With new blueprints, Amazon empowers anyone to create Alexa skills in minutes
Amazon launched its Skills Blueprints initiative last year to help users create and publish new and custom Alexa skills in minutes using easy-to-use templates and now the technology giant is handing out a new and improved model that includes more customization, bells and whistles.
Amazon slashes prices on Samsung, Sonos, and Vizio soundbars for the big game
If you're looking to upgrade your TV's sound without paying out the nose, then a good soundbar is a cost-effective alternative to expensive and difficult surround sound speakers setups. We've rounded up a handful of the best brand-name soundbar deals on Amazon to help you out.
Polk Audio’s Command Bar joins Alexa’s multiroom music party
Polk's Command Bar is a home theater soundbar with Alexa built in. But with a new update, it can also be grouped with Amazon's Echo products, and other third-party speakers, to produce a sophisticated multi-room, whole-home sound system, all of which can be controlled by your voice.
From Atmos to WiSA: These are the coolest soundbars of CES 2019
While some companies chose not to play this year, CES 2019 still had a ton of impressive soundbars at the show. From Klipsch to Vizio, the soundbars at this year's show brought a ton of new features and plenty of power. We've rounded up the coolest soundbars we saw at the show.
JBL/Harman launch smart soundbar, new speakers, and a guitar amp/speaker combo
Harman Kardon and JBL have announced four new audio lines that will hit the market in 2019. New offerings from the conglomerate companies include a brand-new smart soundbar, portable speaker, smart home theater speakers, and a massive portable speaker with both guitar and microphone inputs.
Sony looks to get the party started at CES with new boombox featuring cupholders
Sony has announced a slew of new audio products at this year's CES conference in Las Vegas, including a brand-new Dolby Atmos soundbar, several smart speakers, and a massive portable boombox with built-in cupholders that's aimed at those who want to take their dance party anywhere.
Vizio’s latest soundbars double down on Dolby Atmos — again
Vizio brought a myriad of new soundbars to CES 2019, including two new Dolby Atmos bars that offer big sound in a smaller profile, bringing the brand's Atmos offerings to five. Smaller bars fill out the line for a versatile collection. We've got all the details of the lineup here.
Sennheiser says you have to hear its new Ambeo soundbar to believe it
Sennheiser has announced its new 5.1.4 Ambeo soundbar at this year's CES conference in Las Vegas. It's a Dolby Atmos-enabled device that re-creates object-based surround sound so vividly and with such fidelity that the company claims that you have to hear it to believe it.
Samsung may already be working on a second Galaxy Home smart speaker
Samsung hasn't even released its first smart speaker yet and there's already talk of it prepping a second, more affordable one. Its Galaxy Home speaker seems like an Apple HomePod competitor, but reports suggest the second device will offer fewer features.
‘Alexa, are you OK?’ Amazon’s smart assistant crashes on Christmas
It seems that it all got a bit too much for Alexa on Christmas Day. Amazon's digital assistant temporarily stopped working for a number of users across Europe on December 25, possibly overwhelmed by the sudden uptick in new users playing with their Alexa-powered Echo speaker.
Marshall Stanmore II Voice review
Can a Bluetooth speaker combine voice assistant smarts with great sound quality, or do you always have to separate the two? Marshall's Stanmore II Voice adds Amazon Alexa to prove it’s possible, while maintaining the signature sound we’ve come to expect.The Stanmore II has been shaking our floor, and here's our review.
Google Assistant gets the Marshall treatment with two new smart speakers
Marshall's Voice-series were already some of the most stylish smart speakers on the market, but now they're available as Google Assistant-compatible editions. This makes Marshall one of the few companies to support both Alexa and Google, albeit in separate models.
From soundbars to headphones, here are the best last-minute audio deals
Whether you're looking for a great new pair of headphones or a fantastic new soundbar to bolster the sound of your brand-new television, these are the best audio deals to be found this holiday season. We've scoured the internet to find you the best discounts on the highest-quality gear.
Vizio is still rocking the Black Friday spirit with these TV and soundbar deals
If you missed out on all the great TV deals this past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, don't worry, Vizio has you covered. The company has some great discounts on its most popular 4K TVs and sounbar systems. But don't delay -- some of these deals only last one day.
The Apple HomePod gets a whole lot cheaper today at Target
The Apple HomePod is an outstanding speaker and right now it's on sale at Target for a whopping $100 off its regular retail price of nearly $350 so if you're someone who's committed to Apple's "Walled Garden" ecosystem, it's a great time to grab this smart speaker.
Vizio 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbar review
Soundbars with true Dolby Atmos surround sound have historically been a rich man’s game, often costing well over $1,000. Vizio’s new 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbar undercuts similar competitors by hundreds of dollars, so we spent some quality time with the system to find out if it can hold its own.
What was Amazon’s biggest-selling item on Cyber Monday? Take a guess
Across the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, Amazon said customers ordered a staggering 180 million items via its U.S. site alone, while globally Monday was its busiest shopping day ever in terms of the number of items sold. But can you guess which product sold more than any other?
Yamaha MusicCast Bar 400 (YAS-408) review
Yamaha’s latest soundbar is all about multiroom audio, offering multiple ways to play including creating your own surround sound system using MusicCast speakers. We spent a week with the bar to see if its chameleon ways make it worth its $500 price. The answer is a bit more complicated than expected.
LG XBOOM ThinQ WK9 smart display review
Introduced way back at CES in January 2018, LG’s WK9 smart display is finally on store shelves. But how does it compare to other smart displays on the market? We took a look and a listen to find out whether the device is worth its $299 price tag. Here’s what we learned.
LG slashes the price of its Xboom speakers for Black Friday
If terrific portable audio at a terrific price sounds good to you, now is the best time of the year to pick up an LG XBoom portable Bluetooth speaker. The company has slashed prices for its speaker line by as much as 50 percent, making the entry-level PK3 a superb deal at only $50.
Home theater calibration guide: Manual speaker setup
Make your home theater rumble just right with our manual speaker setup guide, a simple, step-by-step walkthrough to getting the most from your audio equipment without needing to rely on automatic calibration, which often can't produce the same stellar results as manual calibration.
These Alexa-stuffed retro phones don’t listen until you take them off the hook
Looking for an Amazon Echo with a cool vintage touch? Los Angeles-based Grain Design is taking old, non-working antique phones and transforming them into Alexa smart speakers. Here's what makes them special, and how you can get your hands on one before the holiday season.
Amazon Echo review
Our Amazon Echo review reveals a shorter, cuter, speaker with several different color and fabric choices, and a firmware upgrade means improved sound. We took the device for another spin in November 2018 to see whether the speaker still measures up to the competition.
Control your smart home from the shower with this splash-proof speaker
The splash-proof Aqua Dew smart shower speaker works with Alexa so you don't have to sing alone. The wake-word activated Aqua Dew can read the news, manage your smart home, call or message people, and make announcements in other rooms. The battery-operated wireless smart speaker runs for up to eight hours per charge.
Huawei’s new A.I. speaker looks an awful lot like the Apple HomePod
When Huawei introduced its first smart speaker, the company clearly took a lot of inspiration from the Google Home. In China this week, the company revealed its newest smart speaker, the Huawei A.I. Speaker. This one also bears a striking resemblance to another smart speaker, this time the Apple HomePod.
Honeywell Smart Home Security Starter Kit Review
Despite its high price, the Honeywell Smart Home Security Starter Kit offers great value, bringing together home security, a network camera, and Alexa-enabled control in a comprehensive, easy-to-use package. We got a chance to test drive the system and came away mostly impressed.
JBL Link View review
If you want to use more of your senses with your smart speaker – say, sight and touch – the JBL Link View with Google Assistant is pretty handy. The screen gives you access to some information more quickly, while still relying on convenient voice commands for most of its interactions.
Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation) review
The Amazon Echo Dot still holds up as a great introduction to smartifying your home. And at $30, it's more affordable than ever. Read more in our review.
Anker Soundcore Infini soundbar review
Best known for its battery chargers, Anker has expanded into audio in a big way in recent years with its Soundcore lineup, including Bluetooth speakers, headphones, and soundbars. The latest example is the Soundcore Infini soundbar. At just $99, it makes for a very affordable add-on to your entertainment setup, but is it worth the cash?
Vizio is bringing Dolby Atmos to your living room without any setup headaches
Dolby Atmos object-based surround sound is great, adding a new dimension — height — to your home theater experience, but it can be tricky to set up. Vizio’s new home theater sound systems offer all of the good parts of Atmos without the troublesome setup challenges of some other systems.
Score a refurbished Sonos Playbar for $150 off while supplies last
One way to get better sound out of your TV (without going through the trouble of setting up a surround sound speakers) is to buy a soundbar. The Sonos Playbar is one of our favorites, and you can now score a professionally refurbished model for $150 off while stock lasts.
Hands-on with Sennheiser’s seriously impressive Ambeo virtual surround soundbar
Sennheiser first showed off its Ambeo 3D virtual surround soundbar at CES at the beginning of the year, but now that we’ve had more hands-on time with it at IFA, we’re more impressed than ever, and convinced that it might be the best virtual surround soundbar we’ve encountered to date.
Sony’s latest portable speaker brings Google Assistant to the party
If you’re looking for a smart speaker but can’t get enough bass, Sony’s new SRS-XB501G might be for you, with impressive battery life, Google Assistant built-in, and the ability to take the speaker just about anywhere thanks to weatherproofing and Bluetooth connectivity.
Marshall Kilburn II hands-on review
You’ll have to speak up, because we’ve been testing the Marshall Kilburn II Bluetooth speaker -- and it’s shockingly loud. Designed not just for indoors use, this speaker has a battery inside that makes it ideal for outdoor use too. Aside from the volume, how does the Kilburn II sound and perform?