Amazon's latest update to its Alexa voice assistant introduces a generative large language model (LLM) designed to elevate smart home interactions. Amazon says the new Alexa LLM brings enhanced contextual understanding, allowing for more natural conversations and streamlined device management. Continue Reading →

Alexa Custom Assistant

Alexa Custom Assistant
Amazon just launched Alexa Custom Assistant: a service that lets automakers and device manufacturers build their own digital assistants using Amazon’s Alexa technology. Continue Reading →

Alexa Gets More Talkative

The official title of the Amazon Science blog is "Alexa gets better at predicting customers’ goals," but you should read this as, "The Turing test is not for machines to pass, but for humans to fail." Continue Reading →
Smart Speakers
Amazon, Google, Apple, and the Zigbee Alliance announced a new partnership called Project Connected Home over IP. It will create a new smart home standard so their products can work together. Sadly, we won’t see a draft specification until late next year. But the good news is that the partnership is announced and there will be a spec and open source materials, too. Continue Reading →

Alexa Is Getting Emotional

C-3P0
A few weeks ago, Amazon announced new developer tools to enable Alexa to speak with emotion, either excited or disappointed across a range of intensities. Amazon said, "Use new Alexa Emotions and speaking styles to create a more natural and intuitive voice experience." Continue Reading →
Shelly Palmer on Fox 5
Shelly Palmer highlights the most interesting Echo devices from Amazon. "Alexa, are you listening?" The answer is absolutely and in all kinds of new ways. With Kerry Drew and Bianca Peters on Good Day New York on Fox 5. Original Airdate: October 1, 2019 Continue Reading →
Echo Frames
When you look at the list of voice-voice-activated hardware Amazon announced this week, even those who are not paranoid have to stop and think. The standout “Think About This…” device is called Echo Frames, a pair of audio-only smart glasses. They will read you your notifications and offer optional support for Google Assistant. And, yes, Continue Reading →