I pretty much rely on Amazon’s Alexa to tell me the weather for the day, read some headlines and play a little music. This week, the digital voice assistant provided an assist to Seattle Storm star Sue Bird and together they got me moving through a new workout aimed primarily at kids. Numbers Geek: Basketball legend Sue Bird on her record season, and one of her classic games The Alexa skill, called “Storm Workout,” features the three-time WNBA champion Bird putting users through a series of exercises for several minutes. It’s the first partnership between the hometown basketball team and… Read More
REPORTING FROM OAKLAND: It was a regular break in the action during the first quarter of Tuesday’s NBA playoff game at Oracle Arena when a familiar voice — at least here in Silicon Valley — echoed through the building. “Hey Google, turn down the lights.” Google’s popular voice assistant helped set the mood as the dance team took the floor for a quick performance before the postseason battle resumed. Such was the scene during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals as Google, with its massive headquarters located just south of here, spent big dollars on a unique sponsorship with… Read More
Deion Sanders may have been “Prime Time” during his playing days in the NFL, but Russell Wilson is a prime player when it comes to Amazon. The Seattle Seahawks QB has taken stock in the guys who helped him become the highest paid player in the NFL by actually purchasing Amazon stock for his offensive linemen as a “thank you” for protecting him every Sunday. TMZ reported Monday that Wilson sent a letter to 13 linemen, informing them that he was gifting them each $12,000 in stock in the Seattle-based tech giant. Wilson spent a total of $156,000 — a… Read More
Amazon is bringing back Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer to commentate its Thursday Night Football streams on Prime Video next season. The veteran broadcasting duo became the first all-female team to call an entire NFL game this season as part of Amazon’s deal to stream 11 Thursday Night Football games. Now they’ll return for another slate of games that kick off later this year. “Hannah and Andrea raised the bar last year as they became the first all-woman team to call NFL games,” Marie Donoghue, vice president of global sports video at Amazon, said in a statement. “Customer feedback has been great… Read More
Just in time for the NFL Playoffs, which kick off this weekend, casual football fans can learn the difference between a tight end and a wide receiver, or what the heck “move the chains” means, simply by asking Amazon’s Alexa. The league is teaming with the tech giant for a new skill for the voice assistant called “The Rookie’s Guide to the NFL.” For viewers who might be puzzled by some of the terminology used throughout a typical game broadcast, the skill is designed to provide quick answers. USA Today reported that the NFL’s Digital Lab team, a group within NFL… Read More
