Tag: alexa

Spotify podcasts now available through Alexa

Got yourself an Alexa speaker? Getting an Echo or Echo Dot for Christmas? Well, good news. You can now listen to the Coolsmartphone Podcast or any other podcast through Spotify on your shiny Echo device. Just link Spotify in the Alexa app and you’re away. Once enabled, you …

Alexa will now make calls for you

If you’ve got yourself an Amazon Echo and you’re a Vodafone customer, this is definitely for you. Customers can now make or receive hands-free calls through Amazon Echo with your existing mobile plan. All you need to do is link your mobile number to your Alexa account. This …

Roav Viva by Anker – Review

The Roav Viva from Anker is a Bluetooth enabled smart speaker charger that would charge for car accessories such as mobile phone or tablet whilst you are out and about but it will also allow you to utilise the power of Amazon Alexa for search. The actual unit …

Huawei launch AI Cube and Locator – IFA2018

So alongside the new Kirin980 chipset that was announced today at Huawei’s Keynote their were two IOT based products, the AI Cube and the Locator Firstly let’s look at the Huawei  AI Cube. This is a 4G Router which also doubles as a powerful Soundsystem and AI speaker. This is what …

LIFX- Smart lighting system -Review

Believe it or not, outside this website, I live in a fairly tech-free household. This is for the most part because my wife doesn’t want the house to be festooned with technology. The other reason is due to the old adage of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix …

Vodafone gets Google Assistant support

No one wants to go over their allowances and run up a large bill. Even with the most generous allowances, it’s still a good idea to check regularly. Vodafone UK have tried coming up with more interactive ways of doing just that. The network made an Alexa skill …

Amazon drops new toys into the Alexa playroom

The Amazon Alexa offering got an added bonus yesterday. The Amazon Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Fire TV and Fire HD 10 will all be arriving here in the UK on, of course, Amazon UK. There’s a new version of the Amazon Echo, which will be £89.99, and …

“Alexa, is my door locked?”

All is quiet, nothing is stirring, not even a mouse and you shout “Alexa, is my door locked?”. No this isn’t the beginning of a weird Internet of Things horror movie but the introduction to Yale’s Keyfree Connected and Keyless Connected Smart Locks in conjunction with Samsung’s SmartThings. To …

Alexa, can you be my new squeeze?

If you’re used to talking to someone called “Alexa” in your kitchen, then you might also be talking to her on the move too. A new update for HTC U11 owners, provided you’ve got the latest software, means that the Alexa voice assistant can now sit inside your …

The fallacy of connected light bulbs

It seems so simple doesn’t it. A short cut into making your lights ‘smarter’, with no need to re-wire anything or even look at a screwdriver. Unfortunately almost every brand has adopted connected light bulbs as their go to smart home tech and I’m here to tell you …

Sonos hike prices in UK due to Brexit

Unfortunately the UK is in for a rough ride in the next few months as the decline of the pound starts to affect prices of just about everything. We have already seen price jumps from OnePlus, steep hikes from Apple, and now Sonos are increasing their prices considerably. …

Apple, you’re losing the battle for the home

I’ve waited so long for home kit. Not even a resonable amount of time, a really long time. HomeKit is great and Apple’s approach to creating the most secure home products that all work well is without doubt the correct approach. With that said there are so many …

Huawei Mate 9 to get Alexa. Let’s test it.

Over the last few days I’ve been faffing about with the voice-controlled Amazon Echo Dot. It’s got an invisible lady inside called “Alexa” which will do your bidding. The device itself is a magical disc-shaped unit which will wake up and then answer your questions. It’ll also play …

Amazon Echo coming to UK and Germany

Amazon Echo, the digital assistant, is coming to the UK and Germany this autumn. Hurrah! What is an Amazon Echo you ask? It’s a speaker with microphone that connects to the internet, over WiFi, and has the Amazon Alexa service built in. Amazon Alexa is Amazon’s digital assistant. …