Amazon is updating its Echo line of smart speakers with a new Echo Dot sporting a built-in clock display, a 3rd-gen Echo with a an updated design, and several new models including the $25 Echo Flex that plugs directly into into a wall jack, and the $200 Echo Studio, which the company says is its […]
smart speaker
Report: Google’s Nest WiFi mesh routers will double as smart speakers
Google is holding an event October 15th where the company will officially launch the much-leaked Pixel 4 line of smartphones. But the company could also use the event to introduce other new products… like an update to its Google WiFi line of mesh networking routers. According to a report from 9to5Google, the next version of […]
Lilbits 377: Signs don’t look so good for Gemini
Remember that GST Gemini dual-screen laptop crowdfunding campaign I told you about the other day? Indiegogo has put it “under review,” and stopped accepting contributions. It’s unclear at the moment if this has anything to do with the product itself, the name (it’s hardly the first “Gemini” device to show up at Indiegogo), or something […]
Bloomberg: Amazon’s next Echo could sound a lot better
Amazon dominates the smart speaker market that it pretty much created when it launched the first Amazon Echo a few years ago. But the company is facing increased competition from Google, Apple, and others. So it’s no wonder the company has expanded its Echo lineup in recent years (there are now 4 Echo speaker models […]
Amazon’s new Echo Dot Kids Edition is louder, more colorful
When Amazon launched the Echo Dot Kids Edition last year, it was basically a 2nd-edition Echo Dot with a protective case, a 2-year “worry-free guarantee” and support for Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited Alexa service. Then the company introduced a 3rd-gen Echo Dot a few months later, bringing a fabric-covered design, a louder speaker, and 802.11ac WiFi. […]
Amazon’s $90 Echo Show 5 is a smaller, cheaper smart display
Amazon’s 3rd-gen Echo Show smart display is called the Amazon Echo Show 5… which sort of makes sense because the name refers to the screen size rather than the generation. Rather than replacing the 2nd-gen Echo Show, the new model will be sold alongside it as a smaller, less expensive option. The Echo Show 5 […]
Lilbits 367: Say hello to the Samsung Galaxy Home Mini (while you wait for the Galaxy Home)
It’s been close to a year since Samsung first spoke publicly about the Galaxy Home smart speaker with support for the company’s Bixby voice assistant… but you still can’t actually buy one yet. But it looks like the company is also developing a second, smaller model. The folks at CNET spotted an FCC listing for […]
YouTube Music and Amazon Music now available for free (with ads… on smart speakers)
Google and Amazon both are both launching free, ad-supported versions of their streaming music services. And both are available exclusively on smart speakers at launch. You can now listen to YouTube Music for free if you have a Google Home or another Google Assistant-powered speaker. And Amazon Music is now free for anyone with an […]
Lilbits 360: Apple and Qualcomm call off their lawsuits
Apple and Qualcomm have announced a new six-year license agreement that starts this month, a multi-year chipset supply agreement, and end to all litigation between the two companies. That’s… a little surprising, quite honestly. The companies have been fighting over patents for years, with the latest court case getting underway just this week. Update: OK, […]
Project Alias hacks your smart speaker so it’s only listening when you want
There’s something kind of magical about saying “Alexa” or “OK Google” to get a weather forecast, recipe, navigation directions, or to play music or control your smart home appliances. There’s also something a little creepy about it since you need to have an always-listening, internet-connected speaker in your house to do those things. Sure, Google […]