Echo

Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wire-Free review: Ding dong

(Pocket-lint) – Arlo is a big name in home security, with a wide range of cameras, so extending its offering to the front door makes a lot of sense. Having originally launched an Audio Doorbell – which connected to an Arlo system – the obvious leap was to integrate video and audio to make it… Read more

The Verge’s favorite audio gear

Ever since Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville recorded an almost undecipherable version of the French song “Au Clair de la Lune” in the mid-19th century, it’s been clear that the technology that you use to produce and listen to sounds can affect your experience. Even now, about 150 years later, the quality of your gear can… Read more

The best streaming device to buy in 2021

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Looking for a new TV gadget to stream all of your favorite entertainment? Buying an excellent streaming device is easier in 2021 than ever before — and the prices only continue to drop and get more appealing:… Read more

Ecobee adds baby monitoring features to its SmartCamera

Ecobee has updated its SmartCamera home security camera with a few new features that make it easier to use as a baby monitor. The new Baby Monitor mode, which is enabled during setup of the camera, adjusts the camera’s settings to dim the LED lights on the front, makes it harder to accidentally enable the… Read more

Amazon won’t build this Alexa cuckoo clock unless it hits a preorder goal

Amazon is launching a new consumer outreach program it’s calling Build It. The idea is a safer spin on a familiar crowdfunding idea: if enough people preorder something, Amazon will produce it. And if not, it won’t. The company is starting with three Alexa-powered gadgets: a cuckoo clock, a thermal sticky note printer, and a… Read more

Amazon is working on a wall-mounted Echo device to control your smart home

Home News (Image credit: Amazon) Amazon is making another Echo device, but this one is a little different from its usual smart speakers. It’s a wall-mounted device, designed to act as a command centre for your smart home, according to Bloomberg. According to the outlet’s sources, it will have a touchscreen interface, so will likely… Read more

Amazon reportedly building an Alexa ‘command center’ that mounts to the wall

Amazon is developing a thin Echo device for users to mount on their walls and use as a “smart home command center,” according to a report in Bloomberg. The device could come with a 10- or 13-inch touchscreen display and be capable of controlling smart home devices, playing music and videos, and video chatting thanks… Read more

33 Spotify tips, tricks and features

Home Advice (Image credit: Spotify) As of February 2021, Spotify boasts 155 million Premium subscribers and 345 million monthly active users. The platform has long been the world’s most popular music streaming service, and with good cause – it got in on the ground floor and its simple interface and vast library make it a… Read more

Google Meet’s new ‘green room’ lets you do an audio / video pre-check

It can be difficult to figure out how you’re coming across in a videoconference, especially if you want to make sure everything works before you start the meeting. How is your lighting? Are you sitting too close or too far from the camera? Is your audio okay, are you accidentally muted, or do you sound… Read more

Amazon will have a new CEO as Jeff Bezos transitions to executive chair later this year

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will step down as CEO and transition to a new position at the company as executive chair of the Amazon board in Q3 2021. Andy Jassy, who currently serves as CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), will replace Bezos as Amazon CEO. “Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility,… Read more

Amazon’s Super Bowl ad stars Michael B. Jordan as Alexa

Amazon is no stranger to Super Bowl ads, and the company has another one ready for this year’s big game. The 2021 ad stars actor Michael B. Jordan, who you might know as Erik Killmonger from Black Panther or quarterback Vince Howard from Friday Night Lights, as the company’s Alexa smart assistant. In the ad,… Read more

DTS Play-Fi: what is it? What speakers and devices support it?

Home Advice (Image credit: DTS) What’s the first thing you think of when someone says the word ‘multi-room’? For most, we imagine it’s a dedicated set-up from a single manufacturer such as Sonos or Bluesound, with its connected ecosystem of speakers, soundbars, soundbases and hi-fi components. Or perhaps you’d think of AirPlay 2, a gateway… Read more

Amazon Music Unlimited vs Spotify: Which is best?

(Pocket-lint) – The rise of Amazon Music Unlimited has gone hand-in-hand with the explosion in the use of Amazon Echo speakers and Alexa, its digital assistant. It integrates seamlessly with Echo devices, while also working just like any other streaming service on your phone and other devices. Spotify is probably the first service you think of… Read more

AirPods Pro 2 should arrive within the next five months, report claims

Home News (Image credit: Future) Apple’s rumoured plans to release its second-generation AirPods Pro by April have just gained significant traction, thanks to unnamed industry sources cited in a report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes. The report hones in on flash memory supplier Winbond, stating: “Winbond is also expected to be among the NOR flash suppliers for Apple’s… Read more

Amazon’s motorized Echo Show 10 will finally be available on February 25th

Amazon’s new motorized Echo Show 10 — announced last fall at its annual hardware event — finally has a release date of February 25th, with preorders starting today for $249.99. The smart display was originally announced for a late-2020 release date. Unlike Amazon’s other Echo Show smart displays, the Echo Show 10 has a motorized… Read more