Alexa to let you use voice commands to add smart home devices to groups

Smart home devices are designed to make living easier for you. Setting said smart home devices? Not-so-smart. Or rather, it can be a tedious, complicated process. But looks like Amazon and its Alexa assistant wants to ease things a bit for you. Appearing on the Echo newsletter, it looks like you can create device groups and add smart home devices to it simply by using your voice. Here’s the description for it: “‘Alexa, add the lamp to the living room group.’ Organize your smart home devices into groups and control them all with one command. Just ask to create a group or add and remove devices from your smart home group.”

There is no information for this yet on the help page for creating device groups but it might show up soon. If you do have access to it, let us know what you’re experience has been like. Was it easier to setup your smart devices?

Source: Android Police

Amazon Echo Button gets a bit more useful

While first marketed as a fun accessory for playing party games, the Amazon Echo Buttons are getting some added, useful features. These can now perform Alexa routines by simply tapping a button. It’ll let you do things like turn on the lights without talking to your speaker or let guests cue music without having to remember specific commands. You can enable this feature by creating routines in the latest version of the Alexa app. To activate them, you just choose the Echo Button as a trigger and then you’re good to go.

Source: Engadget

Alexa comes to Windows 10

Amazon just launched its Alexa app on Windows 10 and it’s now available on the Microsoft Store for all Windows 10 machines. It’s important to note, though, that only compatible devices will support Alexa wake word functionality. If your device doesn’t support this, you can just hit the button within the app to speak to Alexa or use a keyboard shortcut.

Just like other Alexa apps, this will let you do things like control music playback as well as your smart home devices. But it doesn’t have PC-specific controls just yet, these are said to be coming in “early 2019.” Video, calls, Pandora, and Spotify aren’t supported within the app just yet either.

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