John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to discuss the state of Apple’s delayed HomePod, plus they talk about Amazon’s still MIA Apple TV Prime app.
Alexa
Noon Home Brings Complex Light Control to Your Home with Smart Switch
Noon Home thinks smart lighting in our homes belongs in the switches and not the bulbs so they announced their Noon Smart Lighting System on Thursday.
Sonos One: Alexa-Controlled Wireless Home Speaker
Wireless speaker company Sonos recently debuted voice support in two forms: pairing their speakers with an Amazon Alexa-enabled device like an Echo or Dot, and with Sonos’s first voice-enabled speaker, the Sonos One. We put the new speaker through its paces.
Sonos One, Streaming Music, AirPlay 2 - TMO Daily Observations 2017-10-05
Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to talk about the new Sonos One, HomePod, AirPlay 2, Alexa, streaming music, and more.
Apple Music with Sonos, Alexa, and AirPlay 2
Sonos’s new Alexa support doesn’t offer full control for Apple Music, but next year’s AirPlay 2 integration might just provide Apple Music subscribers full voice-control of their Sonos sytems.
![Sonos Announces Sonos One, a Smart, Voice-Enabled Speaker [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sonos-one-voice-speaker.jpg)
Sonos Announces Sonos One, a Smart, Voice-Enabled Speaker [Update]
NEW YORK CITY – Similar in size and form to Sonos’s popular PLAY:1, the Sonos One adds a six-microphone array to give it far-field voice recognition capability, and will ship on October 24th with support for Alexa baked right in.
Amazon Intros Echo Plus and Spot, Fire TV 4K
Amazon just ramped up its smarthome game—and Echo product line—with new Echo and Echo Plus smart speakers, and the Echo Spot.
Siri's Real Job, Understanding DolphinAttack - TMO Daily Observations 2017-09-08
Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s vision for Siri and user’s perception of the voice command platform, plus they shed some light on DolphinAttack.
Siri, Alexa Susceptible to Ultrasonic Voice Commands
Apparently Siri, Alexa, and other voice assistants are susceptible to hacks from bats and dolphins—or maybe just hackers that know how to use ultrasonic frequencies.
Tim Cook’s Political Junket and Amazon’s Master Plan for Alexa - ACM 426
Is Tim Cook running for President? Bryan and Jeff take a look at his recent higher public profile and the political junket he seemed to take through the midwest. They also talk about Amazon’s recent improvements to Alexa and how they fit in with the company’s master plan for the platform.
Getting Ready for the 4K Apple TV - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-30
Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to sort out what a 4K Apple TV means to you and your current TV, plus how to look for a new TV if your ready to upgrade.
How to Set Up Multi-room Music Streaming for the Echo and Echo Dot
Here’s how to set up Amazon’s new multi-room music streaming for your Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show devices.
Amazon's HomePod Competitor, Apple Store HomeKit Demos - TMO Daily Observations 2017-07-13
Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to offer up their take on Amazon’s Echo that’s coming this fall to compete with Apple’s HomePod, plus they have some thoughts on Apple adding HomeKit demonstration stations to its stores.
Amazon Working on Echo Competitor to Apple's HomePod
Amazon is working on a new Echo designed to compete directly with Apple’s HomePod, and it’s expected to ship this fall.
How to Set Up iCloud Calendar for Alexa
Read on to learn how to link Alexa and your Echo or Echo Dot to iCloud Calendar.
Could Alexa and Siri Prevent or Report Child Abuse?
With connected devices and voice assistants becoming more common in our households, children are seeing them as friends. Sometimes, they might even see the device as a trusted confidant. Could that encourage legislators to make the devices report child abuse? Jeff Butts has been thinking hard about that, and suggests it might not be a terrible idea.
Amazon's Alexa Calling Feature Works From Your iPhone, too
Amazon’s Alexa Calling feature works great on the Echo and Echo Dot, from the testing TMO staff have done so far. Jeff Butts and Jeff Gamet also took the time to check out how the feature works from the Alexa app on the iPhone. Here’s what they found out, and how you can use it, too.
The Dangers of Voice Assistants in Our Homes - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-12
Apple, Amazon, and Google want voice assistants to be a bigger part of our lives. Jeff Butts and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at the social and privacy implications as voice assistant appliances become more deeply intertwined in our lives.
Imagining a Siri Smarthome, Apple and Sleep Tracking, and the Real iPhone 8 - ACM 410
With Alexa Show and Microsoft Invoke, Bryan and Jeff envision the Siri smarthome of the future to make the case for an Apple Siri device. They also talk about what Apple might do with sleep tracking technology from Beddit, as well some sexy new renders of Apple’s unannounced iPhone 8.
Amazon Unveils Echo Show with Display and Video Camera
The biggest un-surprise of the day comes from Amazon and its just announced Echo Show. The well-leaked new Echo model includes a built-in display and camera so you can get visual responses to your Alexa queries and make video calls, too.
Phil Schiller Says Siri-like Voice Assistants Need Displays
If Apple really is making an Amazon Echo competitor, what does their Siri speaker appliance really need? According to Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, it needs a screen.
Dr. Mac on Procrastinating, Touch-Screen Macs, and Siri at Home - ACM 409
Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus joins Bryan and Jeff to talk about his new book, Working Smarter for Mac Users. It’s all about beating procrastination. They also talk about Apple, toasterfridges, and touch-screen Macs, and whether Apple would compete with Amazon’s Alexa in the home.
Will Apple Compete with Alexa and the Qualcomm Royalty Battle - TMO Daily Observations 2017-04-28
Will Apple release an Alexa-like device as a Siri-powered hub? Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Dave Hamilton to discuss how wrong the latter two are. They also chew over Apple’s escalating royalty battle with Qualcomm.
The Alexa Assistant, OK Google, and Lots More in one Full-Featured Speaker
Say hello to the first standalone device to give you the Alexa assistant, OK Google, and plenty more. The folks at Indiegogo have more than funded the Clarity Speaker. Still, you can preorder yours until the end of April 2017. One great thing about Clarity is you get a portable Bluetooth and Wi-FI speaker with a seven-inch fully-featured touchscreen. Additionally, Clarity includes a built-in Alexa assistant and “OK Google” functionality. It’s also a fully functional Android tablet, running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Clarity Speaker is extremely portable, weighing less than two pounds. The device is powered by a quad-core processor. Clarity includes two 5-watt speakers and a 2MP camera. Internally, you’ll have access to 16GB of memory. You can expand storage with a micro SD card. The speaker is available for preorder at US $149 until April 30, 2017. The regular retail price is $199, and the device begins shipping in June.