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Want a smarter Alexa, savvier Siri, brainier Google Now or a cleverer Cortana? So do Amazon, Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft -- and each is working to make its voice assistant your personal Einstein of choice. Amazon recently enhanced its efforts by nabbing an AI expert from eBay, The Wall Street Joual reported Friday. Hassan Sawaf is now Amazon's director of artificial intelligence, focusing on "the user experience for users of Amazon's search capability across all products and businesses," according to Sawaf's LinkedIn page. The Joual was one of the first to spot Sawaf's updated responsibilities on LinkedIn. "eBay has wide and deep capabilities in AI across the technology organization, and r...

Enlarge ImageThe Ecobee3 Smart Thermostat and the Amazon Echo smart speaker. Ecobee Last year, Amazon established the $100 million dollar "Alexa Fund" for developers and manufacturers both large and small. The idea was fairly straightforward -- support people with good ideas on how to put the voice-recognition technology in the Amazon Echo smart speaker to good use. Now, the online mega-retailer is ponying up for its biggest investment yet and joining in on a$35 million-dollar funding round for the makers of the Ecobee smart thermostat. The funding round brings Amazon in with Thomvest and Relay Ventures, and comes several months after the Ecobee3 became the first smart thermostat to sync up ...

Amazon Prime has an estimated 60 million members in the US, reaches 11 countries and even has its own fake holiday. For CEO Jeff Bezos, that's not nearly enough.The world's largest e-commerce company has been busy finding new ways to evolve and expand the $99-a-year Prime loyalty program. This week, Prime launched in India, the second most-populous country in the world, and arrived in Belgium in February. Prime Video can now be purchased as a standalone service in the US, making it a more direct competitor to Netflix, and Prime can be bought on a monthly -- instead of just aual -- basis, making it more affordable for more people.There now are rumors Prime Music will also become a standalone ...

Enlarge Image Amazon Like Apple and Facebook, Amazon wants a slice of India. And now, the Seattle-based company is taking action.On Tue...

Jason Cipriani/CNET Netflix doesn't won't let anyone store movies or shows to watch offline, but Amazon just amped up its download options for Android users in a big way. If you own a device ruing Google's Android system, Amazon will let you download titles from its Netflix-like Prime Video service onto SD cards, removable storage units that keep your phone's inteal from getting too packed. (Apple devices like iPhones have fully enclosed bodies that don't allow owners to slip in extra storage like an SD card.)People who have outright purchased a digital video from Amazon can store the item on an SD card too.That opens the door to potentially loading up various cards with different content to...

Enlarge ImageHey Alexa, go sit in a coer and think about what you've done. Amanda Kooser/CNET Alexa and I had a little quarrel Tuesday night. It wasn't our usual tiff where I ask her to tu off an alarm and she ignores me and then we both laugh about it later. Tuesday's...

Amazon's Prime Day shopping-fest of a holiday launched in 2015 with some oddball bargains, ranging from giant tubs of taffy to signed "Goonies" photos. This year's festivities may be full of electronics bargains, but the party also contains plenty of bizarre products. Anybody want to to buy a gimp outfit with chainmail pants?This bouncy animal is designed for kids, but it will make plenty of adults long for the days of childhood. The inflatable animal hopper is known as Bey the Jumping Bull. The description says it's "SO-MUCH-FUN." It's part of the stranger side of Amazon's Prime Day deal-palooza. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're readin...

I'm not seeing a lot of Prime Day headphone deals, but there are handful worth checking out. Some are timed deals with limited stock, so grab the product if it piques your interest -- you can always retu it later if you don't want it.Sony MDRZX770BT (going fast at $48): This is an older Sony Bluetooth model. I reviewed the step-up Sony MDRZX770BN, which includes active noise-cancelling. This is a Bluetooth-only model and perfectly decent. It's a good deal at $48 (usually $80, though the list price is $100).Creative SoundBlaster Jam (going fast at $30). A good deal on a highly rated lightweight Bluetooth headphone that normally costs $50. (Read the CNET review here).Symphonized XTC Wood in-ea...

With Amazon's second aual Prime Day sales event kicking off Tuesday, the inteet retail giant is offering a peek at the kind of deals customers can expect.The Amazon-created event offers deals on thousands of items from nearly every category on the site to Prime members, who pay $99 aually for free, two-day shipping and other benefits. The sale, which has been likened to Alibaba's own manufactured event in China called Singles Day, is extra muscle in Amazon's fight to stave off competition from Walmart and other discount retailers.This year, Amazon says it is doubling the number of Prime Day deals it's offering as often as every 5 minutes, with nearly 30 percent of its Lightning Deals coming ...

Walmart will offer free shipping on its website this week along with discounts on electronics in an apparent bid to compete with tomorrow's Amazon Prime Day. The mega-retailer aounced Monday that Walmart.com will ship items for free without a minimum purchase. It will also offer discounts on electronics, including the Samsung 55" 4K Ultra HDTV for $598 (was $1,199), the Apple iPhone 5S 16GB Straight Talk Prepaid Smartphone for $149 (was $450) and the Xbox One Console 500 GB Gears of War bundle with wireless controller and Minecraft for $279 (was $355).Amazon will launch its second aual Prime Day tomorrow. This sale promises extra savings on items you order from the website. The online retail...

When Greg Greeley and his team flipped the switch on the first-ever Prime Day last year, starting in Japan, they quickly realized their idea to host a major sales event in July would pay off."We knew immediately when we tued on Japan and saw the response from Japanese Prime members that we had hit upon something special," Greeley, the vice president of Amazon Prime worldwide, said in an interview Friday.Heading into the second aual Prime Day this Tuesday, the stakes are higher, as Amazon hopes to make this year's sale even bigger. Greeley spoke with CNET about what consumers can expect from the upcoming event, which is exclusive to its Prime members, and how Amazon made changes in response t...

Want an Amazon tablet for the price of four movie tickets? Just wait until next week.As part of the online retailer's Prime Day sale this upcoming Tuesday, the company is cutting the price on its $50 Fire tablet to under $35, an Amazon representative told CNET on Friday.Amazon has been teasing out different Prime Day deals throughout the week, as it works to make this year's sale bigger than its first-ever Prime Day last year. For example, the Segway MiniPro hoverboard will go on sale for $799, a price drop of $200. Also, Kindle Unlimited, a $10 monthly subscription service for e-books and audiobooks, will be offered for up to 40 percent off.Amazon said it plans to offer plenty of deals acro...

Alexa has a little something special for Amazon Prime deal seekers.Starting today, using your voice on Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, or Tap, ask, "Alexa, what are your Prime Day deals?" and Alexa will give you a list of "exclusive" deals.Amazon says that today and through Prime Day (July 12), Prime members will receive $10 off their first purchase on any eligible order over $20 when they shop using Alexa.It's also worth mentioning that Amazon's Alexa-enabled Tap speaker is on sale today for $79 or $50 off if you order via Alexa (and with the $10 discount it's actually $69).For a list of Alexa Prime deals you can also use your keyboard and go to amazon.com/AlexaDeals.Let's block ads!...

As part of Amazon's second aual Prime Day sales event coming up next week, customers will have the option of receiving their purchases within an hour through the company's Prime Now delivery service.Amazon said Tuesday that customers in more than 25 US metropolitan areas will be able to get near-immediate delivery of more than 500 items during the e-commerce giant's aual sales event. The Cyber-Monday-in-July, which promises extra savings over and above the company's usual discount prices, begins on July 12."The only thing better than snapping up amazing deals on Prime Day is having your order arrive just minutes or hours after placing your order through Prime Now," Stephenie Landry, worldwid...

Time to get ready for Jeff Bezos' favorite made-up holiday. No, not Festivus -- Prime Day.Amazon on Wednesday said Prime Day, a shopping event it introduced last year, is coming back on July 12, starting midnight Pacific Time for US shoppers. As the name suggests, all Prime Day deals are available only to Prime members, who pay $99 a year for unlimited two-day shipping and other perks. (But folks using a 30-day free Prime trial can join in, too.)The first Prime Day, held to celebrate the online retailer's 20th aiversary, proved a big success for the company, with new members pouring in and sales topping any prior Black Friday. However, Amazon faced a backlash on social media, with some compl...

Apparently, a 40GB data plan isn't enough to move the needle anymore. To sweeten the deal on its "Better Choice XXL" plan, Sprint is now throwing in a free 12-month subscription to Amazon Prime. The plan -- dubbed "Amazon Better Choice XXL," of course -- is open to new and existing Amazon customers. Prime, of course, is Amazon's signature $99 aual service plan that offers free 2-day shipping, video streaming of thousands of free movies and TV show, an all-you-can eat music plan and a selection of free e-books -- and that's just for starters. (CNET's David Katzmaier recently called it "the best deal ever.")Interested? Check out the full details of the Sprint plan at the company's website.Let'...

Amazon is once again stepping into Google territory -- this time by taking on YouTube.If you ever dreamed of having your videos seen by Amazon Prime subsribers, now it can be a reality with Amazon Video Direct. The service lets anyone upload their video, and creators have the option of offering the video for free, charging for it, or putting it into Prime. Watch CNET Update to get the details, and also lea about changes coming to Periscope. If you rather consume your video entertainment in a headset, one Reddit user explains how to play old Virtual Boy games on Google Cardboard: CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under 3 minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afteoon for a breakdown ...

Amazon says it will eliminate gaps in coverage that excluded predominately minority neighborhoods. David McNew/Getty Images Amazon will fill gaps in its same-day delivery service, according to Bloomberg, responding to criticism the service excluded some minority neighborhoods, The online retail behemoth pledged to expand its Prime Same Day Service to all zip codes in the 27 cities in which it's offered, according to an Amazon statement obtained by the Congressional Black Caucus and seen by Bloomberg. "We are still figuring out the details and procuring last mile delivery for each of these zips, but we should have 100 percent coverage shortly," the statement was quoted as saying. Amazon also ...

Waing: Watching Sean Coery as James Bond may make you shpeak with a Coery-like acchent for daysh. MGM If you're a fan of James Bond and you've got Amazon Prime, May is the greatest month. "Goldfinger," "Diamonds are Forever" and "Live and Let Die" are just some of the Bond movies that go online at Amazon in May. One of my favorite movies when I was a kid hits Amazon in May as well: "Vice Versa." Starring Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage, who trade places as father and son, it screams "80s movie." I'll watch it again as an adult to see if it holds up.Other standouts include "When Harry Met Sally" and Steven Soderbergh's debut feature "Sex, Lies and Videotape." New TV series come later in the mo...

Kids' show "Tumble Leaf" is among a handful of award-wiing original shows from Amazon. Amazon There goes the streaming neighborhood.After years of Amazon Prime Video being hidden within the broader Prime service for $99 a year, the e-commerce company finally made the streaming-video service a standalone option. That could spell trouble for streaming-video leader Netflix.We also talk about Apple apparently stopping support of its Quicktime video player on Windows and the science of farts.The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by CNET Executive Editor Roger Cheng (currently on parental leave), Senior Writer Ben Fox Rubin and Producer Bry...