Amazon today announced[1] a notable new trick for its next-generation Echo device, the Echo Show (aka the one with the screen), which could make it a more compelling purchase: it will be able to display the live streams from a number of smart home cameras. Already, companies like Ring, Arlo, Nest, August, EZViz, Vivint, Amcrest, and IC Realtime have created Alexa Skills that will use the new functionality, Amazon says.
In addition, Amazon is introducing a Smart Home Skill API[2] that will allow developers to integrate live video feeds from their smart home cameras with the device.
The Echo Show, announced in May[3], is due to begin shipping next week.
The $230 Wi-Fi enabled device offers the same features found in Amazon’s smart speaker Echo – like the ability to talk to Alexa, play music, listen to news and weather, and more. But because it also includes a seven-inch screen, it enables a number of new uses as well, like being able to make video calls, see the lyrics to your songs as they play, watch video flash briefings and YouTube, along with other things that leverage the device’s screen.
One of those promised use cases was the ability to watch your smart home’s cameras, Amazon had said.
Several smart home vendors are today introducing how their particular Alexa Skill will work when the Echo ships. For example, security camera and video doorbell maker Ring says[4] its new Skill will allow customers to say, “Alexa, show me the front door,” in order to see and hear the visitor right on the Echo Show’s screen.
“Traditionally, our user experience involved customers taking out their phones and opening the app...
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As the United States continues to push towards a military conflict with Russia, there will likely be no real winner when the dust settles. However, if we compare the these two superpowers in the current “gold market”, the Russians are the clear winners.
While the U.S. has been (secretly) liquidating its once massive official gold holdings, the Russians have be doing quite the opposite. According to the data on Smaulgld.com, the Russians have added a hefty 3,000,000 oz of gold to its official reserves since the beginning of the year. If you haven’t checked out Smaulgld’s site, I highly recommend it.
In Smaulgld’s article, Central Bank Of Russia Continues To Boost Overall Reserves, here were the monthly additions to Russia’s official gold holdings:
JAN 2017 = +1,000,000 oz
FEB 2017 = +300,000 oz
MAR 2017 = +800,000 oz
APR 2017 = +200,000 oz
MAY 2017 = +700,000 oz
Three million ounces of gold added to Russia’s official reserves is quite a lot of metal... actually 93.3 metric tons. Now, if we compare Russia & the U.S. in gold mine supply versus additions to official gold holdings, this would be the result:
The gold mine supply figures for Jan-May 2017 are based on the last years production data (GFMS 2017 Gold Survey) and the USGS March 2017 Gold Mineral Industry Survey. As we can see, of the estimated 106 metric tons (mt) of gold produced by Russia Jan-May 2017, they added 93 mt to the official gold reserves, versus the U.S. which produced 96 mt, with a BIG PHAT ZERO added to its official reserves.
Basically, Russia’s official gold reserve additions