Category: Amazon

Amazon and Microsoft have been teaming up and it is for the benefit of end users.  The Seattle based eRetailer (and now grocery store owner) has announced a new skill for Amazon Alexa, the company’s personal assistant, that will allow you to access Microsoft Cortana, Microsoft’s personal assistant, from your Amazon Echo.

It may sound a little confusing but it is a big win for the some 145 million active monthly users of Cortana.  Essentially, it works like this:  If you have an Amazon Echo, you can say “Alexa, Open Cortana” and then give Cortana a command.  This will allow you to access specific information that you have in Cortana but don’t necessarily want to have to duplicate in Alexa if you are a marginal Echo user.

Eventually, both Amazon and Microsoft want to get the integration to the point where users won’t have to specifically call out Cortana but rather the Echo device itself determine which personal assistant can provide the best answer on-the-fly and leverage it automatically.

Today’s Deal is another great accessory from the folks over at AUKEY.  Now through September 1st, you can pick up the AUKEY Mini Bluetooth Speaker for $16.99 over at Amazon.  This 5W speaker measures just 65 x 67 x 67mm, or 2.56” x 2.64” x 2.64” in old money, so it is perfect to take along with you on road trips, having in your office, or outside as you work or play.

The special price comes thanks to a coupon code from AUKEY for ClintonFitch.com readers.  When you check out, use the code AUKEYSP7 when you check out.  The price will drop from the normal $24.99 down to the special price.

The AUKEY Mini Bluetooth Speaker offers 5W of full range sound with up to 10 hours of battery life between charges.  It connects to your phone via Bluetooth 4.2 so you can use it up to 33′ away and it automatically reconnects to your phone when it is in range.

For those of you who have had your eye on the Huawei Mate 9, today is your day to pick one up.  For Today’s Deal, you can pick up the 5.9″ phablet with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $435 in Grey, a savings of $150 off its original $599 pricetag.  I reviewed the Mate 9 earlier this year and it is an outstanding device with an awesome display, great battery life and excellent cameras.  At this price, it is well worth considering.

So what does $435 get you in the Huawei Mate 9?  A lot frankly.  It is a 5.9″ phone running Android Nougat, an octa-core processor running at 2.4GHz and Leica optics dual-camera setup shooting at 20MP and 12MP respectively with OIS.  The front facing selfie camera is 8MP shooter.  You also have 64GB of built-in storage that can be expanded up to an additional  256GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  Finally, it comes with a US warranty so you are not buying an international version of the phone.

Earlier this week, I let you know about a Today’s Deal on the powerful flagship Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy S8.  The good news is, you can still pick up the unlocked version of the phone with 64GB of storage in Midnight Black for $574.99.  That’s $150 off the original price of the phone.

The 5.8″ Galaxy S8 will be powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor running four cores at 2.3GHz and the other four running at 1.9GHz.  It is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage which is expandable up to an additional 256GB thanks to the MicroSD card.  The display renders at 2960 x 1440 QuadHD with an impressive 571 PPI.  Powering all of it is a 3000mAh battery which is charged with inductive charging.

Camera wise, the rear shooter is a 12MP camera with OIS and has a f/1.7 aperture.  On the front is an 8MP camera.  The S8 is IPS68 rating meaning it is water and dust proof.

Today’s Deal is on the new Nokia 6 from HMD Global.  The 5.5″ Full HD phone with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable memory is now available on Amazon for $229.  This is fully unlocked and works on GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile and does not have the Amazon Prime adverts on the lock screen.  If you don’t mind those ads, you can save a bit of money as the price goes down to $179.  The 6 has been available in other regions for a few months now but has finally made its way to US shores via Amazon and for a sub-$250 phone, it’s got a lot to offer.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz.  It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage on board.  That storage can be expanded up to an additional 128GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  It has a 5.5″ 2.5D Full HD display coupled with Dolby Atmos sound with 7.2W of output.  It has a a 16MP rear facing camera and 8MP selfie camera with the rear camera having a dual-tone flash for warmer flash photos.

As part of Amazon’s Primeday sale today, you can pick up a great deal on a SanDisk 128GB MicroSD card.  The SanDisk Ultra is a Class 10 MicroSD card and is down to $35.99, a savings of 55% from the regular price.  This is a great price on a solid performing storage card that will work in most Android phones and tablets (as well as camcorders and digital cameras).

Don’t need 128GB or your device doesn’t support it?  No problem.  The SanDisk Ultra 64GB card is also on sale at only $17.99.