A new plug-and-play chip to give Amazon's Alexa talents to anything with a speaker could also help cut the cord to new smart speakers. Currently, Amazon only offers a single completely wireless Alexa-powered speaker, the Amazon Tap. All of the other Echo speakers demand to be perpetually plugged into power.
Tomorrow is a big day for Nintendo fans, as the NES Classic will be returning to store shelves after more than a year away. Nintendo is giving consumers a second chance to own the NES Classic, which was notoriously hard to come by during its initial retail run. It's probably going to be just as popular the second time around, so you'll definitely want to plan ahead if you want to get one.
Android tablets may be dead for Google but they are not for Huawei or Samsung, and definitely not for Amazon. The company’s line of Fire tablets is still one of the best ways to enjoy everything Amazon has to offer, from shopping to music to video to, yes, Alexa. They also happen to be one of the most affordable tablets for kids around. And to show that it is committed to catering to kids of all sizes and ages, it is launching the new Fire HD 10 Kids Edition, it biggest tablet built for kids with bigger needs.
![Amazon Show Mode turns Fire HD 8, HD 10 into an Echo Show [UPDATE]](https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Show-Mode-Dock-Flash-Briefing.jpg)
Even before Google has a chance to finally respond to Amazon’s Echo Show with its own Smart Display lineup, Amazon is already changing the game yet again. This new Show Mode may be the reason why it hasn’t been rumored to be working on an Echo Show v2. With the Show Mode Charging Dock, a Fire HD 8 or Fire HD 10 tablet automatically becomes an ad hoc Echo Show, which could make Google regret it gave up on Android tablets so easily.
Amazon's Alexa app for iOS has finally added the one thing bizarrely absent since it arrived on the App Store: the ability to actually interact with Alexa through it. The retailer introduced Alexa conversations to the Android app at the start of the year, but at the time only promised that it had iOS support for the same thing on the roadmap.
It might be a small and probably temporary win for privacy advocates, but it’s a significant win nonetheless. The City of Orlando, Florida has announced that they will be ending the use of Amazon’s facial recognition software in response to protests staged by the ACLU and dozens of advocacy groups. While the government is still keeping the door open to using the technology again in the future, Orlando residents can rest assured that the frighteningly accurate Amazon Rekognition won’t scanning their faces again any time soon.
Amazon Prime savings are rolling out across all Whole Foods stores in the US as of mid-week, Amazon has confirmed today, whether you shop in-store or using Prime Now. The discounts were one of the big promises Amazon made to shoppers back when it announced it would be acquiring Whole Foods, linking its Prime subscription with the brick & mortar grocery chain.
Netflix’s support for Amazon Alexa just got a whole lot more powerful, with an update to the streaming app that more tightly integrates voice control. The update comes as Amazon launches its latest set-top box, the Fire TV Cube.
Amazon's Prime Exclusive selection of phones is becoming one of the best places to find a deal on discounted Android handsets. The online shopping giant offers a range of subsidized phones to Prime subscribers, often pre-loaded with Amazon's apps and services. The company has announced that two new devices will be joining the lineup, the Moto G6 Play and Moto Z3 Play, each with Alexa installed as the digital assistant.
Amazon has launched its FreeTime Unlimited subscription for iOS. The service was, at one point in time, limited to only Amazon's tablets. The company later launched it for Android, that paving the way for today's expansion: iOS devices. As on the other platforms, the FreeTime Unlimited for iOS subscription brings a vast quantity of kids content.
If the Fire TV Cube caught your eye, but your TV itself is due an upgrade, Amazon and Toshiba are hoping their new smart TV collaboration will fit the bill. The Toshiba 4K Ultra HD Smart TV Fire TV Edition may not have an elegant name as it begins shipping today, but as I discovered with an early play, it does a surprisingly smooth job of integrating Amazon's set-top box at an affordable price.
Here's some exciting news for Motorola fans: the Moto Z3 Play, which was revealed at the beginning of the month, has gone up for pre-order. As you'd expect, the phone is available to order directly through Motorola, but you might also want to have a look as Amazon. The massive online retailer has revealed that the Moto Z3 Play, along with the less expensive Moto G6 Play, will be offered as Prime Exclusive phones.