Amazon has inked a deal with the NHS that will see it’s AI-powered voice assistant Alexa be used to offer health advice for patients who can’t easily access information online. The move, which follows on from a push into the healthcare space in the US from the business, has sparked concern among privacy campaigners. Starting in July, devices […]
Mindshare, part of WPP, and Sanofi, the global healthcare leader, have launched the UK’s first brand-led pollen alert on Amazon’s Alexa platform. In addition to being market-leading within the consumer health space, it is also the first voice-activated skill to use hyper-local data to notify users about high pollen counts in their postcode. It is […]
A major study of consumers’ subconscious reactions to digitised voices has revealed a significant bias towards female voices amongst people under the age of 35. The study, which used brain imaging technology to explore the neurological response to male and female voice assistants, discovered that respondents of both genders within a younger age group found […]
Amazon’s Alexa is set for further expansion following a partnership with chip maker Qualcomm to integrate the voice assistant within wireless headphones. The pairing means that Bluetooth headphone manufacturers will be able to enhance the functionality of their devices by inserting custom microchips which enable pairing with a phone enabled with Alexa. In this way users will be able to talk […]
While everybody has been talking about Amazon’s Alexa-enabled microwave, it has been announced that Amazon’s Alexa devices will soon be able to manage Skype calls. The Amazon and Microsoft partnership means that people using Alexa devices will be able to make outgoing voice and video calls, accept incoming Skype call, and make SkypeOut calls using just […]
Amazon’s digital assistant technology Alexa is now available on 20,000 devices according to the internet retailer, an impressive increase on the 4,000 connected devices where users could access the smart assistant at the start of the year. The figure was revealed during an Amazon press event at IFA in Berlin, as reported by CNET, where […]
With skills aimed at children and families proving to be one of the fastest growing categories for Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant, mobile ‘pocket money’ tracking app RoosterMoney has announced the launch of the first-ever pocket money skill for the voice assistant. The RoosterMoney skill enables users to track their saving and spending, as well as keeping them […]
The use of voice activated virtual assistants has rocketed in UK homes this year. The latest figures claim one in 10 Brits now own at least one device – but just how are Alexa and pals enhancing British consumers’ lives? Are smart speakers actually making us smarter? And are they using these devices to engage […]
Alexa helps you look your best with Echo Look, a first-of-its-kind Echo device with a hands-free depth-sensing camera, built-in LED lighting, and computer vision-based background blur to make your outfits pop. Simply say, “Alexa, take a photo” or “Alexa, take a video” to get a share-worthy shot of your look, no smartphone camera or […]
For the second year in a row, marketing agency Stone Temple Consulting has confirmed that Google Assistant is the smartest and the most efficient virtual assistants on the market. In an attempt to figure out which smart speaker is the most intelligent, Stone Temple asked the Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana approximately […]