Amazon Alexa has been programmed to read the news headlines in the style of a newsreader. The popular voice assistant will now emphasise words, and mimic the intonation and pace of a TV anchor to present the news in a more natural way. Newsreader Alexa has been trained to read the daily bulletins when the user says'Alexa, what's the latest?' Amazon Alexa has been programmed to read the news headlines in the style of a newsreader. The virtual assistant already was able to read out the headlines but using the traditional robotic voice. Amazon conducted tests and found that people preferred hearing the news in this more realistic and listener friendly manner, compared to the robotic tone.

Scientists have showcased an'ambidextrous' robot that can learn different ways of moving their arms grippers to pick up objects in the most effective way. Researchers have created a system that allows robots with multiple arms to analyse and rapidly decide which grips would work best to pick up an object. The latest invention could help speed up processing in warehouses for e-commerce orders, as two separate orders can be process efficiently at the same time. Scientists have showcased an'ambidextrous' robot that can learn different ways of moving their arms grippers to pick up objects in the most effective way. It uses a'reward function' assigned to each type of gripper which the robot and then calculates the probability of each type of grip succeeding on a specific item.

Amazon Echo's smart assistant Alexa told a shocked customer to kill their foster parents. The alarming revelation, which happened last year, is one of a string of blunders from the speaker which involves talking about sexual acts and dog defecation with users. The outbursts stem from an initiative to make Alexa converse more like a real person and allow it to'banter' with customers. This facility needs to be deliberately enabled by the owner and is currently still being refined. Amazon Echo's smart assistant Alexa told a customer to kill their foster parents.

Alexa is getting even more personalized. Amazon has rolled out a slew of software updates for its digital assistant that are aimed at making users' lives easier. The updates include location-based reminders, an email tool and a feature called'Hunches,' in which Alexa is able to remind users if it thinks they've forgotten something. Amazon has rolled out a slew of software updates for its digital assistant. The updates include location-based reminders, an email tool and a feature called'Alexa Hunches' The new features were first announced at Amazon's Alexa-focused product event this fall, but are now set to arrive on voice-activated Echo devices.

A leading cyber security expert has warned parents that private conversations among parents could accidentally order a present via an eavesdropping digital assistant. He suggested that merely discussing Christmas ideas in front of Alexa or Google Assistant, for example, could cause an unintentional order. The ready-to-please devices have been known to take personal conversations as commands and act upon them without the owners' knowledge. Matt Horan, of C3IA solutions, said that the systems are taking personal conversations as commands and acting upon them without the owners' knowledge. Users with Amazon and Google Home accounts have their payment details already saved and could find the smart devices have automatically ordered a Christmas present without them realising.

Alexa has a new job: hotel concierge. Amazon has launched a version of Alexa for hotels that lets guests order room service through the voice assistant, ask for more towels or get restaurant recommendations without having to pick up the phone and call the front desk. Marriott has signed up for the service, and will place Amazon Echo smart speakers in 10 hotels this summer, including its Westin and St. Regis brands. It is another way for Amazon to sell its voice assistant and devices to businesses and get Alexa in front of more customers. Several media reports had said that Marriott had tested both Apple Inc's Siri and Amazon's Alexa to select what was best suited for its hotels.

Amazon's Alexa can order you an Uber, tell you where you've parked your car and turn off your lights. But pretty soon, the voice assistant could be getting one of its most useful skills yet. Biometric software company Daon has developed a way for users to send money to friends using Alexa, according to CNET. The feature could arrive on the internet giant's voice-activated speakers and devices in the next nine to 18 months. Amazon's Alexa voice assistant could allow people to pay friends using their voice in the next nine months or by next year, according to CNET Daon is the company behind MasterCard's'Selfie Pay,' which lets users send an online payment by showing their face to their smartphone's camera.

Amazon debuted the Dash Wand today, a $20 device with a magnet on the back that can stick to your refrigerator. For all purchases made today, the Amazon Dash Wand comes with a $20 gift certificate, making it effectively free for Prime members who spend more than $35. The Dash Wand is the latest Alexa-enabled device to come to market, following the Echo Show and Echo Look, devices that brought a visual interface and computer vision to the Alexa experience. The Dash Wand fits in your palm and is the size of a small remote control. The device can scan bar codes to add items to your Amazon shopping list, but press the button on top and you can speak to Alexa for all the things Alexa does, from controlling voice apps to calling your mom or ordering a pizza.