Tag: amazon alexa

Alexa voices will no longer include celebrities like Samuel L. Jackson

Stephanie Beck
Alexa voices Celebrities

The smart gadget will also no longer be able to sound like Melissa McCarthy is speaking to you. Amazon has announced that it has stopped the sale of celebrity Alexa voices in the form of “personalities” for the device. The e-commerce giant posted a note on the product pages that used to include celebrities for personalities. According to Amazon’s note, the celebrity Alexa voices are no longer available for purchase. Melissa McCarthy and Samuel L. Jackson aren’t the only celebrities whose “personalities” are being removed from the availability list. Others…

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Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant misses its mark

John Montgallo
Voice assistant - Job Cuts

The company is now making the largest cuts in its history to the teams working on that technology. The teams at Amazon that have been working on the Alexa voice assistant are being hit by the largest job cuts the company has ever seen. The concept of Alexa was first created by Jeff Bezos more than a decade ago on a whiteboard. In Bezos’ vision of the voice assistant, it would provide the user with help in completing a full spectrum of different tasks ranging from reading a bedtime story…

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Amazon Echo adds option to use Samuel L Jackson’s voice

Jorge Gonzalez
Amazon Echo - Amazon Device

Google Assistant users aren’t the only ones who can change the default voice on their smart device. Amazon Echo now has a unique new option available for users who would rather listen to Samuel L Jackson than the default voice. The company recently launched its celebrity voice program which will soon include several new sounds. Samuel L Jackson is the first voice being added to the new celebrity voice options for the Amazon Echo. The program was first unveiled in September, so users knew that it was on its way.…

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Focals smart glasses intend to succeed where Google and Intel failed

Amanda Giasson
Focals Smart Glasses - North

A Canadian company is aiming to provide people with the smart glasses experience they actually want. North, an Ontario-based company previously called Thalmic Labs, is launching its Amazon-backed Focals smart glasses. The goal of this wearable technology is to provide mobile users with an intuitive way to check notifications, check the weather, read and respond to text messages, plan a commute with Uber, speak with Alexa and more. The major difference between Focals and previous smart glasses models, is that North’s product is stylish, practical and designed for everyday wear.…

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Amazon Alexa ads limited to music, radio and flash briefings

Jennifer Goula
amazon app - mobile commerce - smartphones

The online marketplace has gone ahead and decided to ban advertisements in other parts of its mobile digital assistant. New rules are in place for Amazon Alexa ads which have now been banned except in music, radio and flash briefings. The company has altered its Alexa Skills Kit policies. The changes were made quietly but made a notable difference to the way advertisements can run with Alexa as they have been primarily banned. The new bans on mobile marketing with the Alexa app had noticeably fewer bans on ads. The…

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