Amazon's kid-savvy Alexa a welcome new option for Echo speakers
Amazon is tweaking its Alexa technology so that when the Echo smart speaker detects that a child is talking to them, it switches to child-friendly mode. Given the extent to which these digital devices have entered our lives, this is welcome news. Echo devices go deep into our lives. We use them to get answers to questions, control lights, and play music. Our children see us using them, and our children imitate their parents. As a result, the giant retailer said at Thursday's device launch that Amazon will offer parents the option to set up voice profiles for their children in the coming months to generate a child-friendly response. After setting up a voice profile, Alexa devices will return such as child-friendly answers, games, music, audio books and advanced skills. The feature works perfectly with the new $60 Echo Dot Kids Edition, which features a panda or tiger color option, but it can also be used with other Alexa devices. This is an important step forward for parents like m...