Dave Zatz 
Competing Google Assistant and Alexa-powered nightstand assistants are on sale today. While I’m reluctant to bring the stylish Echo Spot into our bedroom, given its video conferencing camera, the full-color 2.5″ touchscreen is a source of frequent temptation. And, at a discounted $99, available in white or black, it’s not a bad deal for what … Read more
As with so many things ‘Alexa’ the Amazon Echo Buttons, at a mere $14 for two, are tantalizing close to greatness. Initially introduced as a gaming accessory (meh), the Alexa platform was updated a few weeks ago to allow the buttons to trigger smart home routines. Awesome! Or so I thought. It turns out the … Read more
For those looking to automate their homes, the Amazon Alexa platform took great strides this week with significant “Routine” enhancements. While some were fired up by location-based triggers, I can’t say I’ve experienced consistent reliability over the years with geofencing. However, two new conditions make all the difference as I look to standardize on a … Read more
Beta testers, such as a well-connected associate, have begun receiving AT&T’s DirecTV Now Android TV streaming box. Both the packaging and startup sequence prominently display that “beta” designation – and with good reason. While DirecTV Now fires up fast, a subset of cloud DVR programming is conspicuously unavailable. As full-on Android TV, the Google Assistant … Read more
Sonos, the original Switzerland stand-in for digital music services, is about to be undercut by Amazon. Apple Music subscribers will be able to enjoy Apple Music’s 50 million songs on Echo devices. Customers will be able to ask Alexa to play their favorite songs, artists, and albums—or any of the playlists made by Apple Music’s … Read more
The mysterious Arlo Gen 5 discovered last month has been revealed as the Arlo Ultra. And, based on an early 2019 release date, missed an anticipated holiday launch. Not only has Arlo’s styling been enhanced, the Ultra is more powerful on all fronts — with 4K video, wider field of view, dual microphones, and a built-in … Read more
One of the more favorable deals of the season has been Hulu’s 99 cent offer. Yeah, it’s not the ad-free tier, but $12 for an entire year of their fairly extensive catalog is quite amazing. We generally use it for the shows we didn’t know we should be DVR-ing — plus it’s the only streaming … Read more
Now that Amazon’s surprise over-the-air Fire TV Recast DVR has been out a few weeks, we’ve begun to learn more about its capabilities. While it’s not the right solution for me, as I run mixed streamer household, it seems like a great value with tons of potential. And, as such, AFTVNews has begun hacking the … Read more