Amazon Echo smart speakers can now control GM vehicles by voice

"Alexa, start my Chevy Bolt!"

Owners of Amazon Echo devices who also happen to own recent vehicles from GM, Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet vehicles using the multifunctional smart speaker can now remote start/stop their vehicle's engine or lock/unlock their vehicle using their voice, without the need for keys or  even a smartphone.

GM says that, "starting today, more than 800,000 owners of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles in Canada will be the first in the country to be able to control their vehicles using just their voice. By linking their Owner Center accounts with their Amazon account, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac owners can now enjoy the convenience of the myChevrolet, myBuick, myGMC and myCadillac Alexa skills."

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2018 Hyundai Ioniq Electric Plus PHEV Driver Review

 By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

At first glance, the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle looks like a cohesive and balanced four-door sedan that’s both practical and incredibly roomy.

I’m happy to report that after a week with the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid as my main ride, I never had to head to a gas station. I did have to charge the car’s EV battery twice in a public charging station, a total of five hours, yet managed to return the car to Hyundai with a full gas tank (or a 850 km range) as well as the battery on reserve. HIt jump to learn more about this innovative hybrid.

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Sonos Beam smart soundbar now available in Canada

Sonos Beam will be officially available via www.sonos.com and global retail partners starting tomorrow.

We tested this Alexa-powered soundbar and smart speaker and found it to be, "one of the best products that launched this year and is the smartest choice for assistant-enabled speaker buyers who have a need for a soundbar for their TVs, as well as a powerful and expandable smart speaker that also manages the highest-fidelity and best quality audio in the $499.99 price range." Sonos Beam continues to impress as we've used it in tandem with our Vizio TV to watch World Cup and Wimbledon Finals, stream shows from Netflix as well as play the latest games on the Xbox One S and the PlayStation 4.

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Apple celebrates Emoji Day with 70 new emoji across its platforms

As emoji continue to proliferate as one of the preferred ways to communicate, the need for more specific and more inclusive emoji continues to grow. Apple is giving users of iOS and Mac OS 70 new emoji to express themselves better including a range of Canada-specific icons. Some Canadiana-focused Emoji include a lobster, bagel, racoon, hiking boot and cold face.

More than 70 new emoji characters are coming to iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac later this year in a free software update. The new emoji designs, created based on approved characters in Unicode 11.0, include even more hair options to better represent people with red hair, grey hair and curly hair, a new emoji for bald people, and new smiley faces that bring more expression to Messages with a cold face, party face, pleading face and a face with hearts.

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