Smart home
Alexa Gets Ability to Search for Nearby COVID-19 Vaccine Centres
The company took to its official site to announce that Alexa can help customers access information about COVID-19 vaccines and connect them to vaccination sites. Apart from hearing a list of nearby vaccination centres, users can also ask Alexa to make a call to one of the sites on the list and check for availability. For instance, just say, “Alexa, call the first one,” to connect to a specific location directly and learn more about vaccine or appointment availability. This feature is currently available in the US only.
This is similar to how you can find a nearby COVID-19 testing location using Alexa. You can trigger a request by saying, “Alexa, where can I get tested for COVID-19?” to hear a list of nearby testing centres and get more information about test locations by saying, “Alexa, call the first one,” to call the phone number provided for the location.
Amazon says Alexa has answered tens of millions of questions related to COVID-19 last year. It can answer questions about vaccine availability and eligibility requirements for more than 85 countries. India is currently facing the second wave of the pandemic with daily cases peaking over 3 lakhs in the country. Lack of medical facilities, hospital beds, and oxygen has compelled users to take to social media to ask for help. Vaccines are about to open up for citizens aged 18 and above. The process for registration is detailed here.
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The devices, and current hardware that is getting the coming Alexa+ software update sooner, will go beyond answering trivia questions and help consumers complete tasks, such as hiring someone to fix an oven, he said on Thursday. Jassy was in New York this week for a press event to unveil the new Alexa.
Alexa has been eclipsed in recent years by a wave of AI chatbots, including the pioneering ChatGPT from OpenAI. The reboot of Amazon’s voice assistant is an attempt to rekindle consumers’ enthusiasm and generate revenue from subscriptions, online shopping and other businesses.
“I think there’s a sustainable business model,” Jassy said of Amazon’s renewed focus on the Alexa platform
The overhaul of Alexa, Amazon’s most important consumer electronics franchise, took longer than the company initially hoped as the engineers worked to infuse artificial intelligence into software not initially designed to generate answers on the fly.
Amazon will start charging Alexa customers for the first time when the new Alexa+ starts rolling out next month. Users who want the latest capabilities will have to pay $19.99 (roughly Rs. 1,746) a month. Members of Amazon’s $139 (roughly Rs. 12,145)-a-year Prime program get the update for free.
In a wide-ranging interview, Jassy said a proposed Biden-era rule that would curb the export of artificial intelligence chips to nations like Israel and the United Arab Emirates could have unintended consequences.
Without changes to the proposed rule, he said, “we’re going to basically give up that business and relationships to other countries who can provide those chips.” His comments echoed a Microsoft Corp. blog about the policy on Thursday.
Jassy said power constraints and chip shortages continue to restrict the growth of Amazon’s cloud-computing division. He said the Trump administration is committed to helping solve the issue. “They understand the constraints it’s having on the economy,” he said.
The Amazon CEO also said he’s encouraged that the Trump team “cares about what business thinks” and is aware of challenges constricting the development of artificial intelligence.
Jassy said he had spoken with Trump but didn’t divulge what they discussed.
© 2025 Bloomberg LP
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Boat Tag Price in India, Availability
Boat Tag price in India is set at Rs. 1,299 and is currently available for purchase in the country via the Boat website, Amazon, Flipkart, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart and select retail stores. It is offered in a single black colourway.
Boat Tag Features, Specifications
The Boat Tag is a smart tracking device that helps users find and locate valuable items like phones, wallets, luggage, and keys among other things. It is said to use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology and supports Google’s Find My Device, making it easy to track lost items. The users can mark items as “Lost” and receive location updates. It is claimed to offer “semi-real-time tracking.”
Boat’s latest Tag smart tracker is currently, only compatible with Android devices and not iOS. It is equipped with an alarm that emits a loud beeping sound of 80dB. It is said to detect unknown trackers nearby and send privacy alerts to the paired devices for added security.
The Boat Tag is claimed to offer a battery life of up to 365 days and has a replaceable battery. The company claims that the Bluetooth tracker comes with a simple setup and instant use and requires no SIM connectivity. Alongside packing an extra battery in the box, Boat packs a lanyard and a double-sided tape, which can be used to secure the tracker with any item that the user choose to track.
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Xiaomi Is Offering TVs With Discounts and Offers
The company is celebrating seven years of its TV lineup in the country by offering up to 50 percent off on a range of its smart TVs. Shoppers can avail of the offers through Xiaomi’s e-commerce platform and at authorised retailers. As part of the anniversary sale, the Xiaomi X Pro QLED series is listed at a starting price of Rs. 32,999, down from the launch price of Rs. 34,999. Online customers can grab no-cost EMI schemes starting at Rs. 3,999 while offline customers can avail of no-cost EMI starting from Rs. 2,999.
The Xiaomi X Pro QLED lineup runs on Google TV and has an octa-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor under the hood. They are offered in 43-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch display sizes with 4K resolution. It offers 32GB of storage. The Xiaomi X Pro series is available for an initial price tag of Rs. 28,999 during the sale.
For budget buyers, the Xiaomi A series smart TVs which are normally sold at Rs. 14,499, are available for a discounted rate of Rs. 12,499 in the ongoing sale.
The Xiaomi Smart TV X series is selling for Rs. 25,499, instead of the original price of Rs. 27,499. Offline buyers of the X series can get no-cost EMI offers starting from Rs. 2,299. The lineup offers 4K HDR support with Dolby Vision and HDR 10. It features Dolby Audio-supported speakers with 30W output. It is available in 43-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch options.
Xiaomi claimed that it has sold over 1.2 crore smart TVs across 19,400 pin codes in the country till date.
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