Amazon Echo will soon let brands answer questions with ads

Brands on the Amazon Brand Registry who were invited to the beta will be able to see the new Customers Ask Alexa feature in Seller Central. (Image: Amazon)

Amazon will give brands the option to answer queries on its smart speakers and displays. The company revealed during its Amazon Accelerate conference a new Alexa feature that allows brands to add their answers to questions you may ask the device. One example was: "How can I remove pet hair from my carpet?" Instead of just giving generic tips taken from the web, Echo devices can offer answers submitted by brands—presumably recommending their products—and linking them to the brand's Amazon storefront.

According to Amazon, all the answers will go through Alexa's content moderation and quality checks before the most appropriate answers are selected. Of course, we're hoping that system won't be abused. The feature is coming to Amazon's Seller Central for select brand groups starting next month on an invite-only basis at first. The company plans to roll this out to all eligible brands in the US in 2023.

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Check out the new 'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' trailer

I didn't realize I felt starved for new Lord of the Rings content until now. Amazon Studios dropped a new trailer for its big-budget series, The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power. This series takes place during the Second Age of Middle-Earth, a thousand years before the events of Lord of the Rings. It takes inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien's Silmarillion but features characters and a completely original plot.

It will chronicle the rise of Sauron and the forging of the rings. Galadriel (played by Morfydd Clark) tries to convince elvish people that evil is still lurking on Middle-Earth. And she takes it upon herself to do something about it when people don't listen to her. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut on September 2 on Prime Video.

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Amazon to purchase Roomba maker iRobot in US$1.7 billion deal

Source iRobot

Amazon has just signed an agreement with iRobot, the company behind Roomba robot vacuum cleaners, to buy the company for US$1.7 billion (around CA$2.2 billion). It'll be an all-cash transaction for US$61 (approx. CA$79) per share. Colin Angle, iRobot's CEO, will remain in his position.

As CNET noted, Amazon has been a market leader in smart home devices, but a vacuum cleaner hasn't been introduced in its wheelhouse yet. The company didn't detail how it plans to integrate iRobot with the rest of the company.

EU consumers can unsubscribe to Amazon Prime in two clicks

The new Amazon cancellation process includes a “prominent and clear” cancel button and short explanatory text. (Source: The Next Web)

It will be much easier for consumers in the EU to unsubscribe to Amazon Prime. It'll now let EU and European Economic Area consumers unsubscribe from the service with just two clicks, using a prominent and actual "cancel" button. The last option required several steps and a method the EU calls "confirm shaming" that makes users feel like they'll lose out if they continue the process.

Extensive lobbying by EU and EEA consumer organizations helped bring about this change. They even penned a 2021 report entitled, "You Can Log Out, But You Can Never Leave." This is a change we definitely hope to see implemented on more platforms and in more countries.

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