Google Assistant made its debut on Pixel smartphones and the Google Home smart speaker last year. But a few months ago Google introduced an SDK that would let third-party hardware makers add Google’s voice assistant service to their own hardware. Now Google has announced that the first third-party smart speakers with Google Assistant are on […]
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Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant supports US English now
Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant launched alongside the company’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones… in South Korea. But it’s taken a bit longer for Samsung to get Bixby to work properly for customers in the United States. Last month the company launched a Bixby Early Access program for US English speakers. And now Bixby is […]
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Alexa Voice Service goes visual with launch of Display Cards
Amazon is getting ready to ship its first Echo device with a built-in display. Powered by the company’s Alexa Voice Service, the new Amazon Echo Show will be able to do everything other Echo products can, plus let you make voice and video calls, monitor security camera feeds, and view text and images to go […]
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Samsung launches Bixby voice assistant Early Access program in the US
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ may have dedicated keys for the company’s Bixby virtual assistant software. But the full version of Bixby wasn’t ready to go when the phones first launched… at least not in the United States. While South Korean customers could use Bixby to speak to their phones, customers in the US could […]
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Amazon will start paying developers of (top) Alexa skills
There are thousands of third-party “skills” for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, allowing you to get news updates, play games, or perform other actions with your voice. But for the most developers aren’t making any money directly from those skills, because Amazon doesn’t accept paid skills and doesn’t allow developers to insert advertising. Now Amazon is getting […]
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1 Comment on Cortana now supports third-party “skills,” HP and Intel working on Cortana-enabled speakers
Cortana now supports third-party “skills,” HP and Intel working on Cortana-enabled speakers
1 Comment on Cortana now supports third-party “skills,” HP and Intel working on Cortana-enabled speakersMicrosoft’s Cortana virtual assistant software is baked into Windows 10, and it’s expected to power the upcoming Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker. But at the start of this week’s MS Build conference, Microsoft made a few more Cortana-related announcements. First up, HP and Intel are also planning to launch Cortana-enabled devices. Or rather, HP is… and […]
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Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker with Cortana coming this fall
Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant is currently available to pretty much anyone with a Windows 10 PC or smartphone. But in December Microsoft announced Cortana would also be coming to third-party hardware, including an upcoming smart speaker from Harman Kardon. Update: Now Microsoft and Harman Kardon have officially unveiled the Invoke Intelligent Speaker with Cortana, which […]
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Google Assistant SDK offers voice service to 3rd-party hardware
Google Assistant currently works on a handful of platforms including select Android phones, the Google Home smart speaker, and Google Allo chat app. But soon Google Assistant may be available in third-party devices ranging from smart home gadgets to robots. Google has released a new software development kit that you can use to build-your-own hardware […]
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Amazon Echo Look is a $200 speaker, camera, and “style assistant”
Remember that unannounced Amazon product that looked like it might be a security cam? It turns out it’s basically an Amazon Echo with a built-in camera and some new Alexa virtual assistant features that make use of the camera… to help you dress better. It’s called Amazon Echo Look and it’s a $200 addition to […]
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Samsung’s Bixby assistant: Voice controls for your phone (not quite a Siri clone… for now)
Comments Off on Samsung’s Bixby assistant: Voice controls for your phone (not quite a Siri clone… for now)We’ve known for a while that the Samsung Galaxy S8Â would be the first phone to ship with Samsung’s new Bixby voice assistant software. What we didn’t really know until now is that Bixby isn’t exactly competing with Google Assistant or other voice assistant software such as Siri, Alexa, or Cortana… at least not yet. Other […]