All items tagged with smart speakers and Amazon (35)

February 26, 2025 by Joao Martins

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ Next Generation Voice Assistant Powered by Generative AI

Amazon unveiled its new voice assistant Alexa+, now fully enabled by artificial intelligence. This is the predictable next step to bring back voice interfaces and personal assistants, directly interfacing and powered by generative AI engines, which helps explain why Amazon called Alexa+ its new personal AI assistant. The promotion shows a more conversational and more capable natural language voice interface. Time for the audio industry to start looking again at voice front-ends and smart speakers?

Amazon Unveils Next Generation Echo Show 8, All-New Echo Hub, and New Echo Frames

September 21, 2023 by Joao Martins

Amazon Unveils Next Generation Echo Show 8, All-New Echo Hub, and New Echo Frames

Remember smart speakers? Apparently Amazon doesn't want to. At that time of the year when traditionally Amazon would introduce the latest models of its Echo smart speakers, this year the company only announced a new smart display, the next generation Echo Show 8 with an upgraded processor, spatial audio, and a built-in smart home hub. And for those who don't even want the speaker, Amazon introduced a new Echo Hub, a smart home control panel. Amazon did expand on the audio glasses category, with two ugly frames that are said to have a long-lasting battery.

Worldwide Shipments of Smart Home Devices Continue to Decline in 2023 Due to Lack of Upgrades

June 29, 2023 by audioXpress Staff

Worldwide Shipments of Smart Home Devices Continue to Decline in 2023 Due to Lack of Upgrades

Global shipments of smart home devices continued to decline in the first quarter of 2023 as shipments fell 5.6% year over year to 186.0 million units, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Device Tracker. The lack of new models and noteworthy updates to existing smart speakers, lack of progress in voice assistants, and the transition to the Matter smart home interoperability standard are to blame.

Amazon Echo Pops Slice Smart Speakers in Half

May 22, 2023 by Joao Martins

Amazon Echo Pops Slice Smart Speakers in Half

When the first Amazon Echo device launched in 2014, it created a new category: The smart speaker. The Echo speakers brought the voice assistant to the home and created the perfect controller for the early "smart home." Unfortunately, almost 10 years later, voice recognition still has a long way to go, the multi-language promise is still unrealized, and Echo speakers are already everywhere - in the countries where Amazon sells them. The company even announces new models with a blog post.

Amazon Introduces New Alexa-On-Device Echo Models and Updated Echo Studio Spatial Audio

September 29, 2022 by Joao Martins

Amazon Introduces New Alexa-On-Device Echo Models and Updated Echo Studio Spatial Audio

After two years without any relevant announcements on the smart speaker arena, Amazon announced updated versions of its popular Echo devices. All-new Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock deliver up to two-times the bass of the previous generation, add a temperature sensor, double as eero mesh wifi extenders. More significant, the Echo Studio flagship features a new spatial audio processing technology and upgraded drivers to do what it promised when it launched four years ago.

Smart Speaker Shipments Surged to Record Levels

September 15, 2021 by audioXpress Staff

Smart Speaker Shipments Surged to Record Levels

The smart speaker market in the second quarter of 2021 surged to new heights as consumers and brands adapt to the ongoing pandemic, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics. Even with the looming specters of supply chain challenges, component shortages, and the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus hanging over the market, global shipments of smart speakers and smart displays in Q2 2021 grew 34.8% from Q2 2020 to 39.5 million units, a record for a second calendar quarter.

Situational Loudspeakers: Different Ways of Thinking About Speaker Design

December 10, 2020 by Joao Martins

Situational Loudspeakers: Different Ways of Thinking About Speaker Design

One of the most intriguing concepts in speaker design is the notion that people have to sit in a very limited sweet spot - a carefully triangulated arrangement of a center line between our ears and the point source in a pair of speakers. For many music and audio enthusiasts, there's no other way - and preferably in a carefully treated listening environment designed for musical enjoyment. But what the market once dubbed as "living room stereo" is something that the vast majority of people completely ignore. Why would you even have to sit still to listen to music?

Global Smart Speaker Market Set to Reach 163 Million Units in 2021

October 30, 2020 by audioXpress Staff

Global Smart Speaker Market Set to Reach 163 Million Units in 2021

With a slightly more conservative forecast than some published reports from other market research firms, Canalys expects the global smart speaker market, including smart displays, to reach 163 million units in 2021, characterized as a growth of 21%. In 2020, Mainland China, which has the COVID-19 pandemic relatively under control, will lead, growing 16%, while the rest of the global market is expected to grow 3% as countries continue to battle the coronavirus.

Amazon Reimagines Echo Smart Speaker Family for 2020

September 29, 2020 by Joao Martins

Amazon Reimagines Echo Smart Speaker Family for 2020

Amazon.com introduced its all-new line-up of Echo devices, featuring completely new designs, enhanced audio, more powerful hardware, and experiences that make Alexa voice assistant more engaging, and helpful. Most of the new Amazon products will be available at the end of October 2020, and that includes an all-new Echo (4th Gen), now with better sound and integrated smart home hub; the new Echo Dot and Echo Dot Kids Edition featuring the new spherical designs and improved audio, and Echo Show 10, the smart speaker with screen.

Global Home Audio Market Dominated by Tech Giants and Big Brands in Q2 2020

August 21, 2020 by Futuresource Consulting

Global Home Audio Market Dominated by Tech Giants and Big Brands in Q2 2020

The CE Team at Futuresource Consulting shared some key topics and trends from its latest Global Home Audio Report, revealing how home audio products have returned to strength in Q2 2020. Global home audio products posted an unexpected strong performance in Q2 2020, delivering 20% shipment growth and 10% value growth quarter-on-quarter, according to preliminary results from Futuresource Consulting’s latest quarterly tracker. APAC leads the way, with North America and Western Europe in recovery.

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