Stephen Nellis of Reuters has penned an article examining the difference in how Apple and Amazon approach home automation. Hardware manufacturers who want to sell HomeKit devices must include special chips and produce their accessories in Apple-approved factories. After that, manufacturers must send their devices to Apple for a lengthy approval process. By comparison, getting

BI Intelligence See Also Many people still see smart home voice assistants as a novelty The Internet of Everything — $12.6 trillion ROI expected over the next decade [SLIDE DECK] Here’s what the hire of Dropcam’s founder means for Apple This story was delivered to BI Intelligence IoT Briefing subscribers. To learn more and subscribe,

Starbucks launches voice ordering via app, Amazon’s Alexa Starbucks is launching voice ordering though its iPhone app. Starting Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, anyone with a device that has an Amazon device with Alexa, like the Echo smart speaker, is able to place a Starbucks order by just using their voice. Starbucks is also launching a

Fox is bringing the trademark “24” ticking-clock sound effect to Amazon’s voice-activated Echo devices, in a unique promo with the ecommerce giant ahead of the premiere of the franchise’s “24: Legacy” reboot. Beginning Monday, Jan. 30, Amazon Echo users will be able to select the action-drama franchise’s reverberating “plink-plink” audio mnemonic as a personalized alarm tone for

Starbucks Corp. will begin letting customers order via voice on their iPhones and Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa system, a bid to bolster its tech capabilities even as the rapid evolution brings headaches to the coffee chain. The new capability works with the barista feature on the Starbucks’ app, which relies on artificial intelligence to interact with

First time home owners know that buying a home is one of the most important investments that you can make. And while signing the papers on your first home can feel like putting down roots in your perfect pad, the reality is that most millennial homeowners end up moving multiple times, due to changing family

Amazon currently offers three Alexa-enabled devices: the Echo, the Dot, and Tap – with the Tap being the only version in the bunch that is intended to provide portability. But, with a couple accessories, you can also turn the Dot and Echo into devices you can shift quickly to other areas in the house, take

Starbucks is embracing the trend towards voice-based computing with the launch of a new feature in its mobile app called My Starbucks barista, which allows customers to order and pay for their food and drinks just by speaking. This includes being able to modify their drink order, as if they were speaking with a barista