Following its accidental reveal of a newer, cheaper version of its Alexa-powered Echo Dot speaker on Monday, Amazon this morning announced new numbers detailing the rapid growth of its Alexa "app store," which it calls the "Skills" section in its Alexa app. The company says the selection of these voice-activated apps has grown by 3x since June, and now includes over 3,000 skills. Skills are what Amazon calls the optional features consumers can add to their Alexa-powered devices, like the Amazon Echo speaker or its smaller counterparts, the Dot or Tap, for example, as well as third-party devices that have integrated with Amazon's voice computing platform. In addition, thanks to a recent snafu by the retailer's social media team, it appears Amazon will soon launch a new Echo Dot speaker at a lower price point. The company on Monday accidentally tweeted about a new, 49.99 "all-new" Echo Dot, then quickly deleted the tweet.

Amazon's popular Alexa personal assistant can already order you a pizza or call an Uber to take you to a restaurant. Now, she can help you cook dinner at home. Thanks to some help from engineers at GE, Alexa has learned how to preheat an oven, set cook timers, and tell you when your laundry will be dry--all using voice recognition. It's the first full suite of appliances that Alexa can control. "Voice is something that's been on our radar for quite a long time, because we saw the value of having an extra hand in the kitchen," said Bill Gardner, Program Manager for Alexa Integration at GE Appliances.

With Apple's latest release event comes a new OS for their devices, this is what you need to know about iOS 10 and what new features it offers. For some iPhone owners, the launch of iOS 10 is a time to gleefully share Mario stickers or use Siri to call an Uber. Then there are those staring at a very expensive slab that is supposed to resemble a smartphone, but no longer does after Apple's iOS 10 update rendered some of those devices useless. Early reports on Twitter suggest the iOS 10 update, available Tuesday, is turning their smartphones into bricks, which basically means the phone will not operate. DO NOT DOWNLOAD IOS 10. it turned my iphone into a brick #applesupport Don't get iOS 10 unless you want to turn your 650 device into a brick.

Machines may be smart, but they make pretty dull companions. Google knows this, and as it builds out its recently announced Google Assistant personal assistant technology--which, like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa, will answer questions and follow commands like "turn on the lights"--the company is eager to make artificial intelligence more personable. Ryan Germick, who heads the Google Doodle team in Mountain View, is now working on adding a human touch to Google Assistant, along with Emma Coats, a freelance artist best known for her stint as a story artist at Pixar and the author of a viral list of 22 rules of storytelling. In a session at the Moogfest music and technology festival in Durham, North Carolina, this weekend, Germick and Coats talked about the process of making A.I. feel friendlier. Google Assistant is a new take on the artificially intelligent "personal assistant" concept that will be built into Google products like the forthcoming Google Home speaker.

Smart lighting is a tantalizing idea, but many models require an up-front investment in "starter packs" that usually require an additional piece of hardware beyond the light bulbs themselves. These devices--known as a gateway, hub or bridge--often price smart bulbs out of the grasp of many potential users. TP-Link is joining a small list of smart light bulb companies offering products that are trying to change that. TP-Link recently announced the LB100, LB110, and LB120 smart Wi-Fi LED bulbs. All three bulbs can be controlled by TP-Link's Kasa app for Android and iOS without the need for additional hardware.

It's pretty difficult to make digital marketing sexy, but crystal (yes, with a lower-case c, which is going to drive journalists and copy-editors bananas for the foreseeable future) is going at it with both barrels. Launched in public beta today at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Alley, the product features beautiful dashboards, smart AI and Siri-like voice control. Its self-learning algorithms can learn when a company's audiences are most likely to respond to marketing messaging and much more. The dashboard in crystal is scrumptious and looks even better with the animations. "We like to call it an advisor rather than a virtual assistant," says Marco Cartasegna, one of the company's founders.

Apple is bringing a load of new features to the iPhone and iPad through a software update launching Tuesday. The new software, called iOS 10, brings a major refresh to some of the iPhone's core apps and features, like Siri, iMessage, and the Photos app. Siri and iMessage will be compatible with third-party apps in iOS 10, meaning you'll be able to do things like send money to friends within a messaging thread and ask Siri to call a Lyft for you. The new Photos app will use artificial intelligence to scan your photos and determine their subject matter, enabling you to search for specific images based on what's in them, like dogs, trees, or food. It's important to remember to back up your iPhone before upgrading to iOS 10.

If you are a fan of Iron Man or the Avengers franchise, you know that when Tony Stark is talking to Jarvis, he is talking with Artificial Intelligence or AI. According to computer science, an'intelligent machine' is a rational agent who perceives its environment and takes those actions, which will maximize its chances of success for the specified goal. In simple terms, intelligence that is exhibited by the machines is termed as'Artificial Intelligence' or AI. Ever wondered how Google Now, Siri, and Cortana help you find information? They are all AI applications used on different platforms.

With the introduction of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple made one of the boldest moves smartphone design has seen in recent years - the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack. The reason behind the decision, Apple executive Phil Schiller explained was'the courage to move on and do something new that betters all of us.' As part of the latest launch, Apple is bundling its familiar EarPod headphones with both a Lightning connector to plug into the charging port, along with an adaptor for hooking up older wired headphones with the new handsets. It's also released a pair of wireless headphones, known as AirPods, that cost 159 ( 159). Owners of the iPhone 7 will not be able to directly connect any headphones with a traditional 3.5mm plug.

A broad range of GE appliances now recognize voice commands, thanks to the manufacturer's adoption of Amazon's Alexa Skills development kit. If you own an Echo, Echo Tap, or Echo Dot, you can use your voice to control any Wi-Fi-connected GE or Monogram refrigerator, oven, range, dishwasher, washer, dryer, or water heater. GE has labeled its voice-control program Geneva, so Alexa voice commands must include that name for the service to know where it needs to relay the command. Here's a small sample of what you can accomplish using just your voice once you've enabled the feature: Amazon's Echo is versatile and powerful; it's a terrific value all around. Alexa will either confirm your request, or retrieve and speak the information you've requested.