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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Here’s an article a coworker ran across on CNET.
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:#34295B"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova"">Have an Amazon Echo? Need an Uber ride? You can now use the former to get the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova""><a href="http://www.cnet.com/products/amazon-echo-review/"><span style="text-decoration:none">Amazon's Echo</span></a>, a cloud-connected wireless speaker that acts
as your personal assistant via voice commands, now supports Uber, the ride-hailing service announced in a
<a href="https://devblog.uber.com/alexa-your-uber-is-arriving-now/" target="_blank">
<span style="text-decoration:none">blog Friday</span></a>. Instead of using the Uber mobile app to request a ride, you can just ask Alexa, Echo's voice assistant, to request that an Uber driver come pick you up.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova"">The ability to hail Uber is just the latest feature to be added to the Echo, which can already play music, give you weather updates or tell you who's playing in
the Super Bowl. The voice-controlled device is just one of a handful of digital assistants out there, including Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova"">You can hail your ride on the Echo using specific voice commands such as "Alexa, ask Uber to get me a ride" or "Alexa, order me an Uber." You can also find out when
your ride will arrive by saying, "Alexa, how far away is my Uber?" Alexa will also
<a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/5/10919760/amazon-echo-uber-alexa-api-integration" target="_blank">
<span style="text-decoration:none">reportedly accept more generic commands</span></a> such as "Get me a taxi" or "Call me a ride," since the device will associate taxis and rides specifically with Uber as a result of the new integration.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova"">Echo is Amazon's attempt to take advantage of the growing interest in using your voice to control devices in your home as well as outside services. Some other things
you can do with the Echo include searching for information, checking your calendar appointments, getting traffic reports, listening to the latest news and sports scores, setting up alarms and to-do lists and controlling certain smart-home appliances.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova"">In a bid to outdo Siri and Cortana, Amazon Echo has been teaming up with more outside services lately. The
<a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-echo-syncs-with-spotify-to-bring-more-music-into-the-mix/">
<span style="text-decoration:none">device now supports Spotify's</span></a> paid premium version, so you can fire up your favorite tunes and playlists by telling Alexa to play a specific artist, album or song.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova"">Want some food to accompany your music? Through Echo,
<a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-echo-can-order-delivery-from-dominos-for-the-super-bowl/">
<span style="text-decoration:none">you can also order pizza</span></a> or check on a delivery courtesy of the new integration with food chain Domino's. Just ask Alexa something like "Order me a large pizza from Domino's," and the pie will arrive at your door.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova"">To enable services to work with Echo, you first have to tie your Echo account into your profile with the specific service itself. For example, to use Uber with your
Echo, you first set your Echo's location in the Settings section of your Alexa smartphone app. Then you turn on the Uber skill in the Skills section of the app where you link your Uber account, according to Uber's blog post.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Proxima Nova"">Echo's advantage is that it directly supports specific services, so your voice command can be simple and succinct. Voice assistants such as Siri and Cortana may
be more versatile but they often require more steps to perform specific actions and don't always understand what you're asking.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:#34295B"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:#34295B"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:purple">Dianne Lanyi, M.Ed.,COMS</span></b><span style="color:#34295B"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:purple">Orientation & Mobility Specialist</span></b><span style="color:#34295B"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:purple">Kentucky Office for the Blind</span></b><span style="color:#34295B"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:purple">8412 Westport Rd</span></b><span style="color:#34295B"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:purple">Louisville KY 40242</span></b><span style="color:#34295B"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:purple">502-429-4460
</span></b><span style="color:#34295B"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold","sans-serif";color:#34295B">CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT: The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential, and protected from disclosure.
If you believe the message has been sent to you in error, please do not read the message, advise the sender by reply email that you have received the message in error, and delete the message. Thank you.</span><span style="color:#34295B"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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