Amazon’s latest Matter update unlocks Thread support

Amazon has announced a number of significant updates to its support for smart home standard Matter.

The company says it has now switched on Matter in over 100 million Echo smart speakers, the Alexa iOS app now works with the standard, and, most notably, Thread support has arrived.

Matter is a new smart home standard that was developed by a consortium of companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung. It is designed to make it easier for smart home devices from...

3 May 2023 | Connectivity

Smart speaker usage increases substantially due to COVID-19 quarantines

Global quarantines due to the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the use of smart speakers substantially.

According to a study released by Edison Research and NPR, three-quarters of US adults over 18 report a change in their media habits due to the pandemic.

“With tens of millions of Americans no longer commuting, smart speakers are becoming even more important as a conduit for news and information,” said Edison Research SVP Tom Webster. “This increased usage and...

1 May 2020 | AI