Loading the player… In a race for dominance in what’s becoming one of the hottest categories in consumer electronics, Amazon.com (AMZN) is thumping Google-owner Alphabet (GOOGL) — for now. Amazon has a big early lead in the category of digital assistants with its Echo, a voice-controlled, internet-connected, multifunctional speaker, connected to Amazon’s Alexa voice service.

Loading the player… “Alexa, play digger, digger,” the redheaded, still-learning-to-speak toddler in the video appears to tell a small electronic device on a bedside stand. The family’s new Amazon.com (AMZN) Echo Dot, one of the more popular voice recognition personal assistant devices, replies: “You want to hear a station from porn detected, porno ring tone, hot

Good morning! Welcome to The Morning Shift, your roundup of the auto news you crave, all in one place every weekday morning. Here are the important stories you need to know. Advertisement 1st Gear: ‘A Sigh Of Relief’ Yesterday America’s auto safety regulator the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed its investigation into the fatal

You might have missed it a couple weeks ago, but Sonos has a new CEO: Patrick Spence. In what, by The New York Times account, was a planned and straightforward transfer, Sonos founder John MacFarlane stepped aside to hand the reins to Spence, who came to Sonos four years ago, after a VP stint at

For a few years now, Belkin’s WeMo line of smart home switches have been a reasonably affordable home automation starting point. Now, for 2017, Belkin figured it was time to refresh the lineup. The main attraction is the new WeMo Mini Wi-Fi Smart Plug, currently available for presale at a price of $35 (‎the Mini

According to a recent report published by IHS Markit, 80 million smart home devices were shipped worldwide in 2016, a 64 percent increase over the prior year. The Americas saw the bulk of those orders last year, as about 70 million connected home devices were shipped to the market. The region is expected to see