Amazon goes spherical with new Echo speakers

The new Amazon Echo (Source: Amazon)

The new Amazon Echo speakers don't look anything like they've looked before. Amazon revamps the Echo speaker line and introduces a look that makes it feel like they've been taken out of a sci-fi film. The new spherical Echo speaker gets all of the Echo Plus' smart hub features at $129.99. The Echo Dot receives a new spherical look, too, and comes in at $69.99 for the standard version or $79.99 for the Clock model. 

It's not showing up on Amazon Canada's site, but the company also introduced a new Echo Dot Kids model that looks like the Echo Dot, but with cute animals faces on them. These will come with a year's worth of Amazon Kids+, which gives users access to child-friendly audiobooks, games, and more.

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Amazon Echo speakers finally get Apple Music support

We reported at the end of last month that Apple Music support was hitting Amazon Echo speakers. The feature arrives earlier than it was scheduled to come (which was December 17). And now users can head to the Alexa app on iOS or Android to add Apple Music to the list of supported music streaming services. Once you’ve linked your Apple Music account to Alexa, you can even set it as your default streaming service. Apple Music subscribers can then ask Alexa to play songs from their personal playlists, their entire library, or any of the service’s curated playlists or radio stations. Again, we need to emphasize that the feature is currently only available to Echo speakers and not third-party, Alexa-enabled speakers.

Source: The Verge

Apple Music is coming to Amazon Echo devices this December

In a surprising move from Apple, the company just announced it’s bringing Apple Music streaming service to Amazon Echo. It’ll be coming to Amazon Echo speakers starting the week of December 17. When it does come to Amazon, this mean Apple Music subscribers can ask Alexa to play their favorite songs, artists, playlists, albums, and Beats1 radio stations right from an Echo speaker. This integration will launch as an Apple Music skill, which you can enable within the Alexa app. From there you’ll be able to link your account and start listening to Apple Music in the similar way you could services like Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Pandora are integrated into the service.

Source: MacRumors

Skype calling comes to Alexa

Microsoft and Amazon continue to build on its partnership. This time, Microsoft is bringing Skype calling to Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. The Echo range can use Skype’s basic calling feature. And if you have the Echo Show, you’ll even get video calling support. On top of this, you can also use SkypeOut to call mobile phones and landlines. You just need to say things like “Alexa, call Stephen on Skype” to activate the call.

Source: The Verge