Amazon Alexa app adds full Alexa voice support on Android

Seems like it should’ve been there from the start but it wasn’t. Thankfully, Amazon finally decided to add Alexa voice support to the app. The Amazon shopping app gave access to Alexa voice commands, but it makes more sense to have that within the Alexa app. When the update rolls out, this should give you access to Alexa skills, help you send messages, control music playback, and the like. Hotword detection should work within the app, meaning you can say Alexa and it would respond. But as an Android Police reader pointed out, hotword support doesn’t seem to work even within the app but there is a big Alexa button in the middle of the app’s navigation bar to start voice commands. Hopefully, Amazon fixes this in the future.

Amazon's Alexa cloud-based voice service and Echo devices available in Canada

 The voice-assistant space in Canada is about to get more interesting. Amazon has finally brought its Alexa-powered Echo smart speakers and service to Canada which means it is now competing directly with Google Home.

It’s official, Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, Alexa, is now available in Canada along with three Alexa-enabled devices: Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Plus. The lineup of innovative voice-controlled speakers allows users to experience a new level of convenience and intelligence.

From simply asking Alexa for the temperature, or the news of the day, to controlling your entire home’s lights and locks, Alexa’s capabilities are endless and ever-expanding. You can pre-order your Echo device today at www.amazon.ca/echo. Shipping is expected by December 5, just in time for the Holiday season.

Click to read more ...

New Amazon Fire TV dongle brings 4K HDR and Alexa on board

One of the newest devices out of Amazon’s stable brings with it some pretty big features. The new Fire TV dongle comes with 4K HDR support and Alexa built in. It’s a square Chromecast-like device but comes with a remote control that you can speak to for voice control. It’s easy to get the Fire TV to work with your TV sets. All you need to do is plug it into your HDMI port and it can then let you stream HDR content up to 4K at 60 frames per second. If you have a killer speaker or soundbar setup going, this device supports Dolby Atmos audio as well. The Fire TV dongle is launching in the US on October 25^th for US$69.99 (approx. CA$87).

Source: Android Authority

Shopping list app Out of Milk gets Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support

If you use shopping list app Out of Milk, you might like the new features. The app now supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. You will need to follow these instructions for Google Assistant on Google Home and this one for Amazon Alexa and you need to have an account created on the Out of Milk app or website to access the Out of Milk Voice assistant. Once you have that up and running though, you can do things like add and remove items from a list, include the quantity, add multiple items to a list, check which list you’re working on, and read off items on a list or off all the lists.

Source: Android Police