Thematically, Google wanted the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to work well for a variety of people in a number of different ways. The opening of Google’s fall event Tuesday featured a video of a woman running to catch a train to work. It showed her using her phone to access a transit pass, …
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Microsoft’s Word writing tool will soon be able to record and transcribe audio, marking an evolution long requested by everyone from students to reporters to Microsoft executives. However, it has strikingly limited features when compared with competitors. The new transcription technology, which will be made available for free to Microsoft 365 subscribers writing with Word via a web browser, allows …
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Amazon is pushing back against an allegedly widespread tech support scam that the company says targeted its Alexa and Echo device customers through phony Alexa apps and websites. In a civil lawsuit Amazon filed in federal court in Seattle last week, the company said an international ring in Washington state and India developed a scheme to draw in people looking …
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Standing in a demo room that overlooked the Space Needle at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, Alexa hardware executive Miriam Daniel smiled as she encouraged me to stick a pair of Echo Buds in my ears. The space was noisy and chaotic, punctuated repeatedly by Alexa chiming in with different responses. I tapped the side of the earbuds twice, then suddenly there …
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We always thought Amazon’s entry-level tablet, the Fire 7 ($50, £50), was a good value, particularly when it was discounted by $10 or even $15 during flash sales. Now Amazon is updating it with a faster processor and bumping the base storage from 8GB to 16GB. The “all-new” Fire 7 is available for preorder now and will ship June 7. The …
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Google is using advances in AI and voice recognition to design new products and apps intended to make life easier for people with disabilities. It highlighted some of that work Tuesday at its annual I/O developer conference. During his keynote address, Google CEO Sundar Pichai demonstrated the new Live Caption feature, enabled by Android Q, which transcribes in real time …
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While Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant got busy over the past few years creating oodles of new skills and capabilities, Apple’s Siri seemed to be asleep. Alexa came out with food delivery via voice commands back in early 2016. Siri, meanwhile, didn’t offer the same feature until last year. Considering that contrast, it’s no secret Siri has fallen far behind …
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Sonos and Roku may soon become closer buddies. The two device makers are in preliminary talks about integrating Roku’s new entertainment software, Roku Connect and Roku Entertainment Assistant, into Sonos’ audio gadgets, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Such a partnership would potentially allow voice commands to be sent to a Roku TV or Roku streamer via a …
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Google Assistant is opening itself up to new forms of communication. Starting today, when you pull up Google Assistant on your phone, you’ll see extra visuals and new ways of interacting by touch. Google is announcing the changes via a blog post Wednesday as the company prepares for its Made by Google event on Oct. 9. Rolled out initially as …
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Three voice assistants walk into a bar and they all start talking. But the conversation never stops. Here’s how to make Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant talk to each other in an infinite loop using their respective smart speakers: the Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo and Google Home ($75 at Walmart). Let’s be real: you probably won’t have three of these …
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