Following a recent update, Amazon has added more news sources to its "Alexa Flash Briefing" feature on its Echo product, a digital "assistant" that resides in a device that stays on at all times in the home, rather than inside a smartphone waiting to be activated. The new update adds CNN, Fox News, and NBC News as well as other popular TV networks like Comedy Central, HGTV, Food Network, National Geographic Channel, Travel Channel and more. As well as playing pre-recorded news stories and reading headlines, Echo has numerous other features, 95 since its launch: it can read audiobooks; list weather and local business information; play music from sources including Pandora and TuneIn; and control lights and switches in the home with compatible WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings and other connected devices.
Following a recent update, Amazon has added more news sources to its "Alexa Flash Briefing" feature on its Echo product, a digital "assistant" that resides in a device that stays on at all times in the home, rather than inside a smartphone waiting to be activated. News channels from CNN and Bloomberg's "Market Minute" and "Featured Interview" have been added to other sources including NPR, BBC and ESPN Radio. As well as playing pre-recorded news stories and reading headlines, Echo has numerous other features, 95 since its launch: it can read audiobooks; list weather and local business information; play music from sources including Pandora and TuneIn; and control lights and switches in the home with compatible WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings and other connected devices.