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‘Experience the enchanting melodies of Alexa in your home at an affordable price.’
Retail giant Amazon is offering a significant discount on its fourth-gen Echo and fifth-gen Echo Dot devices by bundling them together in a special sale. Customers can purchase both devices for $83, saving nearly $70 compared to buying them separately. The bundle is available in multiple colors, including white, blue, and black. However, customers cannot mix and match colors. The fourth-gen Echo, originally released in 2020, has received positive reviews for its reasonable price and premium sound quality. The Echo Dot, although not as powerful as its sibling, offers robust sound, a temperature sensor, and built-in Eero capabilities. Both devices are a generation behind, but the bundle still presents a great deal.
In addition, Amazon’s Echo and Echo Dot can be paired together to create stereo sound or deliver audio to multiple rooms simultaneously. This feature enhances the listening experience and gives users the feeling of having their music follow them around.
It’s worth mentioning that Amazon’s sale comes as the company faces competition from other smart speaker manufacturers. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, recently introduced an A/B testing feature for its Reels, allowing creators to experiment with different captions and thumbnail images. Apple Arcade has also released an exclusive game called ‘Japanese Rural Life Adventure,’ which offers a heartfelt story about community. Furthermore, Brave, a web browser, now includes built-in generative AI assistants. These developments showcase the ongoing advancements and innovations in the tech industry.
Uber and Lyft, two leading ride-hailing companies, have recently settled wage theft investigations in New York. The settlements require Uber to pay $290 million and Lyft to pay $38 million to over 100,000 drivers. The investigations revealed that both companies were “systematically cheating” drivers out of pay and they are now obligated to offer paid sick leave as well.
In the entertainment world, a new song by The Beatles titled “Now and Then” has been released, featuring vocals from the late John Lennon and guitar by the late George Harrison. The song was created using machine-learning AI provided by Peter Jackson. Additionally, Scarlett Johansson, an Oscar-nominated actor, has taken legal action against an AI app developer for using her voice and image in an unauthorized advertisement.