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On this episode of the iA Cast, Michael, Jason, and Aleeha discuss the latest updates to the Alexa app and how to use the new communications features for the Alexa app for iOS.
Alexa App for iOS
Alexa App for Android
Amazon Echo Calling and Messaging
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In this episode of the iA DemoCast, Aleeha sets up the Amazon Echo Dot for the first time with iOS Alexa app. She then demonstrates a few things you can try with your own Alexa enabled device.
Amazon Echo Dot
Amazon Alexa App for iOS
Amazon Alexa App for Android
Amazon has been working on accessibility in their products lately with their Fire tablets and with their e-readers, but they have started in other areas as well. Recently, Amazon has made their Kindle application for Windows accessible with NVDA, and this is a big deal for users and the assistive technology industry.
Amazon chose to make the Kindle application for Windows accessible with the NVDA screen reader from NVAccess. While it is great that the Kindle app is accessible for Windows, I think it is the latest application that makes NVDA a major screen reader for users which puts it in the same playing field as JAWS or Window-Eyes
NVDA is a free screen reader funded by the community of users and other organizations that keep the project going. Because of this, it is never certain how long NVDA will stay funded. This means that NVDA could stop being developed by the developers if funding runs out. Fortunately, NVDA is open source, which means that anyone can continue the development of the project and the community would oversee its development. JAWS and Window-Eyes are developed by an organization that makes a profit by selling their products to those who use screen readers so their products will continue to receive updates in the future.
The fact that Amazon chose NVDA to make the Kindle app for Windows accessible means that NVDA has become a household name in screen readers enough for Amazon to think that enough people will use NVDA to read books over other screen readers at home. I think that every time NVDA gets recognized like this by an organization the project gets more recognition in the community, and that means that it is more essential for NVDA to stay around and for it to continue to receive feature updates and new features.
Blind Bargains reported that Amazon’s accessibility help desk will allow users to get product descriptions, which means that any product images on their website will be described on this help line. You will still have to purchase the item from their site but you can now get a description of how the item looks. This line is open from 6:00 AM to 1:00 AM Eastern time
The number to this line is (888) 283-1678
Amazon just announced that the Amazon Tap would be updated soon to support a new feature known as hands free mode. This will allow the device to work more like the traditional Echo or Echo Dot where you can just say, “Alexa” to activate the Alexa voice system, so all you would have to do is ask it questions as if you were using an Echo or Echo Dot. Here is how to turn this feature on.
To Enable Hands free mode, you will need to have the updated device software on your Tap. At the time of this post I do not see this software update, but here are the steps if you were to have this software update which rolls out over the air as long as the device is on Wi-Fi.
While using Hands free mode you should still get 8 hours of battery from your Tap. You can also press the power button on the back to put the device to sleep so it keeps charged longer.
Many have said that the Tap was a useless device because it did not have hands free use with the Alexa platform. With this software update, Amazon has gone a long way to make this device more useful in making it a battery powered alternative to the Echo Dot and to the bigger Echo device.
I personally plan to use this device now while I travel and at convention season this summer.
We are entering a market where the internet connected products that is controlled via voice is starting to get competitive. Up until now Amazon’s Echo has been the well-known product on the block. Now, in November 2016, Google Home is released. In this review, I hope to talk about how Google Home stacks up against Amazon Echo.
Unboxing the device, you find the unit, the power cable and some printed cards telling you about the Google Home app which you can download for iOS and Android. Physically, the device looks like an enlarged air freshener. You have one button on the back which controls if the microphones are on and off. You also plug in the AC cord on the back of the device. The base of the device is removable should you want to purchase additional bases. The base attaches magnetically and it covers the area where the speakers are located. On the top, you have a touch panel that you can use to adjust volume by moving your finger in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction, also you can start and stop media via this touch panel by tapping the touch panel with one Finger.
Once I plugged in the Google Home, I got the Google Home app on my iPhone 7 Plus. Setup was simple, I signed into my google account and connected the home to wifi. I was also able to link my Google Home with Spotify for music playback.
You can do a lot of the same things you can do with Amazon Echo including ask for the time, the weather, tell me a joke, set alarms etc. You can play music and podcasts as well. You use “OK Google” as the phrase to wake it up.
Some things that are different include playing games like a trivia game show, it can walk you through the completion of madlibs and you can ask the crystal ball what your future holds. I found those quite fun I must say. The Home is also very conversational. For example when I asked it Who Is Donald Trump”? I then asked, “When was he born?” The Home knew I was talking about Donald Trup from my last question. That is something that currently, Amazon Echo does not do at the time of this writing.
I did not like the speaker. It was mono which to be fair, so is the large Echo. However, I found it muffled and just not suitable for my ears for any music playback. You do get some bass and some highs, but overall, I just did not like the sound of the speaker. I hope in future we see a new home with much better sounding audio or the ability to use your own audio like you can with the $50 Echo Dot.
I also think the platform needs to mature, which to be fair, the Echo had to as well. The Echo has a wealth of skills and other things you can do at this point. I hope we see developers embracing the home platform going forward. I found at this point in 2016, everything I tested on the Home feature wise, my current Echo and Echo dot can do. I will be watching this platform as time goes on.
The Google Home is $130 US. Below, find the link if you wish to purchase a different base.
Do you have the Amazon Echo with Alexa? If so, then you will soon be able to test your knowledge of Braille by playing the Braille Challenge game on the Amazon Echo, which is coming soon.
In 2014, Amazon released the beta version of its Echo device that lets users speak and get answers to questions. The Echo seems to be Amazon’s version of Siri, but with a few features Siri does not have.
I just purchased an Echo, and have loved my experience with this device. The Echo will always listen to what’s going on, and it will listen to the code word that is set. I kept mine set to Alexa. I can say things like, “Alexa, what is the weather today?” or, “Alexa, continue reading my book.” which would then have Alexa continue reading my Kindle book. This is one of my favorite features, because I like getting books for my Kindle Voyage, but I sometimes would just like to listen to the book, and Alexa makes this possible. It does get a bit annoying as they promote Audible each time you start reading a Kindle book, but it doesn’t take long before Alexa starts reading again.
The one thing that Amazon could do better with this device is to create a better Echo app. You have to do all setup in the Echo app, but the app layout could be made better especially in the skills section.
While there are many personal assistants out there, the Amazon Echo stands above the rest with its features and personality. They also have a great speech synthesizer built in that provides more inflection to words that make the device have some of the best human sounding speech that is out on the market right now.