Amazon Alexa

Despite having coffers as large as Google, more or less, Amazon is less trigger-happy when it comes to hardware not directly related to its core business of selling people stuff. Especially after it got burned so hard by the Fire Phone, pun totally intended. Its success with its Echo line of speakers, however, may have emboldened Amazon to make a leap of faith again, this time by putting its Alexa assistant on your face, via its own spin on the smart glasses wearable.

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The tablet segment may have stalled, but Amazon believes there's still room for an impressively potent, surprisingly affordable Android model. Welcome, then, the Amazon Fire HD 10, the newest update of its 10.1-inch slate, with a 1080p Full HD display and quad-core 1.8 GHz processor. The headline specs might be speed, but the price is just $149.99.

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Long before the surge of speakers and accessories pleding allegiance to Amazon’s smart assistant, FABRIQ’s cloth-covered wireless speakers were already speaking Alexa’s language. Launched last year, the FABRIQ Riff gave consumers a more portable and more aesthetic alternative to the Amazon Echo. This year, FABRIQ is taking its game to the next level with Chorus, which brings more power to this bigger speaker, including the ability to call Alexa using only your voice.

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It was bound to happen. People smarter, or more paranoid, than us have already pointed out how these always listening speakers are disasters waiting to happen unless their manufacturers quickly plug up holes and perfect their voice recognition systems. Nowhere has that warning been brought to its most comical conclusion than in a recent episode of South Park that has Amazon’s Echo devices going crazy everywhere. Fortunately this time for laughs rather than hair-tearing frustration.

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Voice-controlled smart assistants are all the rage these days. Just look back at IFA 2017 to see how many devices were proud to announce support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Siri (via HomeKit). They are admittedly pretty convenient and powerful, but those same strengths might actually be their Achilles’ heel as well. Chinese researchers have demonstrated that Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google Assistant can be easily told to do things without the knowledge, much less permission, of their owners. All by saying commands that no human can actually hear.

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As the dust of IFA 2017 settles down and exhibitors and companies pack up and head for home, we take stock of everything that greeted us in Berlin the past few days. If you haven’t yet, go ahead and take our top picks in SlashGear’s Best of IFA 2017. But in the midst of all the phones, gears, and whatchamacallits scattered throughout the convention, there seem to be something that kept on popping up nearly everywhere. Almost like a ghost, it couldn’t be seen nor touched, but it was definitely heard, loud and clear. Amazon Alexa has come of age and Apple, Google, and Microsoft better take note.

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IFA 2017 has just kicked off but we’re already seeing Amazon’s virtual assistant at almost every corner and in almost every other device. Alexa can now be found in more than just speakers. She has also made her presence felt in smartphones and, well, pianos. Riding the IFA wave, Yamaha as announced that it is bringing Amazon Alexa integration to its MusicCast wireless multi-room speaker system which, by association, also lets you control a Yamaha Disklavier Enspire with only your voice.

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Motorola has a new midrange Android phone it wants to pitch you, the Moto X4, announced today at IFA 2017. Well-leaked in recent weeks, the Moto X4 resurrects the X Series that was once the smartphone-maker's flagship line, but which has since been eclipsed by the Z Series. The big question is, where exactly does the Moto X4 fit into Motorola's overall line-up?

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Lenovo has a new use for the Tab 4 Android tablet on your coffee table, with the Lenovo Home Assistant turning it into an Alexa-powered smart speaker. Unveiled at IFA 2017 today, the new speaker accessory acts as a docking station for the Tab 4 8, Tab 4 8 Plus, Tab 4 10, and Tab 4 10 Plus that Lenovo launched a few months back at Mobile World Congress.

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Say what you want about LG, but one thing you can’t say is that it’s not willing to play nice with its competitors. While it has its own platforms, like webOS and SmartThinQ, it isn’t beyond opening its doors to rivals. At least if that’s where the market is headed. And since the market does seem to be headed towards the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home, LG has announced that its 2017 line of smart home devices and connected appliances will be able to connect with Alexa and Google Assistant, offering users hands-free access to its products.

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Amazon and Microsoft have come together to make a rather surprising announcement: later this year, Cortana and Alexa will be able to talk to one another. Cortana, of course, is Microsoft's own AI assistant, and even though she may have lost a platform with the decline of Windows Phone, there's still a major push underway to make her an integral part of Windows 10 devices. With Alexa compatibility on the way, Cortana could become even more prevalent.

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Amazon announced a rather huge addition for its Echo family of smart speakers today. This new feautre is called "multi-room music" and, as that name suggests, it allows you to target your music playback to specific groups of speakers throughout your house. We're guessing that Sonos might be at least a little worried about this, especially considering recent rumors that the company looking to launch an Alexa-based smart speaker of its own.

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