Two new Amazon Fire TV devices are reportedly headed our way

A new report from AFTVnews claims we’re getting more Amazon Fire TV options this year. There will be two new devices, supposedly, and one is coming next month. Both devices will have 4K HDR video support at 60 frames per second. The “mid-tier model,” which looks like a square Google Chromecast is the one we’re expecting in October and will reportedly be priced within the US$60 to $80 range.

Meanwhile, the more exciting model, which is expected to come out later this year or early in 2018, is considered the high-end Fire TV. It’ll reportedly have far-field microphones and an integrated speaker, meaning it might be able to support remote voice commands. With an LED light bar, it might mean this model gets Alexa support. The estimated price for this model is over $100.

Amazon and Microsoft collaborate to make Alexa and Cortana work together

It seems like an unlikely partnership but it’s been in the works for a while. Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos first broached the idea to Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella about having their digital assistants work together around a year ago. And it looks like we might see that happen soon. In the near future, later this year to be exact, we’d just have to utter the words, “Alexa, open Cortana” or “Cortana, open Alexa” to be able to work with both platforms. According to both companies, this integration will benefit both users of the respective digital assistants. Amazon users will get better access to Cortana’s deep integration with Office Suite just from talking to Amazon’s smart speakers. Microsoft’s AI will get access to Alexa’s 20,000 skills and make it easier to shop on Amazon.com.

As mentioned, the two digital assistants are expected to start talking to each other later in the year. Alexa on Cortana will be coming to Windows 10 PCs first and then later on to the Android and iOS apps. At first glance, it seems this could be seen as Microsoft and Amazon trying to gain an advantage in the digital assistant space. But both CEOs claim they are willing to work with Apple and Google to integrate Siri and Google Assistant—if both companies are open to that, that is. We can’t say that’ll be in the cards in our future, especially with Apple and Google being particularly protective of their properties. But we have seen stranger things happen.

Source: Engadget

‘The Walking Dead’ creator Robert Kirkman leaves AMC for Amazon

Amazon has scored a big win this week as it signed a first-look agreement with The Walking Dead’s creator Robert Kirkman and his production company Skybound Entertainment. This means, Amazon gets first dibs on upcoming Skybound productions. Fans of shows like The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and Outcast will be enticed sign up for Amazon Prime Video to get access to whatever new projects Kirkman and his team produce in the future.

AMC has been a longtime partner of Skybound and The Walking Dead has been one of the most profitable shows for the network. But it makes sense for Kirkman and Skybound to turn their focus on building digital strategies with as big a company as Amazon as it’ll help expand its capabilities and ambitions of the studio. Skybound Entertainment will be extremely busy moving forward. They’re currently working on different film projects with properties for their two-year first look deal with Universal. They also just opened Skybound North, a Vancouver-based production division led by former LucasFilm Animation’s Catherine Winder. The news also shows the continuous shift in the streaming service space. Recently, we’ve heard about Netflix buying Mark Millar’s company and Disney’s plan to launch its own streaming service.

Source: Variety

Amazon tipped to be working on a messaging app

Whether we want another messaging app or not, it looks like we’re getting one. Amazon is reportedly working on its own service and they’re calling it “Anytime by Amazon.” The company is sending out surveys to its customers about the service to find out what features are important to them. The app will supposedly use your Amazon account as your login and it’ll be encrypted. Anytime will supposedly have mobile and desktop clients and might include things like being able to make reservations and listen to music from within the app.

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