Ford and Amazon team up to offer consumers the ability to access their car from home, and call up other features from their vehicle via Alexa – Amazon's cloud-based voice service LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2017 – Millions of consumers who befriended Amazon Alexa over the last year, including many who just received an Echo or Echo Dot as a holiday gift, will soon be able to experience Alexa like never before from a Ford vehicle. A new collaboration between Ford Motor Company and Amazon is making this capability possible. The Alexa integration – the most comprehensive ever in a vehicle – allows Ford owners to play and resume audiobooks, order items on Amazon, search for and transfer local destinations to the in-car navigation system, and more. From home, Ford vehicle owners will be able to remote start, lock or unlock doors, and get vehicle information using voice commands. "Ford and Amazon are aligned around a vision that your voice should be the primary way to interface with your favorite devices and services," said Don Butler, executive director, Ford Connected Vehicle and Services.

The machines haven't taken over. However, they are seeping their way into our lives, affecting how we live, work and entertain ourselves. From voice-powered personal assistants like Siri and Alexa, to more underlying and fundamental technologies such as behavioral algorithms, suggestive searches and autonomously-powered self-driving vehicles boasting powerful predictive capabilities, there are several examples and applications of artificial intellgience in use today. However, the technology is still in its infancy. What many companies are calling A.I. today, aren't necessarily so.

Your devices will know everything about you. Millions of people own smart devices that do simple things like adjust temperature, turn down lights or lock doors when they go out. You can buy a connected fridge that tells you when you have run out of food or set up security cameras that tell you when suspicious movement is detected. There is even a toothbrush that tells you what areas of the mouth you have neglected and an intelligent hair brush that does … something. Depending on which market forecast you believe, the install base for connected devices could be anywhere between 20 billion to just over 30 billion by 2020.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly become one of the hottest topics in both business and science. More leading tech companies are showing their interest in AI investment, from Google's $400 million acquisition of DeepMind and Faraday Future's unveiling of self-driving supercars at CES 2017. These are just a few examples of the commitment companies have towards this cutting-edge technology, but one of the most promising areas for AI is in mobile. The idea of having a personal assistant to help tackle everyday tasks is becoming more appealing to users everywhere. However, intelligent apps are not just limited to digital assistants but for a variety of purposes from security to e-commerce.

You might not have to buy a Google Pixel or Pixel XL to get the company's intelligent Assistant after all. LG's upcoming G6 smartphone might be the first non-Pixel phone to include Assistant, according to a report from BusinessKorea. LG is also said to be in talks with Amazon to possibly incorporate Alexa into future phones. SEE ALSO: 7 reasons Google's Assistant stomps Siri When Google launched its Pixel phones in October, it touted Assistant as one of the main selling points. Google CEO Sundar Pichai called the Assistant "your own personal Google."

In case there were still any doubts, we now have more proof than ever that the app business is as strong as it's ever been -- $89 billion strong, to be precise. That's the finding of a new report from app analytics firm App Annie, which said that usage, downloads and revenue were all up significantly in 2016, compared with the previous year. SEE ALSO: Hey, Siri: How'd you and every other digital assistant get its name? That runs counter to reports that came earlier in 2016 that led some onlookers to suggest the app business was on the decline. We now know that's not the case.

Mobile phone technology has progressed at an astonishing pace, with advanced technologies like fingerprint scanners and artificial intelligence now becoming a common sight on handsets. Yet it appears we're a stickler for tradition, with alarm clocks and maps topping out in a list of our favourite smartphone features in a survey by uSwitch. In a study of 2,000 UK adults, 42% cited GPS technology – used for map and navigation apps – as the most useful feature on their phone. This came above even mobile messaging apps such as Facebook and WhatsApp, which ranked highest with 36% of respondents. Alarm clock apps – which have largely replaced clock radios to become the default method for getting us out of bed every morning – were considered the most useful mobile phone feature by 35% of UK adults.

Amazon's Echo and Dot connected speakers are sold out, and 35 new products will have Alexa built-in this year. Did Alexa win over Siri, Cortana and Hey Google? When Amazon's Echo first hit the market, it was basically just a voice-operated speaker. Don't get me wrong; it was an attractive piece of technology, and it responded well to voice commands. But a lot of people ended up with an Echo, asked Alexa a few basic questions ("What time is it?"

Exciting new details about Bixby, the virtual assistant set to debut on Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8, have emerged in a new report. According to SamMobile, Samsung's answer to Siri and Google Assistant will be able to leverage the handset's camera in order to identify real-world objects. The camera app on the S8 is said to feature a dedicated Bixby button, which will launch a search tool capable of recognising any object the camera happens to be focused on. From there, you'll be able to track down the item online and even purchase it, which could prove a dangerously convenient feature for shopaholics. The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session A man looks at an exhibit entitled'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar.

Has Amazon's Echo and Google's Google Home taken up residence in your home? They are supremely useful after all, providing assistance with everything from weather forecasts to smart-home control. All you need to do is ask. In order to fulfill your requests, however, both of these voice-activated digital assistants must upload your verbal commands to the cloud. Just what does that entail?