Alexa Calling: Amazon Adds Voice Calling to Echo, Echo Dot

The just announced Echo Show isn’t the only device in Amazon’s lineup getting voice calling support. A new feature dubbed Alexa Calling is coming to the Echo, Echo Dot, and Alexa mobile app today. For now, the calling features are limited to the Echo lineup and Alexa app, but that could be the first step in turning the devices into speaker phones fro our homes.

Apple Invites Press to 2017 WWDC Keynote

Apple officially invited members of the press to its World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) keynote. The conference will be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA, from June 5th to June 9th, with the keynote on June 5th.

Blue Ships 'Satellite' Wireless Headphones with Built-in Amp

Blue Microphones shipped Satellite, wireless, over-the-ear headphones with a built-in analog amplifier. Satellite was announced at CES, where I was more focused on the wired Sadie and Ella models also introduced. Satellite is the company’s entry into premium wireless headphones, and they feature Bluetooth 4.1. They’re also foldable and support the Apt-X audio codec. Apple isn’t currently supporting Apt-X, but some Android devices do. I haven’t tested Satellite, but I’m a big fan of Blue’s other high-end over-the-ear headphones. Jeff Butts will be reviewing these for us, and I look forward to hearing what he thinks. Satellite is available now for $399.95.

Amazon's Echo Show, FBI's iPhone Hack Price Tag - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-09

Amazon unveiled its Echo Show, and it has a display. Bryan Chaffin and the Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to share their reactions to Amazon’s newest Alexa device. They also have some thoughts on the unintended confirmation that the FBI paid $900,000 for the San Bernardino iPhone hack, plus Bryan coins “I’m gonna up that up.”

FBI Paid $900K for San Bernardino iPhone Hack

The FBI refused to ever share how much it paid for the hack into San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone, but thanks to Senator Diane Feinstein we now know the price was US$900,000. The Senator accidentally spilled the beans during a Judiciary Committee meeting on accessing encrypted data on smartphones and personal computers.

Satellite TV Will Be Gone Soon, and Apple Might Be Ready to Step In

In the 1980s, some people had 3 meter steerable satellite dishes and could freely access raw network feeds from geosynchronous satellites. Then the networks encrypted everything, and we migrated to smaller dishes and monthly service from Dish and DirecTV. But that’s just one-way TV, and it may be gone soon. The Next Big Thing could well be low-latency, full internet access with TCP/IP via low-earth-orbit satellites. Particle Debris page two points to several articles that cover the emerging story.