Congrats, you just got an Amazon Echo ($100 at Amazon). Now what? It's time to unbox it and set it up. Amazon will walk you through the setup process, but it won't clue you in to all of the settings that you should deal with first. That's where we come in. Here we'll show you those crucial first settings you need to adjust so you can get the best experience out of your Alexa-enabled speaker. Read more: 22 tips for your new Amazon Echo Download the Alexa app The first thing you need to do, before even plugging in the Echo, is to download the Alexa app (available on Android, iOS, and Amazon Fire). You can't set up your Echo speaker or proceed with these tips without it. Beyond that, you'll need it to adjust your Echo's settings down the road. Now playing: Watch this: Amazon's Alexa is coming to your hotel room 1:27 Set your location It seems obvious, but you need to set your speaker's location to get relevant weather and traffic reports from Alexa. What's not … [Read more...] about How to set up your new Amazon Echo
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Amazon’s 2019 challenges include Donald Trump, HQ2 protesters
After a year of anticipation, Amazon last month announced its winners for two new, 25,000-employee campuses and was summarily met with a flood of derision and mockery. There was even a protest in Queens, where one of the offices will go, with people lambasting the billions of dollars in incentives Amazon will receive for the projects.That backlash was the most heated criticism Amazon faced all year. But it was nothing compared with the roasting Facebook and Google sustained throughout 2018. Cascading scandals have stung Facebook, while Google took flak over a pilot project that could bring a censored search engine to China, its handling of executives accused of sexual harassment and its work to create AI tools for the military.This year has brought with it plenty of pointed criticism about the tech industry, but only a few leading tech companies bore the brunt of these complaints. As consumers re-evaluate tech's negative impacts, from social media's influence on elections to the … [Read more...] about Amazon’s 2019 challenges include Donald Trump, HQ2 protesters
Sure, Amazon’s Changed Shopping, But Retailers Can Still Compete
Amazon launched a local website for Australia on Dec. 5, 2017, one more step on its march to world domination. Quinn Rooney/Getty Images In his 1997 letter to the first Amazon shareholders, CEO Jeff Bezos laid out the three-word business philosophy that could soon make the online giant the first $1 trillion company in history: "obsess over customers." That simple, customer-centric credo has driven a string of innovations unmatched in American retail: Amazon posted some of the first customer reviews next to its products (1995)1-Click (1997) eliminated the need for Amazon customers to re-enter billing information with every purchaseAmazon Prime (2005), a free-shipping loyalty program, has ballooned to become Amazon's all-encompassing shopping and entertainment ecosystemAmazon Kindle (2007) basically created the downloadable ebook device market and continues to dominate itAmazon Echo (2015), a smart home gadget dismissed as a gimmick, became the top-selling item on Amazon.com for … [Read more...] about Sure, Amazon’s Changed Shopping, But Retailers Can Still Compete
Why Is Amazon Not Considered a Monopoly?
A signage at the Whole Foods Market store in San Ramon, California announces the acquisition of Whole Foods Market by online retailer Amazon, Aug. 28, 2017. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images How big is too big? That's the question that economists and policymakers are asking about Amazon, the $560 billion company that first made its name selling books online, but has rapidly morphed into an "everything store" with its hands in just about every retail sector in America. There's no question that Amazon dominates e-commerce — in 2016, its online sales were six times greater than Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Home Depot, Macy's, Kohl's and Costco combined — but is Amazon's incredible success bad for consumers and the economy? Lina Khan, director of legal policy at the Open Markets Institute, a think tank that warns about the dangers of monopolies, believes that Amazon represents a new kind of monopoly for the digital economy. The problem is not only that Amazon … [Read more...] about Why Is Amazon Not Considered a Monopoly?
Could Google’s Sergey Brin Help Speed Along the Coming Airship Revolution?
The tech world is aflutter with rumors that Google co-founder Sergey Brin is working on a private dirigible airship. Universal History Archive/Kim Kulish/Getty Images Airships and dirigibles might seem like things from centuries past, but there are growing signs that lighter-than-air transportation may turn out to be the wave of the future. Both the Guardian and Bloomberg recently reported, for example, that Google co-founder Sergey Brin is building a giant airship in a hangar at a northern California airfield. According to the Guardian account, the craft's price tag is in the $100-to-$150 million range, and it could end up being nearly 656 feet (200 meters) long, which would make it the world's largest aircraft. The Guardian reported that the airship is intended to transport food and supplies on humanitarian missions, and also to serve as a personal flying yacht for the billionaire. Google's parent company Alphabet, which took over Moffett Federal Airfield in 2015, revealed in its … [Read more...] about Could Google’s Sergey Brin Help Speed Along the Coming Airship Revolution?