Amazon is reportedly planning to offer a free Fire TV video news app

Embed from Getty Images

Amazon might be channeling Roku with rumours that the company plans to offer a free video news updates app. It’s being reported that Amazon has already approached a number of news organizations and Verizon, who owns Yahoo News and Finance, with hopes of getting them to distribute their content in the app that will come with the Fire TV streaming devices. Amazon is reportedly targeting to release this in the next few months. It makes sense from a business perspective for the company to do this. It could give them an opportunity to rake in more ad dollars by running advertisements between segments. According to The Information, Amazon hopes to integrate its news video app into Alexa, but they didn’t expand on this idea.

Source: The Verge

Amazon temporarily stops selling Echo Wall Clock over connectivity problems

Embed from Getty Images

Just a little over a month since Amazon started selling its Echo Wall Clock, the company has pulled the product from its site. The reason was that customers were experiencing connectivity issues and some reviews mentioned that it kept losing Wi-Fi connection. Amazon is working on the fix now and intends to start selling the clock again “in the coming weeks.” This clock makes use of a connected Alexa device so you can control it with your voice, letting you do things like set timers and reminders. It can even display timers with LED indicators to let you know how much time you have left. The Echo Wall Clock itself doesn’t have a speaker or mic.

Source: Engadget

Samsung’s new TVs get Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support

So, Samsung is trying to bring more value to its new TVs. On top of its support for iTunes and AirPlay 2, Samsung is also bringing support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. But there’s a caveat to this. The new TVs will respond to voice commands from these two digital assistants through Alexa- and Google Assistant-powered smart speakers. The built-in voice assistant and one you can talk to through the remote will still be Samsung’s Bixby Assistant. The commands it can execute is rudimentary at the moment. Using Google Assistant or Alexa, you’ll be able to turn on the TV, change channels and volume, or switch between inputs. There’s no word yet if richer features are coming, but Samsung should update us if they are bringing more.

Source: Engadget

‘Human error’ gives Amazon Alexa user access to another user’s voice recordings

Embed from Getty Images

One Amazon Alexa user in Germany requested access to his activities on the service but he got more than he bargained for. The customer got access to thousands of recordings from another Amazon Alexa user. Amazon claims this happened because of “a human error” made by the company and is an isolated case. The customer was able to access and download 1,700 audio files from a stranger when Amazon sent him a link for his information. What can you glean from these recordings? A lot, apparently. The German trade publication c’t was able to contact the user who had his files shared by just listening to the recordings.

According to c’t, the first customer didn’t get a reply to Amazon initially when he raised the issue but then the files were deleted from the link provided. However, as we mentioned, he already downloaded the files. An Amazon spokesman said they’ve resolved the issue with the two customers involved and “took measures to further optimize our processes.” The company also contacted “relevant authorities” about the matter.

Source: Reuters