Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you how to customize your Alexa settings to get her to sound more like you. Take a moment to learn the newest ways to get Alexa to speak the way you want. It will dramatically improve how you are currently using Alexa forever. CLICK TO GET KURT'S CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, SECURITY ALERTS AND EASY HOW-TO'S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER You can change Alexa's volume directly on most devices or by using your voice, but did you know you can change Alexa's speed at which the device talks to you? Say "Alexa, speak faster" or "Alexa, speak slower" either once, or a few times to get the device speaking at the rate you'd like. If you end up wanting Alexa to go back to the original speed, just say "Alexa, speak at your default rate" and the settings will reset.

I read a pretty heartbreaking story this week about a young girl named Alexa who has reportedly been bullied at school. According to NBC San Diego, Alexa's classmates have been treating her just like an Amazon Echo, asking "Alexa" the weather and treating her like a "servant." Unfortunately, at least for that young girl, the name "Alexa" has become pretty much synonymous with the Amazon Echo and is often used interchangeably with other smart home devices. My guess is that Amazon won't change the name to something else. However, there is a way for you to change the name.

Amazon has release a flurry of new hardware and software updates that expand on its popular series of Echo smart speakers and transform Alexa into celebrities like Samuel L. Jackson. For the first time ever, Amazon announced that it is letting Echo users turn Alexa into celebrities for a'special price' of $0.99 for anyone that purchased a speaker in 2019. Samuel L. Jackson will be among the first celebrities voice integrations and will come in both explicit (presumably with lots of f-bombs) and clean versions. More celebrities are set to arrive on the device, though Amazon hasn't yet hinted at who those additions may be. The first-ever high-end smart speaker from Amazon will be called the Echo Studio and is being positioned as a companion to the company's HD streaming service The company also announced new additions to its Echo hardware, including its first-ever high-end smart speaker which it's calling the'Echo Studio.'