This Alexa command will remind you of upcoming events

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A new Alexa command that has rolled out in the US will help you remember upcoming events. All you have to ask Alexa is to "tell me when" an event happens. It will answer your query and simultaneously set a reminder for when that event occurs. You can use it for everything from major sports events, TV show air dates, emails from contacts, holidays, and the like.

This new command is part of Amazon's new strategy to determine your intent instead of merely answering your question. There might be more of these responses in the future. And we're certainly hoping it makes its way here.

Source: Engadget

iOS users can interact with Alexa via text

Amazon has just added a new feature for iOS users. Its assistant Alexa can now respond to commands via text on the platform. With this option, you can opt to text commands to Alexa instead of speaking to it. The feature is still in a "public preview," so expect to run into bugs and issues. If you do want to test it out, you can head to the Alexa app on iOS. When you tap the Alexa button in the app, it will bring up a keyboard icon that will open a chat window.

Source: Engadget

Amazon Canada offers a new free tier of its music streaming service

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Amazon will allow Canadians with Alexa-enabled smart speakers to listen to music for free. These users won't even need to have Amazon Prime or Amazon Music accounts to use the feature. But, of course, this new free tier comes with a few caveats. Similar to Spotify's free tier, you can only listen to ad-supported playlists and song-based stations. You won't get to choose songs to listen to, but if you're okay with listening to Amazon-curated playlists, then this option should work out fine for you. As MobileSyrup pointed out, you can also link Spotify to the same Alexa account, so you get access to even more songs if you want.

Roku brings Google Assistant, Alexa support to Canada

It's been well over a year since Roku brought Google Assistant and Alexa integration to its devices. Finally, Canadian Roku owners get the same privilege with version 9.3 update. The company says the update will be coming to select players in April, with all portable Roku players getting the update in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Roku TV owners have to wait for the update to roll out in the coming months. 

Roku devices do have a built-in voice search option, but the company just started out rolling out more natural command language here. So, you can say things like "I want to watch movies with Ryan Reynolds" and have the device understand what you're saying. Version 9.3 will bring voice control to other parts of the platform, allowing you to control media playback. And when you do get the update, you can link your TV to your smart speaker and ask it to turn your television on and off, control media playback, and swap inputs.

Source: MobileSyrup