becomes smarter each day, it’s also showing up in more form factors, with the latest being a small home robot courtesy of, well, a smartwatch brand. Omate’s Yumi is, in many ways, a mini version of the ASUS Zenbo: Its head features a 5-inch 720p touchscreen, it runs on wheels, it’s powered by Android and it even shares a similar appearance in white. Much like Omate’s Rise 3G smartwatch, the Yumi supports Alexa out of the box, so it’s effectively an Echo Dot with wheels plus a cute face — look closer and you’ll see the same smile in Amazon’s logo. When you do get bored of that look, just pick another face.
With a starting price of $349, the 11.7-inch tall Yumi is bound to miss out on some of the bells and whistles found on the $599 Zenbo. For one, Yumi lacks object avoidance and drop avoidance sensors, so you’ll have to be careful when it’s placed on the table or countertop. In fact, it’s not designed to be as mobile as Zenbo; the wheels are primarily for letting Yumi turn to you when you talk to it. Secondly, while it does have a 5-megapixel “ultra pixel” (2um) front-facing camera for video calls and surveillance usage, the fixed neck means you won’t be able to tilt the camera, but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem if your Yumi spends most of its time on an elevated surface.
With the exception of the supposedly “crystal clear” stereo speakers, the 5-mic array and the 37.2Wh battery (battery life yet to be determined), the rest of the robot is essentially the equivalent of a budget smartphone. It has a 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 8GB of onboard storage, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, an HDMI port and a micro-USB port (with OTG support). With most of Alexa’s work done in the cloud, you’ll just have to worry about making sure you have good Internet connection at home.
Yumi will be offered in black and white versions on Indiegogo on November 15th, and it’s estimated to ship in March 2017. For now, you can head over to Omate’s website to sign up for the early bird discount. But if you want a more serious home robot that won’t fall down the stairs, you may want to hang on until ASUS is ready with its Zenbo — hopefully before the holidays.
Source: Omate
Pirates swamp online stores with counterfeit music CDs
It can be easy to forget that CDs still represent a significant chunk of the music industry’s revenue in the streaming era, but pirates certainly haven’t forgotten. The Wall Street Journal has learned that counterfeit CDs are a serious problem at Amazon and other online stores. Bootleggers (frequently from China) produce discs that are increasingly similar to the real deal and sell them for slightly less than legitimate copies, making them look like bargains instead of obvious frauds. And they aren’t always coming from obscure suppliers, either. In an RIAA investigation, Amazon fulfilled 18 out of 44 CD orders identified as counterfeit.
In some cases, pirates get away with the act by exploiting how stores like Amazon manage inventory. They’ll let third parties lump their stock in with those of official partners (right down to similar barcodes), making it relatively easy to slip bogus products through the cracks.
The RIAA says Amazon was eager to help tackle pirated material after learning of the findings, and Amazon itself says it’s “working closely” with both distributors and labels to clamp down on counterfeiters. There’s certainly some urgency to improve anti-piracy efforts. Although downloads and streaming thrive in North America, CDs make up just shy of 40 percent of worldwide music industry revenue. Publishers can’t count on digital sources to pick up all the financial slack, especially in regions where CDs are either relatively popular (such as Europe) or the only realistic way to listen. Until broadband is both ubiquitous and genuinely affordable for a large chunk of the world, CD piracy is bound to be tempting.
Source: Wall Street Journal
iPad regains share in a shrinking mobile tablet market
Apple’s share of the tablet market has been sliding for a while, but it’s making a comeback… if not for the reasons the company might prefer. Strategy Analytics estimates that the iPad climbed from 19.1 percent of the market in the third quarter of 2015 to 19.9 percent a year later. However, that’s mainly because the market as a whole shrank 10 percent. The analysts believe that many tablet manufacturers’ shipments dropped year-to-year, and that Apple simply experienced a smaller decline than most. The one major exception is Amazon, whose $49 Fire tablet helped its shipments more than double.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple is on the wrong track. Strategy Analytics argues that the iPad Pro line puts Apple “on the path to recovery” by giving the company a laptop-like tablet that wasn’t an option before. However, it does show that Apple is consciously veering away from the strategies of its peers. Many of its Android rivals are shifting attention to 2-in-1 Windows tablets, like Lenovo’s Yoga series or Samsung’s TabPro S. Researchers say that Windows hybrid and tablet shipments jumped 25 percent year-over-year in the third quarter — some of those are bound to be from companies no longer convinced they can sell Android tablets as full-on computer substitutes.
The data suggests that the tablet market isn’t so much dying as maturing. Basic mobile tablets will still have an audience among those who just want to read books or watch video, but higher-end slates are taking hold. People want “everyday computing devices” that really can fill in for a conventional PC, according to analysts, and they’re willing to pay more for these devices.
Source: Strategy Analytics
The Morning After Weekend Edition: Happy Halloween!
Letter from the Editor
Change is life. It’s what keeps things interesting. It’s also what keeps the cauldron of commerce at a full boil. And in the technology industry, change is constant. This week, Apple and Microsoft revealed new computers that’ll tempt many — particularly folks working in the creative arts — even if they come with eye-watering price tags.
Change can also be cause for consternation. Apple decided to eliminate the headphone jack from its phones a month ago, and yesterday it banished everything without a USB-C or Thunderbolt connector from its laptops. This is the pain of progress. Given enough time, the benefits received will, we hope, be a good bargain. It often is.
In other instances, change comes slowly. Jess Conditt wrote about how powerful video games have become as a medium for cultural and social commentary. Yet respect and investment for such projects trail more “traditional” arts, despite games’ arguably wider potential impact. And finally, Edgar Alvarez explained Amazon’s difficulties in becoming a purveyor of luxury fashion items. It seems that scale and quality can’t mix — at least in the minds of those running haute couture.
Hey, artists use Windows too!They’re used to paying Apple prices, right?
Microsoft wants to be the company for creative types. Like in the worst way possible. The company’s big Surface event this week was all about creating, building and drawing. There was even a little 3D printing thrown in for good measure. Of course, the biggest news was the launch of the Surface Studio all-in-one PC, but we’d be lying if we said MS Paint 3D didn’t kinda steal the show.
Apple wants your fingers to caress its new laptopAll in the name of stimulating your artistic sensibilities
Apple couldn’t let Microsoft hog the spotlight, though. The Cupertino crew held their own big event this week, and the focus was all on the MacBook Pro. The most exciting news was the addition of the Touch Bar on the high-end models — an OLED touchscreen strip in place of those anachronistic function keys. The less exciting news was that Apple ditched basically all the ports except for USB-C. At least they didn’t ax the headphone jack.
Shhh … you hear something?That’s the sound of sick video game sound effects, y’all
Microsoft went all out for the sound on “Gears of War 4.” Most games treat the audio like a second-class citizen, but developer the Coalition fired up some elaborate software that simulates how sound reacts in different environments and how it interacts with different materials to make “Gears 4” seem ultra-realistic. Or as realistic as a game set in the future on an alien world can seem.
R.I.P. VineWe (most of us) hardly knew ye
Twitter announced that it was going to be laying off more than 350 people, and now, it seems, we know where at least some of those cuts are coming from. Vine is coming to an end, and with it the art of six-second video loops. Some Engadget editors will miss it more than others.
What are pro designers saying about Microsoft’s Surface Dial?No thanks, mostly.
We talked to a host of illustrators, designers and other creative types to see what they think of Microsoft’s newest devices. The Surface Studio seems to have piqued their interest. The Dial, on the other hand…
Please don’t do this. Seriously.11 super-sexy Hallow-meme costumes
Look, sexy nurse and policeman are passé. If you’re really looking to leave an impression, you need to blend your love of popular internet culture with your normal raw sexual energy.
Bokeh everywhereiOS 10.1 brings a new photo feature to the iPhone 7 Plus
If you have an iPhone 7 Plus, you don’t need beta software to try out its new “portrait mode” shots. Environments where the background is a similar color to your subject can confuse the camera, but in most situations it did the job of making phone pictures look like they came from a high-end SLR camera.
But wait, there’s more…
- The FBI isn’t done with Hillary’s emails yet?
- I have the power! … of two first-gen Tesla battery packs
- Sony is working on new PS4 controllers for pro gamers (just don’t call them Elite)
Amazon Prime arrives in China to further challenge Alibaba
With over 63 million people already paying for Prime, Amazon is now expanding its subscription service to one of the largest marketplaces in the world: China. The retailer has announced that mainland users can now enjoy free, unlimited shipping on millions of domestic items, as well as others from the special “overseas orders” category. As part of a promotion that lasts until February, Amazon is offering the membership for $188 yuan (around $30) for the first year. Once this rate ends, Prime will cost 388 yuan (about $60) every 12 months.
Amazon says certain packages could take five to nine days to be delivered within China, specifically those being shipped from the US and other fulfillment centers abroad. Of course, the launch of Prime in China is all part of Amazon’s plan to further challenge Alibaba on its home turf, where it has more than 434 million active users.
The question now is how will the Chinese tech giant react to the news. After all, we know Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, isn’t known for being a man of few words.
Source: TechCrunch
Amazon Rolls Out ‘Alexa’ Voice Assistant to its Fire Tablets
Amazon began rolling out Alexa voice assistant to its Amazon Fire tablets yesterday, extending the feature beyond its original smart devices, such as the Echo speaker.
The rollout means owners of 7-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch Fire tablets will be able to issue voice commands for specific requests, like playing music or having the news read to them, but unlike the always-listening smart speakers, the home button must be held down on tablets to activate Alexa.
The feature will take advantage of Fire screens by displaying full-screen cards with additional information in response to requests, such as the day’s forecast in response to a weather inquiry, or playback controls when music is requested.
Unlike Siri and Google Assistant, Alexa was designed with tablets in mind rather than mobile phones, according to Amazon, so its special skills focus on tasks suited to the home, like setting timers or ordering household items from Amazon. As such, requests for tasks usually performed on the go, like finding nearby bars and services, either result in a simple web search or are redirected to the Alexa app.
Like with the smart speakers, Fire tablet owners can also add skills from third parties such as Uber, as long as the associated app is also installed.
Amazon’s addition of Alexa to its tablet range follows Google’s newly debuted Google Assistant on its Pixel smartphones, which are set to compete with Apple’s iPhones that come with Siri.
Amazon says it will grow the abilities of Alexa and has over 1,000 employees working on the assistant with the intention of hiring more. The company also hopes its introduction on tablets with drive more holiday shopping.
Tag: Amazon
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Alexa makes Amazon’s new Fire HD 8 tablet even more useful
With the Echo and Echo Dot, Amazon proved that its Alexa assistant — and voice commands in general — could actually be pretty helpful. But how will it fair on a device that isn’t listening to you all the time? That’s the question I had when Amazon unveiled the new Fire HD 8, its first tablet to include Alexa support (it’s also coming to the last-gen Fire tablets over the next few weeks). Instead of just shouting “Alexa” or “Amazon” aloud, you have to hold down the Fire HD 8’s home button to activate the assistant, similar to how you’d access it on the Fire TV. That means using Alexa is less seamless than on Echo devices, but it still ends up making the Fire HD 8 a more capable device.
Aside from needing to press a button, Alexa works just as you’d expect on the Fire HD 8. It accepts all of the voice commands as the Echo devices, and it supports most of the skills from third-party developers. (As Amazon tells it, some devs require specific devices for their skills, but there aren’t many of those around.) And yes, if you’ve connected smart home devices to another Alexa device, you’ll be able to control them from the tablet as well.
Because I can’t just shout for Alexa, though, I noticed that I use it differently on the Fire HD 8 compared to the Echo. It’s easy enough ask about the weather while you’re reading an ebook, or have it tune into your favorite radio station while you’re perusing your favorite site. But if your hands are full while cooking, you can’t easily reach over to change the episode of a podcast that you’re listening to. I learned pretty quickly that the hands-free aspect of Alexa on the Echo and Echo Dot is a big reason why I warmed up to it so quickly.
I can understand why Amazon isn’t letting you use your voice to access Alexa on the Fire HD 8, though. It’s just a $90 tablet, and while it’s a bit faster than the previous version, battery life remains a major concern. It’s simpler to just have people manually access Alexa, rather than to have a background service sipping battery life while it waits for your command. Heck, it took Apple years before it made Siri completely hands-free.
There is one change for the better when it comes to using Alexa on a tablet: It takes advantage of the screen to display some helpful cards based on what you request. If you ask for the weather today, you’ll also get a glimpse at what the temperature looks like for the rest of the week. There’s also an experimental feature for existing Echo owners called “voice cast,” which will display cards about requests to your Echo on your Fire HD. Unfortunately, it didn’t work on my Echo or Echo Dot, but I’ll give it a pass for now since it’s still in testing. Amazon says that feature should be available to owners of the New Echo Dot within the next few weeks.
Despite not being as useful as it is on Echo devices, it’s hard to complain about having Alexa on Amazon’s tablets. The company isn’t charging any extra for the feature, and it’s not stopping it from driving down the cost of its slates either. That being said, I can’t wait to see Alexa go completely hands-free on future Amazon tablets (and perhaps on the current devices when they’re plugged in and charging).
Why the fashion world won’t let Amazon in
There’s no doubt Amazon has already mastered the art of selling groceries and other essential goods online. But the company aims to be more than that. It’s also focusing on streaming technologies, with services like Prime Video and Music Unlimited, a rival to Spotify and Apple Music. Then there’s fashion retail, a space that may be the hardest (though, not impossible) to conquer. While Amazon isn’t new to selling clothes, the company sees high-fashion retail as its next holy grail. It wants to be the place where you can have a $12 Hanes hoodie and a $1,500 Louis Vuitton in the same cart.
Over the past few months, the company has been ramping up efforts in fashion, starting with the quiet launch of seven in-house brands in February. By introducing Franklin & Freeman, Franklin Tailored, James & Erin, Lark & Ro, Society New York, North Eleven and Scout + Ro, Amazon was able to start covering its bases. More specifically, it meant not having to rely solely on products from third-party brands. The lines, which are designed to be affordable, offer close to 2,000 clothing pieces for men, women and children.
What’s more, the retailer shut down its Gilt competitor MyHabit, a site where it sold name-brand apparel at deep discounts, last May in order to send that traffic to its main site. Much to their surprise, MyHabit users were told to begin shopping on the fashion section of Amazon.com. The company, which declined to comment for this story, told WWD in April the decision was meant to “simplify” its offering, noting that fashion is one of its “fastest-growing” categories.
Actress Vanessa Hudgens at Amazon’s MyHabit launch party. (Associated Press)
Of course, it makes sense for Amazon to reap the benefits of its more than 300 million active users. That number is especially notable since 63 million are paid Prime members, meaning they’re likely to spend money on the site regularly.
The problem is, as Amazon’s plans get more ambitious — like trying to become the online destination for couture — there’s bound to be some pushback from established players in fashion. Earlier this month, Amazon kicked off a $15 million advertising campaign in an attempt to brand itself as high-fashion retailer. As part of this strategy, it introduced a new TV spot in Europe titled “Delivering Fashion,” showing what appear to be supermodels delivering Prime boxes to different places. It’s a small taste of what Amazon Fashion aims to be.
At the same time though, LVMH, which owns Celine, Dior, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and several other luxury labels, recently said that it won’t be working with Amazon anytime soon. “We believe the business of Amazon does not fit with LVMH full stop and it does not fit with our brands,” Jean-Jacques Guiony, LVMH’s chief financial officer, said to investors during an earnings call last week. “There is no way we can do business with them for the time being.”
We believe the business of Amazon does not fit with LVMH full stop and it does not fit with our brands.
Jean-Jacques Guiony
As it stands, LVMH, which told Engadget it had no further comment, relies solely on its own distribution channels. With Louis Vuitton, for example, the company only sells products at namesake stores around the world as well as its website. And even when it works with retailers like Neiman Marcus on shop-in-shop experiences, those are always staffed by LVMH employees. For luxury brands, having full control of the retail experience is paramount. So, Guiony’s statements aren’t shocking, but they’re definitely not what Amazon wants to hear.
The perspective from industry insiders is that LVMH, and other luxury goods makers, are wary of Amazon because they don’t want to devalue their brands. That’s an understandable concern when you consider that a piece of expensive clothing would be sold alongside toilet paper, food and other conventional goods.
As we saw several years ago when Louis Vuitton began producing some bags in larger quantities and offering lower priced options,” says Julie Zerbo, founder and editor in chief of The Fashion Law, “demand and sales dropped off quite significantly.” That’s the reason it doesn’t do it anymore. She adds that, because what companies like LVMH sell is priced highly and thrive on the notion of exclusivity, something as “seemingly insignificant as selling on Amazon could be hugely detrimental.”
Not all is lost for Amazon, however. Marc Jacobs (owned by LVMH), BCBGeneration, Rachel Zoe and Tommy Hilfiger are respectable fashion brands with a presence on the platform. These may not be as luxurious as Louis Vuitton, Dior or Givenchy, but they help Amazon Fashion have a more robust catalogue. Meanwhile, others such as Michael Kors (which isn’t considered high-fashion by most in the industry) have certain limits. The brand doesn’t sell clothes on Amazon, instead it only lists jewelry, watches (including smart ones) and fitness trackers.
Michael Kors declined our request for an interview, but a spokesperson told Engadget that the company doesn’t officially sell any other categories through Amazon “at this time.” So, if you’ve ever bought Michael Kors clothing on Amazon, there’s a chance it could be a counterfeit. Earlier this year, upscale footwear designer Birkenstock said it would stop doing business with Amazon, citing an increase of counterfeit goods on the site and “a constant stream of unidentifiable unauthorized resellers.”
In an email to retail partners about the decision, Birkenstock CEO David Kahan wrote, “Policing this activity internally and in partnership with Amazon.com has proven impossible.” Kirthi Kalyanam, director of Santa Clara University’s Retail Management Institute, says Amazon has a “presentation problem.” He notes that the brand experience is off, given that Amazon allows third-party resellers on the platform who might sell unauthorized products from a luxury fashion house. “Until the proper marketplace reseller arrangements are in place,” he says, “luxury brands will be cautious.”
Designers show their collection at Amazon India Fashion Week India. (AFP/Getty Images)
You don’t have to go far back in time to know this as a major issue for Amazon. Just last week, Apple filed a lawsuit claiming most Lightning cables and chargers sold on Amazon are fake. The suit claims these accessories are “poorly constructed” and “pose an immediate threat to consumer safety.” Although the products being sold were “Fulfilled by Amazon,” third-party sellers are core to Amazon’s e-commerce business.
“For luxury brands, controlling the chains of sellers is extremely important for maintaining brand image and exclusivity,” says Zerbo. “But they also need to ensure authenticity and quality, both in terms of the products themselves and the customer experience.”
What helps Amazon Fashion is the fact it’s still a work in progress, and it can use cases like Birkenstock’s to improve the platform for both labels and buyers. But, the retail giant will need a lot more than a $15 million ad campaign to appeal the LVMHs of the world and, most importantly, the people who want to that type of merchandise without questioning their authenticity. Amazon can start by cracking down on dubious third-party sellers, though even that may not be enough to make buying Louis Vuitton bags on Amazon a reality.
Alexa gives voice control to Logitech’s Harmony Hub remote
Alexa now (officially) works with Logitech’s Harmony Hub, meaning it’s a lot easier to get voice control over your home entertainment and automation devices. After you enable the Alexa skill on an Amazon Echo, Dot or other supported device, you’ll be able to start and stop Harmony Activities, change channels and control devices using the AI assistant. Simple commands include “Alexa, turn on Netflix,” or “Alexa, turn on my TV.”
You also get a certain amount of programmability, thanks to Logitech’s Activities. If you say “Alexa, turn on my evening activity,” the bot will trigger a prearranged sequence that can involve entertainment as well as home automation devices. For instance, it can dim the lights, lower your blinds, adjust the temperature, flip on the TV and load up HBO Now or Netflix — all in one sequence.
Voice control is already available for smart TVs and AV devices by LG, Samsung, Google and other manufacturers. However, Logitech’s Harmony Hub works with just about every home entertainment device, along with smart home products like the Nest and Philips Hue lights. That might make it the simplest way to get voice commands to your home entertainment system and avoid any IFTTT-type programming. Alexa support comes to the US sometime this week and to the UK “in the coming months.”
Amazon Echo now fact-checks politicians
You’ve probably heard politicians make more than a few outlandish claims, and not just in the run-up to the US presidential election. Do you really want to swing by a fact-checking website every time a candidate stretches credibility? As of now, you don’t have to lift a finger. Duke Reporters’ Lab has introduced an Amazon Echo skill that lets you fact-check any politician scrutinized by PolitFact, FactCheck.org or the Washington Post. If you want to know if Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is telling it straight, you just have to ask your wireless speaker whether or not a claim is true.
It’s not perfect. You have to sit through a lengthy introductory spiel before you can ask your question, and Duke stresses that you should mention major keywords to get the right answer. Still, there’s a certain pleasure to knowing that you can call a would-be leader’s bluff while you’re busy making dinner.
Source: Duke Reporters Lab, Share the Facts
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