Acer To Roll Out Amazon Alexa To All PCs
by Brett Howse on May 21, 2018 9:00 AM EST
This morning Acer announced that it’s the first PC maker to ship Alexa on its PC lineup, and the company has plans to bring the popular assistant across its lineup of devices. Amazon has broadened the reach of Alexa across many device types over the last couple of years, and while Microsoft has shipped Cortana in Windows 10 since launch, it’s failed to gain much traction outside of the PC.
Acer will leverage Intel’s Smart Sound Technology with an integrated Digital Signal Processor to handle audio, and voice commands. Some models, such as the Acer Spin 5 will offer four digital microphones as well for far-field voice recognition, while others will only support the more common two microphone setup for near-field.
It remains to be seen whether voice control on the PC is going to be a make or break feature, but the simplicity of voice control for some tasks is undeniable. With the inclusion of Intel Smart Sound Technology, it also brings additional features such as being able to wake a PC that’s in Modern Standby as well, and with the far-field microphone, accessing Alexa on the PC should be the same as using it in your living room or kitchen.
Alexa will be available on the Acer Spin 5 on May 23, and the Spin 3 on May 26, with other models gaining support over the next few weeks.
Source: Acer
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BurntMyBacon - Tuesday, May 22, 2018 - link
@ReflexTrue. Many people have a lot of devices tuned in and don't realize it. If they find Alexa, Cortana, Et al. offensive, then they need to take a closer look at other devices they are using (I.E. Smart Phones, Smart TVs, IOT devices, Tablets, Computers). It is a task many have not undertaken, but it is by no means insurmountable. Start at your internet connections (Cable Modem, DSL, mobile carrier signals, etc.). Find all devices connected to these (Wired, WiFi, Mobile Antenna, etc.). Make note of any of these devices that have microphones (or camera's if that is your concern). Then you'll want to mute the mic, disconnect the device from the internet, or shut down the device entirely when not in use to remove any chance of being recorded without permission. If this is too much work, then you'll need to reconsider what level of risk you are willing to accept and either get rid of the offending devices or live with the knowledge that you may be recorded.
Tylanner - Monday, May 21, 2018 - link
We are being overrun with convenience...at some point Amazon's extraordinary "problem solving" is going to result in our reluctant dependency...Manch - Monday, May 21, 2018 - link
Yup, not a fan of vendor lock in....of any kinds3cur3 - Monday, May 21, 2018 - link
Minor typo: "for far-filed voice recognition" => "far-field"HardwareDufus - Monday, May 21, 2018 - link
Microsoft really dropped the ball with Cortana. They are a tech company being leapfrogged by an online retail outfitter.Speedfriend - Monday, May 21, 2018 - link
It was Apple that really dropped the ball given they were first with Siri, but then they did the same with music streaming given their iTunes position and video given their Apple TV position.Ancillas - Monday, May 21, 2018 - link
No kidding. They have PCs in almost every home. They have a very popular gaming device that's also used as an entertainment hub. They had the music streaming service.Amazon had to build and sell the devices.
Microsoft missed a huge opportunity.
Neilsmith1 - Friday, July 27, 2018 - link
Wow! Amazing gift for the Acer users! It is very interesting to know about this news and hope it will take more benefits to the users as well as Acer company. I am very curious to use this features on Acer laptops! http://alexa-echo-help.com/EchoDevice - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
Oh that's really amazing news for the Acer users. users can now enjoy the excellent features of Alexa on PC. For any issue using the Alexa device users can avail complete support at https://echodevicesupport.com/echo-alexa-service/