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Amazon has launched Alexa Cast, a new way for users to stream on Alexa devices like the Echo speaker line. But, compatibility is currently limited to Amazon Music only. The rival of Amazon, Apple, has AirPlay, while Google has Cast, so Amazon has created its own multimedia streaming technology. The Alexa Cast works with all Alexa-enabled devices, which means that it supports Echo speakers, Alexa's third-party products and some Amazon Fire devices. Separately, an application has been developed to allow sign language users to communicate with Alexa. Meanwhile, Echo Dot of Amazon, a popular smart speaker, has also been waiting for some time for a new release. Major technology had launched the second generation Echo Dot in 2016, so it will not be surprising if an updated device arrives this year. Some images of a purported Amazon Echo Dot have surfaced on the internet, giving us a glimpse of what could be the third generation model of the device. According to the latest reports, Amazon introduces some key design changes and could launch the new model in the coming months.
Amazon has introduced a new Alexa Cast feature that will allow you to control the music you play in your Alexa. powered devices. The feature currently works only with the Amazon Music app. However, it is expected to compete with Google Cast by allowing users to control music, movies, podcasts and more reading from various apps. The Alexa Cast feature minimizes the hbadles badociated with reading and controlling Amazon Music on an Echo series smart speaker from an Android or iOS device. After an update, the Amazon Music app on iOS and Android displays an icon for Alexa Cast on the Now Playing screen. By tapping on the icon, users access a screen where they can select the Amazon device on which they want the music to be played. The updated app is available on Google Play.
Meanwhile, someone has developed an application that allows users to speak to an Amazon Echo using sign language. According to an article in The Verge, a software developer, Abhishek Singh, has created a mod that allows Amazon Alexa to understand simple sign language commands. According to a demonstration, the Amazon Echo is connected to a laptop with a webcam that then decodes the gestures in the text and speech. Interestingly, since this mod is based on machine learning, Singh had to teach his program to understand the visual cues by feeding the training data by creating his own set of signals. Notably, it is only a proof of concept software for the moment, but it could be available soon.
Meanwhile, according to the images revealed by AFTVnews and published by French sites FrAndroid and Numberama, the unpublished Amazon Echo Dot looks pretty like the Google Home Mini. Reports say the third-generation Echo Dot has been dubbed Donut, which is in line with the Pancake and Biscuit code names used in the first two Echo Dot smart speakers. The report says that upcoming devices are being tested by Amazon employees. Notably, the images are very fuzzy and there is no confirmation of their legitimacy. Thus, the reports should be taken with a pinch of salt.
If the images turn out to be true, the third-generation Echo point will not have the shiny black plastic and the flat top seen in the current model. The images show a more rounded and softer appearance and there is fabric that runs on the side. Notably, the round LED and the same four physical buttons are still present. AFTVnews estimates that the new Dot will be slightly larger than the second-generation Dot Echo, probably because Amazon wants to improve audio quality.
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