Last week, Amazon’s 2025 devices event debuted two new Echo smart speakers with Amazon‘s latest Alexa Plus (Alexa+) voice assistant. Now, Echo Show owners are reporting that its AI-powered updates brought with them a tidal wave of ads that make the device practically unusable. Previously, Amazon’s Echo Show smart displays showed ads mostly through the Shopping Lists feature or Alexa’s …
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Advertising is a small part of the experience, and it helps customers discover new content and products they may be interested in. If customers don’t like a suggestion, they can swipe to skip to the next screen card or directly provide feedback by tapping the Information icon or pressing the screen. Amazon declined to comment on whether it has increased …
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Last week, Amazon launched a major update of its line of Alexa-enabled Echo smart speakers and displays. The redesign — led by former Microsoft design chief Ralf Groene, whom Amazon Devices & Services head Panos Panay coaxed out of retirement — included two new Echo Show smart displays. According to Panay, these new models are the first step on a …
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Will BainBusiness presenter and Pritti MistryBusiness reporter BAT Allowing more vape adverts could encourage smokers to switch, says the boss of one of the world’s largest tobacco and vaping manufacturers. Asli Ertonguc is managing director of the UK and Irish operations of British American Tobacco (BAT), a 123-year-old company that counts Dunhill and Lucky Strike cigarettes among its notable brands. …
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Streaming services in California will have to ensure that their commercials are no louder than the shows surrounding them. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill, SB 576, that bars the services “from transmitting the audio of commercial advertisements louder than the video content the advertisements accompany.” The legislation cleared the legislature with no opposition. “We heard Californians loud and …
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California has ordered streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and YouTube to stop cranking up the volume during commercial breaks. Under a law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, advertisements will be required to air at the same volume as content being streamed on the provider’s platform starting July 2026. Bill 576 was introduced in February by …
Read More »WASHINGTON (AP) — Political leaders in Washington are spending considerable energy blaming the other party for what could be an extended government shutdown, and that effort includes shaping the narrative for next year’s elections. The Democratic campaign arm for House members has taken out digital ads in 35 districts it considers competitive. The ads accuse the Republicans of “standing in …
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With Microsoft extending Xbox Cloud Gaming access to all versions of Xbox Game Pass earlier this week (with different benefits and limitations for each), the company is apparently set to announce a free version for xCloud soon as well. This is coming from Tom Warren at The Verge, who says that ad-supported streaming is being tested inside of the company …
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Microsoft is getting ready to announce an ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the software maker has started testing ad-supported games streaming internally, allowing employees to play select titles free without a Game Pass subscription. I understand that the free ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming will include the ability to …
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On Thursday, Bits of Freedom—a Netherlands-based advocacy group specially focused on privacy and freedom of communication—announced that a judge ruled Meta must respect users’ choice to avoid invasive personalized feeds. Within two weeks, Meta must update its apps to allow EU users the choice of sticking with a chronological feed that is not based on profiling. Bits of Freedom sued …
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