The C by GE Sol ($200) is the first lamp I've seen that fully incorporates Amazon's Alexa digital assistant. If you can get past its 1950s sci-fi aesthetic, it could be a good addition to your smart home. This goes double if you also use C by GE smart bulbs. I control 95 percent of my home's indoor and outdoor lighting using Amazon Echos and Echo Dots, so I'm accustomed to the convenience that the Sol offers. I used the latter pronunciation a few times, and Alexa kept hearing "salt.")

Getting a pizza delivered just got easier, thanks to a new feature for the Alexa smart assistant. A deal signed between Domino's and Amazon means the firm's voice activated devices will now allow you to order your favourite items with a single command. GPS tracking in trial locations also means the service can tell you exactly how far away your delivery is, right down to the minute. Getting a pizza delivered just got a slice easier, thanks to a new feature for the Alexa smart assistant. A deal signed between Domino's and Amazon means the firm's voice activated devices (pictured) will now allow you to order your favourite items with a single command Pizza fans can now simply call for Alexa, who will take care of your order.

With the Echo and Echo Dot, Amazon proved that its Alexa assistant -- and voice commands in general -- could actually be pretty helpful. That's the question I had when Amazon unveiled the new Fire HD 8, its first tablet to include Alexa support (it's also coming to the last-gen Fire tablets over the next few weeks). Instead of just shouting "Alexa" or "Amazon" aloud, you have to hold down the Fire HD 8's home button to activate the assistant, similar to how you'd access it on the Fire TV. That means using Alexa is less seamless than on Echo devices, but it still ends up making the Fire HD 8 a more capable device. Aside from needing to press a button, Alexa works just as you'd expect on the Fire HD 8.

Amazon Echo and Echo Dot are voice-controlled speakers designed entirely around your voice--they're always ready, hands-free, and fast. Alexa is the brain behind Echo and Echo Dot--just ask and she'll answer questions, play music, read the news, set timers and alarms, recite your calendar, check sports scores, control lights around your home, and much more. With Echo and Echo Dot's far-field voice control, you can do all this from across the room just by asking. Since Alexa runs in the cloud, she is always getting smarter--plus, third party developers are building new skills for Alexa every day. There will be thousands of Alexa skills available for UK customers at launch including skills from Spotify, Uber, Philips Hue, Hive, Just Eat, National Rail Enquiries, and more.