When Amazon unveiled the Echo Show earlier this year, we questioned if we really needed an Echo with a touchscreen. Surprisingly, the display turned out to be quite useful -- it was good for video, making calls or just displaying bite-sized information. But its peculiar mall-kiosk design left a lot to be desired, especially for people thinking of putting it in a central location in their home. A few months later, however, Amazon unveiled the Echo Show's smaller, more adorable sibling: the Echo Spot. It has all the same functionality as the Show, except it's wrapped in a much cuter package.

As good as devices like the Amazon Echo have become at relaying information verbally, there are still some tasks that are better accomplished using a touchscreen. That's perhaps why Amazon in June released the $229.99 Echo Show, which includes a 7-inch touchscreen placed above a speaker. But the convenience of having a tablet-sized screen also introduced trade-offs -- the Echo Show is bulkier, pricier, and generally less attractive compared to the $99.99 cylindrical Echo. Echo Spot, Amazon hopes to solve some of those issues.

Amazon Echo Spot with Alexa has a 2.5-inch display. Were Amazon's Echo Show and Echo Dot smart speakers to make a baby, the resulting offspring would likely resemble Echo Spot. From Echo Show, this softball-sized latest speaker inherits a screen. From the Dot, the Spot gets its small size and relative cuteness (sorry, Amazon, but I don't think the Echo Show is very cute.) Of course, the voice-activated cloud-based Alexa digital assistant inside Echo Spot is passed down from both parents.

Amazon.com Inc. has triggered a race to the bottom in smart speakers. Amazon slashed prices on its new lineup of six Echo devices as part of its Black Friday promotions last month. The price drop for its entry-level Dot, to $30 from $50, helped make it the No. 1-selling product on the online retail giant's website over the Thanksgiving weekend. The new version of Amazon's original Echo speaker now sells for $100, roughly half the price of the first-generation device when it launched three years ago. That has forced rivals to react.

As a result, there is a need to change the way they operate to succeed across processes, people and systems. A sign of any good business is the provision of excellent customer service; it is vital to listen and respond to the customer's direct needs. In the field of technology, this has meant a shift change in what is delivered. Enterprise technology has drastically transformed in the last five years and will continue to do so as we enter 2018. With an increasing number of organisations adopting the likes of bots, digital assistants, IoT, artificial intelligence and machine learning in order to boost productivity amongst staff, achieving exemplary customer service in a timely manner will be a must.

As companies begin to understand the vast potential of their data, the question they face is: How does our business make the most of it? The answer lies in getting real-time insights that enable better business decisions and accelerated product development. But what if the insights were used not just by humans, but by the systems themselves, leading to ongoing optimization at previously inconceivable speed and accuracy? That's the promise of adaptive intelligence (AI) and machine learning, which are already impacting consumer experience with personalized shopping, self-driving vehicles, online wealth management, and virtual assistants. Here, we'll look at how data is driving the coming AI revolution.

You've heard all the forecasts: Robots are going to take away our jobs (possibly even within five years, according to new PricewaterhouseCoopers research) as artificial intelligence turns the world on its head. Earlier this year, The Economist surveyed 200 executives and found that 75% of them plan to implement AI in their businesses within the next three years. Google and Microsoft have also both announced shifts from mobile-first to AI-first this year and the skillset of Amazon's Alexa has tripled over two quarters. AI will obviously play a huge role in the future, but one thing the technology offers marketers today is a way to offer superior customer experiences. Looking beyond the tech giants, here are five consumer brands utilizing AI in innovative and interesting ways.

Apple has identified that sometimes you can't talk to your phone in a loud, clear voice and that certain situations may require a little more delicacy. A patent has revealed Apple's plans to develop a voice assistant that can detect when you're whispering and know when to whisper back. It is unclear when, or if, Apple plans to launch the technology. A patent has revealed Apple's plans to develop a voice assistant that can detect when you're whispering and know when to whisper back The patent states a need to be able to recognise when people are whispering. Designed to be used in situations where talking at a regular or loud volume is not possible such as in a public library or at work.

The mobile app development industry is growing rapidly, on both development and users side. In fact, it has become a need for the organizations to have a mobile application, in order to sustain and grow in the highly competitive market. As the number of persons using smartphones and mobile apps, has increased exponentially, the demand for mobile app development has also increased at a fast pace. Looking at the pace, with which mobile app development grew, it doesn't look like in a state to take a halt. App development is dominated by social media, Google apps, and many other applications.

I look forward to a world with artificial intelligence (AI). Personally, I see the power of AI being embedded into all of our current technology. We currently live in a world of simple AI. We can ask Siri or Alexa to active our lights, send a message, or read our e-mail. The goal is to be able to query complicated searches, cross-check data, provide insight, and aid with decision-making instantaneously.