Year: 2017

Use your Amazon Alexa to Control your Amazon Fire TV

CompuScoop Staff July 13, 2017 0

(TheVerge.com): Amazon has just released a software update for its Fire TV devices that allows you to control them using Alexa on another device... like, say, an Amazon Echo. The update was first spotted by Android Police.

To use the new feature, you’ll have to link your Fire TV to your Alexa device using the Alexa app on your smartphone. Once set up, you’ll be able to use voice commands through Alexa for things like playback controls, searching for videos, and opening apps. It’s similar to the functionality provided by Amazon’s Alexa Voice Remote for the Fire TV, just without actually requiring that you use a physical remote. The update is compatible with all of Amazon’s Fire TV devices, except for the original first generation Fire TV Stick.

It’s also a move that puts Amazon’s virtual assistant on par with Google’s Home speaker and Chromecast, which have granted the ability use the Home in tandem with a Chromecast for voice commands for a while now.

Now you can get a demo of HomeKit at most Apple Retail Stores

CompuScoop Staff July 12, 2017 0

Customers can now get an interactive demo of Apple's HomeKit at 46 Apple retail stores around the United States.

The demo allows a user to try the HomeKit features at a special area within the store.

The feature is available now.

Apple (Quietly) Extends Apple Watch (Series 1) Warranty to Three Years

CompuScoop Staff July 12, 2017 1

“If you have a first-generation Apple Watch with a separated back cover, Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will repair it free of charge, according to an internal service policy obtained by MacRumors,” Joe Rossignol reports for MacRumors.

“Apple recently extended the service policy’s coverage period to up to three years after the original purchase date,” Rossignol reports. “If you bought an Apple Watch in April 2015, for example, it is eligible for a free repair until April 2018. ‘Apple has determined that under certain conditions on some Apple Watch (1st generation) devices the back cover may separate from the watch case. Apple will service eligible devices free of charge. Apple will authorize coverage for three (3) years from the date of purchase.'”

Rossignol reports, “The service policy has been in effect since last year and applies to any first-generation Apple Watch, including Sport, Edition, and Hermès models, even if the device’s limited one-year warranty or extended AppleCare coverage has elapsed.”

Read more in the full article here.

EPSN uses iPhone 7 to shoot annual Body Issue

CompuScoop Staff July 10, 2017 1

“ESPN The Magazine‘s hotly anticipated ‘Body Issue’ hit newsstands on Friday, and at least one of the covers — a portrait of Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez — was shot using Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus handset,” Mikey Campbell reports for AppleInsider.

“Baez’s cover is a standard portraiture-style image of the baseball star in the buff,” Campbell reports. “As noted by venture capitalist M.G. Siegler on Twitter, Apple purchased space on the issue’s back cover to advertise that the shot was captured using an iPhone 7 Plus.”

Campbell reports, “Apple’s ad shows an iPhone 7 Plus alone in a sea of white with Baez’s cover shot, minus ESPN’s graphics, displayed onscreen.”

Read more in the full article here.