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☆ UK clears Amazon's $1.7 billion deal for Roomba-maker iRobot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 16 (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator on Friday cleared Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) planned $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot Corp (IRBT.O), maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had concluded that the deal would not lead to competition concerns in the UK. "We're pleased with the UK Competition and Markets Authority's decision and are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in their work," a spokesperson for Amazon said. The news sent shares in U.S-listed iRobot up 12% in pre-market trade, while Amazon's stock was marginally down. EU antitrust regulators will decide by July 6 whether to clear the deal, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also examining the acquisition.

Persons: We're, Colin Angle, Eva Mathews, Devika Syamnath, Jason Neely Organizations: Amazon.com, iRobot Corp, Markets Authority, Competition, Amazon, CMA, Regulators, Big Tech, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Inside Amazon's rush to respond to ChatGPT. 'Amazon must be really scared about being late on all of this.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Amazon must be really scared about being late on all of this," one Amazon employee said in an interview. The same rules apply to the new Microsoft Bing search engine that uses ChatGPT's technology, an internal document said. "Since generative AI is all the rage right now, it will be included in the themes, and there will be a special award for the project that best demonstrates generative AI," the email said. Mike Blake/ReutersEmployees are still curious about Amazon's response to ChatGPT and generative AI, frequently bringing up the topic in internal town-hall meetings. He also said that Amazon's top leadership team, called the S-team, was "very excited about it" and that generative AI was a "big area of focus for us."

Persons: ChatGPT, Sam Altman, Sven Hoppe, It's, hackathons, Andy Jassy, Mike Blake, Adam Selipsky, Jassy, Eugene Kim Organizations: Amazon, Echo, Microsoft, Employees, Getty, Bloomberg, Burnham, Reuters Employees

☆ Amazon's iRobot deal faces July 6 EU antitrust deadline
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 1 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators will decide by July 6 whether to clear Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) $1.7 billion acquisition of the maker of robot vacuum cleaner iRobot Corp (IRBT.O), according to a European Commission filing on Thursday. The EU competition enforcer can either clear the deal with or without remedies after its preliminary review or it can open a four-month long investigation if it has serious concerns. "We’re working cooperatively with the relevant regulators in their review of this merger," an Amazon spokesperson said. Amazon has said it would continue to supply iRobot products to other retailers and keep them compatible with other companies' voice assistants. Critics say the iRobot acquisition presents a privacy nightmare because it would expand personal home information in the company's arsenal.

Persons: Alexa, Foo Yun Chee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Amazon, EU, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Regulators, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

Companies Amazon.com Inc FollowWASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) agreed to pay $25 million to settle allegations that it violated children's privacy rights with its Alexa voice assistant, according to a court filing on Wednesday. Reporting by Diane Bartz and David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Diane Bartz, David Shepardson Organizations: WASHINGTON, Thomson

Amazon will pay the Federal Trade Commission more than $30 million to settle allegations of privacy lapses in its Alexa and Ring divisions, according to filings on Wednesday. A separate suit alleges Amazon violated the FTC Act and Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by illegally retaining thousands of children's information through their profiles with the Alexa voice assistant. Under the proposed settlement, Amazon will have to delete inactive child accounts as well as some voice recordings and geolocation information. Amazon has faced scrutiny over the data that's collected by its kids-oriented Echo smart speakers, which use Alexa to respond to commands. Amazon will also have to implement a privacy program to govern its use of geolocation information.

Organizations: Amazon, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Justice, COPPA

☆ Amazon to Pay $25 Million to Settle Children’s Privacy Charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Natasha Singer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Amazon agreed on Wednesday to pay a civil penalty of $25 million to settle federal charges that it kept sensitive information collected from children for years, including their precise locations and voice recordings, in violation of a children’s online privacy law. It was the latest legal action in an intensifying regulatory effort to require some of the world’s largest tech platforms to better safeguard their younger users. The case, brought by the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department, centers on Amazon’s handling of the personal details it collected from children who conversed with Alexa, the company’s voice-activated virtual assistant. In a legal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, regulators said the tech giant had kept young people’s Alexa voice recordings indefinitely and used the data for business purposes like training its algorithm to understand children, violating the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Organizations: Amazon, Federal Trade Commission, Justice Department, Alexa, Western, of Locations: U.S, of Washington

CNN —Amazon has agreed to pay more than $30 million to settle two federal lawsuits alleging that the tech giant violated users’ privacy — including that of children — through its Alexa voice assistant and its Ring doorbell cameras. Amazon acquired Ring in 2018, paving the way for the e-commerce giant to get into the home security business. According to the FTC, Amazon kept Alexa voice recordings of children “indefinitely” unless a user specifically instructed the company to delete the recordings. Amazon also agreed to send consumers notices about the FTC settlement, and to implement a privacy program for geolocation data. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Alexa settlement.

Persons: “, Ring, ”, Amazon Organizations: CNN, Amazon, Federal Trade Commission, FTC Locations: U.S

☆ A leaked Amazon generative AI sales playbook shows how the company is going after ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Microsoft and Google
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The strategy is revealed in a detailed internal sales guideline, titled "Generative AI Sales Playbook," obtained by Insider. The guidelines may help Amazon make a stronger push in the generative AI space, where companies including Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google have taken an early lead. 'ChatGPT is a brand new, experimental offering'The guidelines focus on SageMaker's appeal to companies looking to build their own generative AI services. For example, for c-suite executives, Amazon salespeople are told to focus on how generative AI can "improve efficiency by automating operations," the document said. For those with a bit more experience in AI, Amazon salespeople are advised to recommend new generative AI capabilities and AWS offerings to accelerate their development process.

Persons: Bard, SageMaker, JumpStart, Sam Altman Drew Angerer, Sparrow, It's, I'm, haven't, you've, Canva's, Eugene Kim Organizations: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Stability, AI21 Labs, Amazon Alexa, AWS, Burnham

☆ Alexa may soon be able to make up bedtime stories using AI and based on your children's toys
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon plans to upgrade its Alexa voice-assistant with ChatGPT-like AI capabilities. One use-case cited in an internal document is to generate bedtime stories based on a child's toys. That's where a large language model (LLM) AI can create entirely new things like fictional stories, from studying other similar examples. But when the feature is released, Amazon hopes the age-old request by drowsy children could become slightly modified to, "Alexa, tell me a bedtime story." Read the full story: Amazon plans to reboot its struggling Alexa business by working on its own ChatGPT-like technology, leaked document shows

☆ Codename Burnham: Amazon has a secret new home robot with ChatGPT-like features that understands a lot more of its surroundings.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Amazon is working on an upgraded version of its home robot Astro, powered by 'Burnham' technology. The robot has ChatGPT-like features, using large language models and other advanced AI. This is a new phase for Astro and the latest example of Amazon adding AI models to existing products. In one of these documents related to Burnham, Amazon describes an Astro product that costs $995. As LLMs were growing in scale, they started demonstrating "emergent skills in both inference and problem-solving," one of the Amazon documents stated.

☆ Amazon plans to reboot its struggling Alexa business by working on its own ChatGPT-like technology, leaked document shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

One of its ideas is to add entertainment features for Prime Video search and recommendations. "It feels like Alexa is thinking vs. fetching from a database," the document, titled "Alexa LLM Entertainment Use Cases," said. The document focused on new entertainment features for Alexa, including more conversational video search, personal recommendations, and storytelling and news-reading capabilities. When the user asks about one of the recommended shows — Paramount+'s "Younger" is the example used in the document — Alexa shares a one-line summary. 'World's best personal assistant'Other video search features listed in the document include semantic search and personal recommendations.

Fitbit Versa 4 The Fitbit Versa 4 disappoints as a fourth-generation smartwatch as it lacks third-party app support, has issues with fitness tracking, and doesn’t allow for music storage. Fitbit Sense 2 vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Smartwatch performanceOne of the main nitpicks we have with these watches is their disappointing lack of smartwatch capability. Fitbit Sense 2 vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Health and fitness trackingRick Stella/InsiderThe biggest difference between the Versa 4 and the Sense 2 comes down to their individual health and fitness tracking performance. Fitbit Sense 2 vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Battery lifePerhaps the best feature native to both the Sense 2 and the Versa 4 is their battery life, which lasts roughly six days depending on how it's used. However, due to the Versa 4's shortcomings in both smarts and fitness tracking, it pales in comparison to the Sense 2.

☆ Amazon's devices head ditched the Echo in his living room for a smart TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon said Wednesday it has sold more than 200 million Fire TV devices globally, up from 150 million last January. "I don't have an Echo in there anymore, I just use my TV," Limp said. Limp, as you'd expect, rejects the idea that an Alexa-powered Fire TV will cannibalize the company's Echo devices. A portion of the layoffs, which are expected to total 27,000 employees, landed in Limp's organization, which oversees the development of products such as Alexa, Echo smart speakers and Kindle e-readers. WATCH: Amazon TV is next step for company to move into internet of things

☆ Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Cortana were 'dumb as a rock'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella said voice assistants like Siri and Alexa were "dumb as a rock." Nadella who raved about the voice assistants in 2016 saying "bots are the new apps," has changed his tune since then, the FT reported. "Whether it's Cortana or Alexa or Google Assistant or Siri, all these just don't work. According to Insider Intelligence analysis in 2018, just 2% of global consumers said they used Cortana as their primary voice assistant. Siri's co-creator Adam Cheyer told the FT that ChatGPT's ability to understand complex information makes existing voice assistants look stupid, saying "the previous capabilities have just been too awkward."

☆ Leaked recording shows Amazon CEO Andy Jassy delivering a brutally honest rallying cry for employees to 'redefine' the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told employees on Tuesday that it'll take many months to redefine the company. But he said if everyone works together as a team, Amazon will get through it stronger. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy delivered a brutally honest motivational pep talk at an internal staff meeting on Tuesday, urging employees to band together as the company tries to get through an unusually challenging time. But he promised employees that the progress they make will "redefine" Amazon and better-position the company going forward, according to a recording of the all-hands meeting obtained by Insider. I don't really know any other company that's pursuing a set of innovations like that," Jassy said.

Amazon, Microsoft, and Google announced layoffs of a total of 40,000 employees this week. Tech companies embarked on a massive hiring spree as the Covid-era made their products the backbone of the world's remote-working offices. The era of tech companies spending like rock stars is overOver the last decade Big Tech companies spent money "like 1980's rock stars," wrote Dan Ives, managing director at the investment firm Wedbush . On the other end, tech companies may look much different this decade as they did in the last. As companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft cut costs, they'll find ways to operate leaner, and their stock prices will stabilize.

☆ As Amazon conducts its largest layoff, its HR boss sent another email to employees urging 'support and care' for those laid off
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Beth Galetti, Amazon's HR boss, sent an email asking employees to show support for those affected. As Amazon embarked on the largest layoffs in company history, HR boss Beth Galetti urged employees to show support for each other. In her email, Galetti reiterated that most of the layoffs will affect the retail division (Amazon Stores) and HR (People Experience and Technology). Conversations with impacted employees took place around the world today, and this morning, Pacific Time, notification messages were sent to all impacted employees in the U.S., Canada, and Costa Rica. In other regions, we are following local processes, which may include time for consultation with employee representative bodies and possibly result in longer timelines to communicate with impacted employees.

Amazon's Fire TV Omni QLED is the company's latest 4K smart TV. The latest is the Fire TV Omni QLED, which is designed to compete with displays from popular value brands like TCL and Hisense. Amazon 65-inch Omni QLED Fire TV Amazon’s latest TV has advanced features like local dimming, quantum dots, and hands-free Alexa. Ryan Waniata/InsiderThe Fire TV Omni QLED is something of a mixed bag when it comes to image quality. That said, those looking to delve deeper into the Amazon ecosystem will find an ally in the Fire TV Omni QLED.

☆ Amazon still 'fully committed' to Alexa despite job cuts, hardware chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The company's devices and services organization, which oversees the development of products such as Alexa, Echo smart speakers and Kindle e-readers, was among the groups affected. Still, Amazon remains "fully committed" to the Alexa unit despite the company taking steps to be more disciplined with costs in "a very uncertain economy," Limp said. At one point, Amazon had 5,000 people working on Alexa and Echo. Amazon has sold devices such as the Echo at or near cost because its goal isn't to make money from them. The prices of some commodities used in Amazon devices, such as memory and displays, has increased, and those could get passed along to consumers, he said.

☆ Alexa, help! Amazon partners with EVgo to ease EV charging pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 5 (Reuters) - E-commerce giant Amazon (AMZN.O) hopes a new partnership with EVgo (EVGO.O), powered by its Alexa voice assistant, will help smooth the electric vehicle charging experience for owners. When it launches later in 2023, the Alexa-assisted EV charging service will connect drivers to more than 150,000 U.S. public charging stations through EVgo's PlugShare map. The service will let drivers find charging stations operated by EVgo and other operators. If an EVgo station is selected, drivers then schedule and initiate a charging session and complete payment through the Alexa mobile app. EVgo said customers eventually will be able to view real-time charger availability and view session and billing information.

This week, we’ve got an Amazon Alexa device for your car, a stand mixer from Instant, new cast iron cookware from Made In and more. Made In expanded its Enameled Cast Iron Collection with its new 11-inch round Enameled Cast Iron Skillet. The skillet’s cast iron cooking surface retains heat well and distributes it evenly, making it particularly helpful for searing, sautéing and making stir-fry, Made In says. Stitch Fix is calling the program Travel Style Insurance. Those interested in the program can contact Stitch Fix via email (Travel-Style-Insurance@stitchfix.com) and provide proof of their lost luggage from a flight taken between Dec. 5 and Jan. 5.

☆ Amazon thought Alexa would be the next iPhone. Turns out it's a 'glorified clock radio.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jake Swearingen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon's Alexa was Jeff Bezos' pet project; now it's a target for the company's cost-cutting. The Amazon Echo debuted in 2014 and was the company's first real success as a hardware manufacturer. The stand-alone voice assistant was immediately useful, and by 2018, the company sold more than 100 million Alexa-enabled devices. It even licensed the Alexa voice assistant to other manufacturers, hoping to make the assistant ubiquitous throughout people's homes. But as Amazon faces a new era of cost discipline, a "glorified clock radio" can't lose $10 billion a year or employ 10,000 people.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says cost-cutting review revealed the economy is 'more uncertain' than previously thought
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Andrew Ross Sorkin speaks with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy during the New York Times DealBook Summit in the Appel Room at the Jazz At Lincoln Center on November 30, 2022 in New York City. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been entrenched in a sweeping review of the company's expenses, marked with the largest job cuts in its history, shuttered programs and a pause on warehouse expansion. Speaking at The New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Jassy said a monthslong cost-cutting review revealed the economy was "more uncertain" than previously thought, which prompted the company to escalate its efforts to rein in expenses. Business Insider also reported on the future of Amazon's Alexa unit being in jeopardy. WATCH: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on shifting consumer spending habits

☆ Cyber Monday 2022 deals that make great gifts — lowest price ever
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Select Staff | Select Staff On Nbc News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

To help you make the most of the shopping holiday, we compiled some of the best Cyber Mondaydeals and sales that make great gifts that we think you’ll want to know about. Best Cyber Monday 2022 giftable dealsBelow, we’re sharing the best Cyber Monday giftable deals based on our previous coverage and reporting. Lowest price ever4.8-star average rating from 147,616 reviews on AmazonTo keep your drinks cool and hot, the 20-ounce Rambler from Yeti is the way to go. Lowest price ever4.8-star average rating from 252 reviews on AmazonThe Dutch oven from Le Creuset is one of the best models available. Lowest price ever4.4-star average rating from 19,324 reviews on AmazonThis Fitbit, compatible with both iPhones and Android devices, tracks your heart rate, sleep quality, health metrics and more.

☆ 40+ best Cyber Monday tech deals in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Christina Colizza | Christina Colizza Is An Editor For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

SKIP AHEAD Cyber Monday tech deals | Cyber Monday tech salesTo help you make the most of the shopping holiday, we compiled some of the best Cyber Monday deals and sales on tech products that we think you’ll want to know about. Best Cyber Monday 2022 tech dealsBelow, we’re sharing the best Cyber Monday tech deals based on our previous coverage and reporting. Lowest price ever4.7-star average rating from 13,906 reviews at Best BuyBeats (now owned by Apple) is known for its great over-the-ear headphones, and these are no exception. 4.6-star average rating from 38 reviews at Best BuySelect-favorite brand Netgear says the Nighthawk AX5300 Wi-Fi router provides expanded network capacity and extended coverage. Best Cyber Monday 2022 Tech salesHere are the best Cyber Monday tech sales that we think you’ll want to know about.

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