Amazon's Alexa software has already made its way into just about every Internet-connected device you can imagine, like smartwatches, lamps, and refrigerators, to name just a few. Next, Amazon's voice-enabled digital assistant could live in your glasses. At CES 2018, wearable display company Vuzix unveiled its latest pair of augmented reality glasses, the Vuzix Blade, which can communicate with Amazon's Alexa assistant. The glasses are set to launch in the second quarter of 2018 for $1,000. Vuzix's Blade AR glasses feel like an improved version of Google Glass with better picture quality. The Android-based headset work fine on its own, as it's a fully functional computer, but it must be tethered via Bluetooth to your smartphone or connected to a Wi-Fi network to access certain features, like email and text notifications.

Smart devices are quickly transforming our homes and one firm is hoping to do the same for our bathrooms, with a smart loo set to cost more than £4,000 ($5,600). In a dream come true for germaphobes, the high tech toilet can warm your bottom, set mood lighting, flush and close its lid without being touched. A specially designed app for iOS and Android enables both voice commands and hands-free motion control. Smart devices are quickly transforming our homes and one firm is hoping to do the same for our bathrooms, with a smart loo set to cost more than £4,000. The Numi also pairs up with another bathroom innovation launched by Kohler at CES. Its Verdera Voice Lighted Mirror, which starts at $999 (£740), is equipped with Amazon Alexa, allowing you to stream music, get weather updates, and do other tasks without cluttering up the countertop.

Artificial intelligence is an upcoming technology which has rapidly spread in the market and has already covered innumerable industries. Business, manufacturing industries, brands, celebrities, healthcare, education, government, household etc. are some examples of its spread. The involvement of various big giants has enabled this technology to enter the lives of the people at the personal level through various devices that are used on a day-to-day basis by the public. Siri, Cortana and Google Now are some examples of virtual personal assistants which help you in a number of things like maintaining your schedule, finding a location and many more. The use of AI in these applications helps the user to get a personalized experience as the app continuously learns about its user.

Brilliant plugs directly into your home's existing light-switch ports, and it controls a slew of smart home devices, including lights, the Ring doorbell, Nest thermostat, Sonos speakers, Amazon Alexa and more. This is a control panel built for everyday folks, rather than businesses, and it has a price to match. A single Brilliant panel starts at $200 and maxes out at $350 for a four-switch set (that's $50 for each additional switch). The whole shebang will be available at the end of February. The basic Brilliant panel features a touchscreen, camera and microphone.

File photo: People stand in front of a logo at Facebook's headquarters in London, Britain, December 4, 2017. Step aside, Amazon Echo Show: Word has it that Facebook is developing its own home video chat device. According to a report from streaming news service Cheddar, the new voice-controlled device, dubbed Portal, may be priced at $499. Cheddar's sources say Facebook is planning to unveil the device in early May and begin selling it via pop-up stores and online in the second half of the year. It will reportedly feature a screen on the front like Amazon's Echo Show and Lenovo's new Android Assistant-equipped Smart Display, plus a camera with a wide-angle lens and facial-recognition technology that will help users connect with their Facebook accounts.

If you've ever struggled to pair your phone with a Bluetooth speaker or set up a wireless printer, you know that it's often easier to connect to a server halfway around the world than to a gadget across the room. That's a problem as we increasingly use our phones to pay for stuff, unlock doors, and control everything from televisions to thermostats. No one wants to wait for coffee because the cash register can't detect their phone, or shiver in the cold because their watch is trying to connect to their neighbor's door lock instead of their own. Multiple wireless technologies have emerged in recent years to tackle this problem, including Bluetooth, LoRa, and NFC. These technologies are all based on radio frequencies. But a growing number of businesses, from Ticketmaster to Google to nuclear-power plants, are turning to a simpler solution: sound.

Amazon and Google are both leading the charge in the smart home speaker market, with Apple expected to follow suit. Now, it looks like Facebook will also be joining those companies with its own device called Portal. Portal is said to be a direct competitor to the Amazon Echo Show. The upcoming Facebook device will allow users to control it through voice commands, and it is designed to work indoors. It will also come equipped with a camera with wide-angle lens and will be able to recognize people's faces and link them directly to their Facebook account, according to an exclusive report from Cheddar. The major difference between the Echo Show and the Facebook Portal is that the latter is designed to connect families and friends.

Inc.'s Alexa voice-activated virtual assistant will be added to some Toyota and Lexus vehicles this year, advancing Amazon's ambitions to expand its speech platform beyond the home. Alexa will let drivers and passengers get directions, control entertainment features, get the news and perform other functions in the car via voice command, the companies said Tuesday at the CES consumer electronics conference in Las Vegas. Alexa in cars can also be synced with smart home devices to control thermostats while on the road. "It's still really day one for us in terms of what we can do with Alexa in the vehicle," said John Scumniotales, head of products for Alexa's automotive efforts, onstage at an event at CES. The world's largest online retailer is seeking to remain in constant contact with customers by making its Alexa platform and Echo digital assistants as ubiquitous as possible.

A host of top computer manufacturers are adding Amazon Alexa capabilities to their core models. HP, ASUS, and Acer all made announcements at CES 2018 that they'd be adding Alexa to select desktops and laptops. While these firms are the first to make formal announcements, the trend of manufacturers adding Alexa to their machine is likely to continue, as noted by Larry Dignan on our sister site ZDNet. Alexa making its way onto machines made by these brands could win it some favor among professionals, and the integration of Alexa for Business could help further its business appeal by helping with meetings, calendar management, and more. HP is bringing Alexa to the desktop with its Pavilion Wave 600-a010t PC, the firm announced in a Monday press release.

Because most Windows tablets have settled upon the 12.1-inch display size, an increase is unexpected. The significant improvement over the 12-inch, 2160x1440 IPS display in 2017's second-generation X1 Tablet may boost Lenovo's standing. Though I consistently come away impressed by Lenovo's tablet offerings, it still tends to fall a bit short compared to similar products by other vendors. Otherwise, Lenovo has retained the best bits from its earlier ThinkPad X1 tablets. Inside it is a Core i7-8650U, a member of the new Kaby Lake R family of 8th-generation Core chips. The 2018 version of Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Tablet ships in March for a starting price of $1,599, but expect that price to jump if you opt for the larger memory and storage configurations.