Recent Amazon Echo Stories

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Amazon's Echo devices may still dominate the smart speaker market, but customers rarely use them to purchase goods from the e-retailer.

Anyone interested in smart home technologies will immediately run into a long list of issues. And it's hard to know where to start.

Google smart speaker sales are growing over three times faster than those from Amazon, closing the gap in this critical market.

Amazon today announced a new Echo Dot aimed at kids and a new version of its parental controls.

Activision announced this week that it has released a beta set of Call of Duty skills for Amazon Alexa.

Ambient computing is the "next wave" of personal computing. But what role can Microsoft play in this future?

A credible report explaining how Apple failed to capitalize on being first-to-market with Siri has triggered some fan fiction.

Amazon's $1 billion purchase of smart home security firm Ring is big news, but it could result in a chilling new era of fragmentation.

Ambient computing is the next major wave of personal computing, and smart speakers are how we get there.

Microsoft's high volume, low-cost strategy was the winner in the PC market. But will it work with smart speakers too?

I often complain about Microsoft's aversion to hard numbers. Well, Amazon is even worse.

Sorry for the seemingly cheap headline, but it's not my fault. This topic creates a unique challenge for its author.

I am probably one of Amazon's best customers, but I don't really take advantage of their consumer tech products and services.

Even Microsoft was able to ship a smart speaker in 2017. How do you like them Apples?

In characteristic fashion, the e-tailer is offering unique benefits that play to the strength of its popularity with consumers.

Harmon Kardon's Cortana-based Invoke smart speaker briefly appeared on the Microsoft Store website today.

In a surprise event yesterday, Amazon announced six new Alexa-powered devices for the home, plus coming BMW integration.

Amazon is objecting to Google's decision to pull YouTube from its Echo Show smart appliance.

Over a year ago, Microsoft secretly agreed to partner with Amazon to integrate their digital personal assistants, Cortana and Alexa.

During his Build 2017 keynote address, Microsoft's Terry Myerson referred to Mixed Reality as "the next wave" of computing. But I think ambient computing is a much bigger deal.

Like Microsoft, Amazon.com came too late to the smartphone market. But unlike the software giant, Amazon has already found its Next Big Thing.

If you were hoping that Home Hub was going to be Microsoft's answer to the Echo or Google Home, it's not; it's a Windows 10 family feature.

Microsoft needs to bring Cortana to the kitchen before it is too late; the market is ripe for this type of device and they have all the technology.

Amazon today announced Unlimited Music, its new on-demand music streaming service. Key differentiators include what Amazon calls the service's "breakthrough" pricing, and Alexa integration.

I didn't see this one coming: Sonos announced today that it will open up its excellent connected speaker solutions to partners, starting with Amazon Echo and Spotify. This means that Sonos users will no longer be stuck with the middling Sonos Controller apps they currently need to use to access the speakers.

Two weeks after my wife and I invited Alexa into our home, we're saying goodbye to the Amazon Echo and returning it to Amazon for a refund. The reason? This technology, while interesting and a clear peek at the future, just isn't essential.