Amazon Alexa Cast Simplifies Streaming Music From A Smartphone To Your Echo Speakers
It has now become easier than ever to rock out in any room of your house. Amazon just announced its latest feature, “Alexa Cast”. Alexa Cast helps users to better control music streaming on Alexa-enabled devices.
Users will be able to more quickly play, pause, and rewind songs through the Amazon Music App. The new Alexa Cast icon will appear on the “Now Playing” screen. Users will be to tap the icon and stream music to Echo speakers, a variety of Amazon Fire tablets, and a few third-party products.
Interested users simply need to have an Amazon Prime account to be able to access Amazon Music. It is currently uncertain whether Amazon will eventually allow other apps to access the functionality. At the moment users will only be able to stream music from Amazon Music.
Many people have complained that trying to play music through Alexa-enabled devices is clunky. Unlike Google and Apple, Amazon has not offered a streaming capability like this before. Google Chromecast users have been able to stream music since the introduction of second-generation devices in 2015. Apple also offers AirPlay which can be streamed through Apple TV devices and Apple’s HomePod. It will be interesting to see if Alexa Cast catches on, especially since most potential consumers at this point already use other services and devices to listen to music.
Amazon also released equalizer controls a few weeks ago. Users are able to alter the bass, treble, and mid-range tones of movies, music, and television shows through Alexa. The feature includes five supported modes with their own unique sound profiles-- Movie, Music, Night, Sport, and TV. Amazon has already made this capability available to other developers like their partner Polk Audio.
Alexa has recently come under fire for being unable to understand non-American accents. A research group determined Alexa and Google Now were thirty percent less likely to understand commands from those with heavier accents. There were even some disparities between regional American accents. For example, Alexa had a more difficult time accurately responding to those with Southern or Midwestern accents than those with Western accents.
If you are interested in Alexa Cast, simply update your iOS or Android Amazon Music app.
Users will be able to more quickly play, pause, and rewind songs through the Amazon Music App. The new Alexa Cast icon will appear on the “Now Playing” screen. Users will be to tap the icon and stream music to Echo speakers, a variety of Amazon Fire tablets, and a few third-party products.
Interested users simply need to have an Amazon Prime account to be able to access Amazon Music. It is currently uncertain whether Amazon will eventually allow other apps to access the functionality. At the moment users will only be able to stream music from Amazon Music.
Many people have complained that trying to play music through Alexa-enabled devices is clunky. Unlike Google and Apple, Amazon has not offered a streaming capability like this before. Google Chromecast users have been able to stream music since the introduction of second-generation devices in 2015. Apple also offers AirPlay which can be streamed through Apple TV devices and Apple’s HomePod. It will be interesting to see if Alexa Cast catches on, especially since most potential consumers at this point already use other services and devices to listen to music.
Amazon also released equalizer controls a few weeks ago. Users are able to alter the bass, treble, and mid-range tones of movies, music, and television shows through Alexa. The feature includes five supported modes with their own unique sound profiles-- Movie, Music, Night, Sport, and TV. Amazon has already made this capability available to other developers like their partner Polk Audio.
Alexa has recently come under fire for being unable to understand non-American accents. A research group determined Alexa and Google Now were thirty percent less likely to understand commands from those with heavier accents. There were even some disparities between regional American accents. For example, Alexa had a more difficult time accurately responding to those with Southern or Midwestern accents than those with Western accents.
If you are interested in Alexa Cast, simply update your iOS or Android Amazon Music app.
