Sarah Perez
Writer
The Latest from Sarah Perez
Amazon introduces APL, a new design language for building Alexa skills for devices with screens
Along with the launch of the all-new Echo Show, the Alexa-powered device with a screen, Amazon also introduced a new design language for developers who want to build voice skills that include multimed
First Look at Amazon’s Fire TV Recast, a new device to record live TV, stream it anywhere
Amazon this morning introduced a new device called the Fire TV Recast that allows you to watch and record live TV via a connected digital antenna and stream the content anywhere both inside and outsid
Amazon shows off a new $180 Ring ‘Stick Up Cam’
Among the slew of devices Amazon announced this morning at its event in Seattle is a new Ring Stick Up Cam – stick up, because it’s designed to go anywhere. (And is not, apparently, a refe
Amazon launches an Echo Wall Clock, because Alexa is gonna be everywhere
Amazon keeps rolling out new Alexa devices this morning at its event in Seattle. And just now, the company announced the launch of a new Alexa device – in a clock. Yes, there’s now an Echo
Amazon updates the Echo Plus so it can control the smart home when the internet goes down
Amazon today is giving its premium smart home-ready Echo Plus device a notable update. The device, which includes a Zigbee smart home hub built into the Echo, is getting a new fabric design, and a tem
Amazon launches an Alexa Smart Plug
Amazon wants to make it easier to set up your smart home. Today at its hardware event, the company introduced a new Smart Plug device that brings Alexa’s voice control capabilities to anything y
Amazon introduces the Echo Input, its first Echo without a speaker
Amazon today introduced a new product it’s calling the Echo Input. This is a very thin, tiny version of the Echo Dot – and the first Alexa device without a speaker. The idea here is to off
Amazon FreeTime for Alexa adds routines, kids’ podcasts and audiobooks
Amazon today announced it’s rolling out new features for its FreeTime service for parents and children, which recently started working with Alexa, allowing parents to control children’s e
Spotify will now let indie artists upload their own music
Spotify today is taking another step that may make record labels uncomfortable. Fresh off reports that the streaming service is cutting its own licensing deals with independent artists, the company t
Amazon launches Scout, a machine learning-powered visual shopping tool
Amazon is experimenting with a new tool called Scout designed to help shoppers better figure out what they want to buy in a more visual fashion, according to a report from CNBC, which first spotted Sc
Google Home Mini was the best-selling smart speaker in Q2
Amazon’s Echo Dot may have been a bestseller on Prime Day, but Google’s Home Mini device is now the top-selling smart speaker worldwide, according to a new report out this morning from Str
Kayak’s new AR feature will tell you if your carry-on bag fits the overhead bin
Popular travel app Kayak has put augmented reality to clever use with a new feature that lets you measure the size of your carry-on bag using just your smartphone. Its updated iOS app now takes advant
Hulu with Live TV tops a million subscribers
Hulu’s live TV streaming service has hit a milestone number of more than 1 million subscribers. That’s up from the estimated 450,000 CNBC reported at the beginning of the year, and the 800
YouTube to shut down standalone Gaming app, as gaming gets a new home on YouTube
YouTube will no longer maintain a separate app targeting gaming and live game streaming, the company announced today. The YouTube Gaming app, which first arrived in 2015, will be sunset sometime next
Amazon’s new toolkit helps developers build Echo-connected accessories
Amazon wants developers to build their own Alexa Gadgets. As you may recall, Amazon last year launched its own gadgets – those weird, Bluetooth-connected Echo Buttons – but told us this ye
Google’s parental control software Family Link expands to teens
Google’s parental control software for mobile devices, Family Link, will now help parents of teenagers, too. The company announced this morning the addition of new features aimed at parents of c
Amazon takes on The Honest Company with an exclusive brand of eco diapers, Earth + Eden
Last November, Amazon quietly re-entered the diapers market with the launch of its own private label diapers under the Mama Bear brand – its first diaper brand since pulling its Amazon Elements
You can try Siri Shortcuts today in these iOS 12-ready apps
With today’s release of iOS 12, Apple is also rolling out a new feature called Siri Shortcuts, which allows users to create their own voice commands to take actions in apps. For example, you cou
Facebook expands bug bounty program to include third-party apps and websites
Facebook announced this morning it’s expanding its bug bounty program – which pays researchers who find security vulnerabilities within its platform – to now include issues found in
Pandora takes on Spotify’s Release Radar with its newest playlist, The Drop
Pandora is taking on Spotify with the launch of a new personalized playlist, The Drop, announced this morning. Similar to Spotify’s Release Radar, The Drop will also focus on new releases from a