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Amazon's self-driving delivery robots are coming to California

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

This undated photo provided by Amazon shows a self-driving delivery robot that Amazon is calling Scout. Amazon is expanding the use of its self-driving delivery robots to a second state. NEW YORK – Amazon's self-driving robots will be roaming the streets of another neighborhood. The online shopping giant said Tuesday that the six-wheeled robots, about the size of a smaller cooler, will begin delivering packages to customers in Irvine, California. It comes after Amazon began testing them in a suburb of Seattle at the beginning of the year.


Amazon's Alexa will be able to plan your date night by booking tickets, Ubers and dinner

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

On Wednesday, at Amazon's re:MARS conference, the tech giant announced that it's making Alexa more conversational so the voice assistant can fluidly hop from one topic to the next without you having to call out "Alexa" before each command. Dubbed Alexa Conversations, part of the new rollout of Alexa capabilities includes the option for Alexa to plan a night out for you, according to Rohit Prasad, vice president and head scientist for Alexa at the artificial intelligence event in Las Vegas. Based on the demo of Alexa's upcoming abilities, Amazon is working with several companies to bring the new features to life, including the movie ticket service Atom Tickets, ride-hailing company Uber and dinner reservation app OpenTable. During a display of how the new technology will work, a human voice asked Alexa for Saturday showtimes for the movie "Dark Phoenix." Apple unveils $1,000 Pro Display stand.


Amazon's Alexa can delete your voice recordings – if you ask

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

Amazon has been under fire from critics concerned about the potential loss of privacy when Alexa hears your every word. So on a day Amazon unveiled its latest smart speaker with a display – the $89.99 Echo Show 5 – the company announced privacy features that will apply to all its Alexa-infused devices: notably, the ability to ask Alexa to delete the recordings of your voice captured when you summon Alexa for a task or query. Starting today, you can utter the words, "Alexa, delete what I said today" and recordings from the given day will be erased. In the coming weeks in the U.S. (and later elsewhere), you will be able to say," Alexa, delete what I just said," to wipe out the last request you made. Amazon separately put the spotlight on a new Alexa Privacy Hub meant to provide transparency around how you can ensure privacy when using Alexa and Echo devices.


With FAA's blessing, that drone over your house may be Google's Wing, not Amazon's

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

If you live in southwest Virginia, don't be surprised at the sight of a drone winging its way on another airborne delivery run over your neighborhood soon. Wing, the drone delivery service spun off from Alphabet's Google, hopes to start flights to homes and businesses in the Blacksburg and Christiansburg areas by the end of the year now that it has the blessings of the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA announced earlier this week that it had approved Wing as the first air carrier certified for drone delivery. In receiving the certification, Wing beat Amazon to the punch despite all the attention that the online merchandise giant has drawn over its interest in deliveries by air. Both companies, along with others, have been racing to develop drones as a more cost-effective way of delivering small, high-value orders, like medicine.


Amazon's latest gee-whiz invention: Scout, the friendly neighborhood delivery robot

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

The latest gee-whiz project from Amazon is the Scout robot, a cooler-sized automated delivery device that rolls along sidewalks to transport shipments to your home. Amazon's planes, drones, delivery trucks and relationship with the U.S. Postal Service apparently are not all-inclusive enough to handle the online retailing giant's logistical challenges. Enter Scout, an electric-powered delivery robot. Amazon has begun testing six of the cooler-sized, six-wheeled robots in a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Washington, about 60 miles northeast of Amazon's Seattle headquarters. Initially, the Scout robots will operate Monday through Friday during the daytime.


Alexa, nuke the popcorn, heat up the coffee:' We review Amazon's $59.99 microwave

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

Just like a bad break up, we point out the flaws that Amazon saw in your city's bid for their second headquarters. But Amazon's digital assistant does assume the role of a vocally-driven kitchen helper as you reheat a plate, defrost foods, and otherwise prepare a meal with the previously announced but just now available AmazonBasics Microwave. I've been cooking with it for a couple of days, and find the $59.99 price--and to some degree the use of voice--appetizing. As with any other compact countertop microwave, you can press on a keypad to choose power levels--there are ten--or the length of time you'll be nuking the item you've placed inside. But where's the fun in that when you can get Alexa to do everything at your behest?


How to listen to what Amazon's Alexa has recorded in your home

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

The Amazon Echo with Alexa is great, but it can act a little funny sometimes. These are Ranker's best stories involving Alexa. If you're worried about what exactly Amazon's Echo-connected speaker has been recording in your home, there's an easy way to find out. Amazon makes all recent recordings available for listening in the companion Alexa app for iOS and Android. Amazon has said consistently that the Echo speakers only listen in and record after you use the wake word, usually "Alexa," to make your request.


Amazon's facial recognition software alarms privacy advocates

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

Civil rights groups are demanding that Amazon stop selling the software tool, called Rekognition, to police and other government entities because they think it will unfairly target people. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Civil rights groups are demanding that Amazon stop selling the software tool, called Rekognition, to police and other government entities because they think it will unfairly target people.


Amazon's Alexa will now thank kids for saying 'please' — preferably on a Echo Dot Kids

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Echo Dot Kids Edition comes in blue, red and green. Politeness counts, at least when your child asks Alexa a question on an Amazon Echo speaker. Soon, when your youngster asks Alexa to solve a math problem by exhibiting good manners--"Alexa, please tell me what 5 plus 7 is"--the voice inside the Echo will not only supply the right answer, but will then add positive reinforcement: "By the way, thanks for asking so nicely." This new "magic word" feature, as Amazon calls it, starts to roll out via a software upgrade for the Echo, Echo Plus and Echo Dot smart speakers on May 9, as part of a set of free parental controls called FreeTime for Alexa.


These are Amazon's 5 best deals right now

USATODAY - Tech Top Stories

Saturday is full of great deals. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA Today's newsroom and any business incentives. We've made it through another week and finally get a couple of days to do what we want. If that involves buying yourself a little something, you're in luck. Today, I found a handful of amazing deals among all the not-so-impressive sales on Amazon today.