Last year, Gartner predicted that 30% of all web browsing will be done without a screen by 2019. More importantly, nearly 1/3rd of all searches would be voice led in 2018. Interestingly, most of these voice searches might not come from your smart phones, but from your Amazon Echo or Google Home or Apple Homepod! Home assistants are taking the world by storm, and in the process, they're changing user behavior in a way quite similar to the way smartphones changed the way people interacted with their devices and the internet back when they first launched. Among its competitors, Amazon's Alexa is definitely a clear leader and has the most mature offering.

Palo Alto-based Essential said the new Essential Phone features an edge-to-edge screen, a titanium-and-ceramic case and dual cameras. The phone sells for $699 and will run the Android operating system.

Alexa has always been able to hear your voice but it might be able to actually recognize it soon. Amazon is developing technology for the Echo lineup of home assistant devices that would allow it to recognize the voices of individual users, according to Time. As Time notes, this feature is expected to be applied for general use and security applications. For instance, Alexa could require purchases to need a specific user's voice in order to fully process orders. While Amazon has finished developing much of the technology for voice ID, secondary issues like privacy concerns have delayed the feature rollout, which does not yet have a definite release date.

Amazon on Friday boasted that its virtual assistant Alexa is capable of 1,000 "skills," as the online retail giant bolsters defenses against rivals such as Google and Apple. The Seattle-based company said in a blog post that the programs were developed specifically for the voice-commanded Alexa software used in Amazon devices such as Echo and Fire TV. Amazon released voice-enabled wireless speaker Echo in late 2014, infusing it with virtual assistant smarts that enable it to answer questions or control linked devices upon command. A kit lets outside software developers create "experiences," similar in concept to apps, for Alexa. Alexa director Rob Pulciani said tens of thousands of developers are learning about and crafting programs that introduce users "to the magic and simplicity of hands-free, voice-driven interactions."

San Francisco (AFP) - Amazon on Friday boasted that its virtual assistant Alexa is capable of 1,000 "skills," as the online retail giant bolsters defenses against rivals such as Google and Apple. The Seattle-based company said in a blog post that the programs were developed specifically for the voice-commanded Alexa software used in Amazon devices such as Echo and Fire TV. Amazon released voice-enabled wireless speaker Echo in late 2014, infusing it with virtual assistant smarts that enable it to answer questions or control linked devices upon command. A kit lets outside software developers create "experiences," similar in concept to apps, for Alexa. Alexa director Rob Pulciani said tens of thousands of developers are learning about and crafting programs that introduce users "to the magic and simplicity of hands-free, voice-driven interactions."