Tidal comes to Amazon Echo

If you’re using Tidal and own an Amazon Echo device, you’re going to love this new update. The Jay-Z-owned music streaming service is now available on Amazon Echo devices. You can access it via an Alexa skill, and, of course, you need a Tidal subscription for it to work. Tidal comes to the service using Amazon’s recently introduced Music Skill API, the company was able to build support for Alexa without needing to rely on Amazon’s help (which other streaming services had to do). Now, you can set it as your default Echo streaming service. However, of course, you’ll lose the optional hi-fi audio quality Tidal is known for because of the hardware limitations of the Amazon Echo. But who knows if a hi-fi version of the speaker comes out in the future? For now, Tidal is hoping you’ll love its curated playlists and this integration for you to stick with the service.

Source: The Verge

Amazon Alexa can let you know if your favourite musicians release new music

Amazon Music and Alexa will make it easier for its subscribers to find out if their favourite musicians released new songs or albums. Amazon’s Music app is getting a New Release Notifications feature that can turn up on the mobile app or as a yellow light notification on your Amazon Echo device. If you’re in the US, you can follow an artist by saying to your Echo device, “Alexa follow ______ on Amazon Music.” Or say, “Alexa, let me know when ______ has new music.” You need to have notifications enabled to get updates. No word yet when Amazon plans to bring this feature outside the US.

Source: CNET

Amazon diversifies its Echo product base in Canada with a range of new models

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Canadians today are spoiled for choice when it comes to smart speakers and smart home technology. Just think that two years ago, we had to sneak in Amazon Echos and Google Homes across the border and run through hoops to enable some fascimile of functionality with these devices.

Today there are literally dozens of smart speaker devices to choose from and Amazon has just made choosing the right device more challenging thanks to its latest fall harvest of devices.

Occupying an entire floor of an old building in downtown Toronto, Amazon set off to demo a slew of new devices that are all coming to Canada and will be available as early as tomorrow.

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Triple Beam: The Sonos Beam review

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

We live in a time where smart speakers are as common as TVs and smartphones. Powering these smart speakers are intelligent assistants which can respond to queries, set timers, run searches and play back an incredible range of streaming music, news and online content.

Behind each intelligent assistant is a tech company and its ecosystem of products. Amazon has millions of items for sale, Google has a massive advertising model, and Apple wants to shoehorn users into its Neverland of apps, services and devices.

Many of the existing $500 smart speaker releases of late seem to be solutions in search of problems. Apple’s HomePod is a circular single speaker that claims to be able to generate stereo sound. The Google Home Max is a heavy and oversized boombox for the streaming age. Both are expensive and serve one purpose, to play back streaming music and serve as the link for expanded smart home functionality.

The Sonos Beam, now that’s a different story. The second smart speaker from Sonos is also their third soundbar product and it is the hat trick of smart speakers capable of solving many problems at once.

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