Amazon’s quirky digital assistant cylinder just got a new cool feature aimed at book fans.
The Amazon Echo will now read Kindle books aloud to its users.
A new update to the Alexa software means the digital assistant can now read a title just like an audiobook.
“With Kindle Books by Alexa, you can ask Alexa to read Kindle books in your library,” explains Amazon.
It continues: “
That last bit means you’ll have to suffer Alexa’s somewhat languid tones – a far cry from the voice talent usually chosen to read audiobooks.
Alexa will read any book purchased from the Kindle Store, borrowed from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library or Kindle Unlimited, or shared using the Family Library feature.
There are a number of voice commands you can use for Kindle Books by Alexa, listed as follows:
- Alexa, read “[Kindle book title.”
- Alexa, read my Kindle book.
- Alexa, pause.
- Alexa, resume my book.
- Alexa, go forward/back.
The Amazon Echo
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The Amazon Echo was recently in headlines as rumours emerged that a second-generation version of the device was in the works.
The Amazon Echo 2.0 is pegged to be smaller than the current Echo model, and could be wireless.
Amazon Echo was first made available on November 6, 2014, as part of a limited release. It was then offered more widely on June 23 last year.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
