A year after launching the Google Home smart speaker with Google Assistant, Google is expanding the lineup with two new models… one small and cheap, the other big and… not cheap. The Google Home Mini is a $49 speaker that’s designed as a cheaper alternative to the $129 Google Home. The $399 Google Home Max […]
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Amazon Tap is on sale for $70 today
The $180 Amazon Echo is still probably the best smart speaker powered by Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service, while the $50 Echo Dot is the cheapest. In between is the $130 Amazon Tap, which is bigger than the Dot, smaller than the Echo, and battery-powered, making it the only truly portable model in Amazon’s current lineup. […]
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HomePod is Apple’s answer to the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Sonos speakers
Apple is launching its first Siri-powered home speaker. It’s called HomePod, and on the one hand it seems like a rather late entry into the space first created by the launch of the Amazon Echo in 2014. But Apple thinks HomePod will stand out in a few ways. The company says the HomePod offers the kind […]
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Apple’s Siri-powered Echo competitor’s key selling point: It’s an Apple product
Amazon may have launched the smart speaker market with the introduction of its first Echo device a few years ago. But these days you can also opt for a Google Home with similar functionality, and soon you’ll start to find speakers that use Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant. Apple wants in on the action too. There’ve […]
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1 Comment on Clarity is a touchscreen Android speaker with Alexa and Google Assistant (crowdfunding)
Clarity is a touchscreen Android speaker with Alexa and Google Assistant (crowdfunding)
1 Comment on Clarity is a touchscreen Android speaker with Alexa and Google Assistant (crowdfunding)Looking for a smart home speaker, but can’t decide between an Amazon Echo with the Alexa voice service or a Google Home with Google Assistant? Why not both? At least that seems to be the thinking behind the Clarity Speaker. It’s basically a familiar-looking speaker with a 7 inch touchscreen display and Android software. But […]
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Now you can connect Amazon Echo to Bluetooth speakers
Want to use an Amazon Echo for its Alexa Voice Service features, but find the audio from the speaker underwhelming? Now you can pair an Echo with a Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth headphones. That’s a feature that had previously only been available for the smaller, cheaper Amazon Echo Dot. But Pocket Lint notes that Bluetooth […]
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Amazon Tap portable speaker gains always-listening option
One of the things that makes Amazon’s Echo products kind of magical is the fact that you don’t ever need to touch them. Just say “Alexa” or “Computer” into thin air and ask a question, and Echo will answer you, play music, or perform hundreds of other actions upon request. That’s a feature that’s been […]
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Would you wear a speaker around your neck?
Bluetooth headphones come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, but one of the odder ones is the neckband + earbud system that you wear both in your ears and around your neck. The upshot is that there’s room for a bigger battery than you get with earbuds alone. The downside is… have you seen […]
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Would you buy an Amazon Echo with a touchscreen display?
Amazon may have sold more than 5 million of its Echo line of internet-connected, voice-activated speakers in the past few years. What started off as a single product priced at close to $200 is now a family of devices including an entry-level $50 model and a portable model that sells for $130. So what’s next? According to […]
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Evo battery makes Amazon Echo Dot portable (also doubles the price)
Amazon lowered the barrier to entry for folks looking to use its Alexa-powered wireless speakers when the company introduced the new $50 Amazon Echo Dot. The tiny speaker can listen for questions and voice commands, allowing you to get news updates, play music, or find out who’s playing in the World Series all without using […]