The moment that sports fans around the world have been waiting for is almost here, with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics finally kicking off today. With over 200 countries and regions competing across 33 sports and 46 disciplines, it can be hard to keep up with all the latest news. Thankfully, Amazon has your back, and has equipped its smart assistant, Alexa, with facts to give users quick and easy access to the latest news and successes throughout the games. 'Alexa, what's Team GB's Olympics update?' 'Alexa, what's Team Ireland's Olympics update?' 'Alexa, which country has the most gold meals?' 'Alexa, who is the athlete of the day?' Users of Alexa-enabled devices can ask the smart assistant a range of questions, including'Alexa, which country has the most gold medals?', and receive answers almost immediately. Amazon explained: 'Following the Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday 23rd July, Alexa will give customers the low down on Team GB, Team Ireland, ParalympicsGB and Paralympics Ireland athletes competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games this year.

Unlike Alexa and Google Assistant, Siri has been limited to only Apple devices since it was introduced nearly a decade ago. That's changing this year, though -- Apple just announced that third-party devices would be able to take advantage of Siri as part of an update to the company's HomeKid system. Apple showed someone summoning Siri on an Ecobee thermostat. But based on the brief demo, it sounds like these third-party devices won't be full-fledged devices running Siri themselves. Instead, it'll relay the command to a HomePod mini which will then send the request. Apple specifically said that third-party companies won't be able to see those Siri commands.

A British company has developed an artificial voice that can speak with'deep human emotion' -- and even cry -- with complete realism. The digital helpers that we are used to -- like Alexa and Google Assistant -- tend to speak in close-to monotones, without real inflection to convey emotion. While this may suffice for voice assistants, such flat computer-generated voices are unsuitable for applications like producing dialogue for video games or film. However, technology developed by the ten-person team at the London-based firm Sonantic allows the creation of authentic-sounding lines of speech in minutes. A British company has developed an artificial voice that can speak with'deep human emotion' -- and even cry -- with complete realism (stock image) 'We create hyper-realistic artificial voices.

A new iOS update may be quietly patching up a software flaw that sent some of Apple's smart speakers spiraling out of commission. As reported by MacRumors, Apple has introduced yet another update to its iOS - the third update since it was release in September. Notably, however, the only change appears to be relating to software for the its Homepod, the company's only smart speaker. Apple hasn't said outright that this new software will correct the issue, but as noted by The Verge, it's unlikely the company would roll out any updates without correcting flaws in previous software. Apple's Homepod encountered an update issue that rendered the device unusable.

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.'

Google will give away 100,000 of its smart home device to those living with paralysis according to a blog post. The company announced that it will be sending its Google Home mini to people with physical disabilities in an effort to help improve their lives at home. According to Garrison Redd, an ambassador for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, who has been unable to walk for the past 20 years, the devices can make a huge difference for someone who relies on a wheelchair to move. 'When you're paralyzed, your home goes from being a place of comfort and security to a reminder of what you've lost,' wrote Redd in a blog post for Google. 'Light switches and thermostats are usually too high up on the wall and, if my phone falls on the floor, I may not be able to call a friend or family member if I need help.

Devices like Amazon's Alexa (pictured), Microsoft's Cortana and Apple's Siri are becoming crucial health tools Smart speakers are set to be used as'virtual medical coaches' to monitor patients in their own homes, a major report says. Devices like Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana and Apple's Siri are becoming crucial health tools, according to an official report on the'digital future' of the NHS. The 100-page document, written by US geneticist Eric Topol, said robots and artificial intelligence will make medical diagnoses more accurate and unburden doctors to give them more time with patients. And it said within 20 years virtual medical coaches, operating through voice recognition speakers in people's homes, would help manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, depression and high blood pressure. These programmes will use artificial intelligence and'deep learning' about someone's illness and normal behaviour to'pre-empt hospitalisation' by spotting when something is wrong.

Google's AI assistant can now understand people even if they repeatedly switch between two languages during a conversation. This marks the first time an AI-powered voice assistant has been able to distinguish between two different languages during the same interaction. Google Assistant can now understand any pair of languages from English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. More languages are planned for a future update, Google says. Google hopes the upgrade will make using its Assistant easier in bilingual households, and says it could help people who are trying to learn a new language.

Apple's HomePod doesn't appear to be as big of a hit as the tech giant had hoped. In January, the firm finally released its smart home speaker that was bid as a rival to the Amazon Echo and Google Home. But by last month, Apple slashed sales forecasts for the HomePod as inventory for the device began to pile up, Bloomberg reported, citing sources close to the situation. In January, the firm finally released its smart home speaker that was bid as a rival to the Amazon Echo and Google Home. It also cut HomePod orders with one of its manufacturers that assembles the device for the company, Inventec, according to Bloomberg.

Amazon.com Inc paid about $90 million to acquire the maker of Blink home security cameras late last year, in a secret bet on the startup's energy-efficient chips, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The deal's rationale and price tag, previously unreported, underscore how Amazon aims to do more than sell another popular camera, as analysts had thought. The online retailer is exploring chips exclusive to Blink that could lower production costs and lengthen the battery life of other gadgets, starting with Amazon's Cloud Cam and potentially extending to its family of Echo speakers, one of the people said. Amazon views its in-house devices as key to deepening its relationship with shoppers. The Blink security camera (pictured), which hit the market in 2016, did not require a power cable like many rival products, making it easier to place around users' properties.