As with Google's new speaker, a pair of Echoes can be set up to work in stereo format. Unlike the Nest Audio, the Echo has a 3mm line in/out port for connecting to other speakers. The effect is great, particularly with songs that take full advantage of stereo panning or asymmetric sound, such as The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army or Pink Floyd's Money.



However, Apple will still take a cut of any money made from sales within the app - so if Netflix offers a way to subscribe in-app, they will pay Apple a cut, but this will offer an alternative, that includes access to existing payment details.

Authorities have said a main line of the police investigation into the disappearances has pointed to an international network that pays poor fishermen to fish illegally in the Javari Valley reserve, which is Brazil's second-largest indigenous territory.

It's a cool idea, though how much you benefit from it will largely depend on where you live, and how big of a change it will represent for most customers remains to be seen. Practically, that could mean a larger functional network for devices toward the edges of your property -- say, outdoor lights or Tile tracking devices -- or even beyond.

This small design decision has seriously broadened the range of gadgets Echo users can install in their house without the extra hassle and expense of a smart home hub. The Zigbee receiver lets the Echo connect with countless smart home devices, from lightbulbs to flood sensors, without the need for an additional hub -- the middleman device that translates various types of radio signals so your low-power sensors can communicate with your WiFi network.

"Our commitment is to the relentless fight against illegal deforestation and the promotion of net zero deforestation," it said, noting "net zero" deforestation plans would include restoration of degraded areas.

A team of Brazilian police divers recovered the speedboat that was used by British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira to travel Brazil's Amazon before they were killed.

The Civil Police said the suspects placed sink sandbags before sinking the speedboat 65 feet deep under and 98 feet to the right of the Itacoai River shore in the Amazon rainforest near the northern town of Cachoeira.



Apple isn't being completely altruistic, as the move is part of a settlement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTP), applying to apps that 'do not offer in-app digital goods and services for purchase'.

Political observers say Lula, who ruled from 2003-2010, has a realistic change at becoming Brazil's president again - and is using environmental policies as a way to differentiate himself from the incumbent president.

Phillips, a 57-year-old freelance reporter, was doing research for a Book Review on the trip with the 41-year-old Pereira, a former head of isolated and recently contacted tribes at federal indigenous affairs agency Funai.



Unlike the Apple solution, which is just a simple in-app link to the service providers website, cutting Apple out of the process, Google will still get a cut even if a customer opts to user an alternative billing system.

To reach "net zero" deforestation, Brazil would have to scale up its efforts to restore forests across the country while also fighting deforestation, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian non-profit.

It's more powerful, and if you like hip-hop or trap music, the Echo will treat you well. Both Amazon's and Google's smart speakers offer great sound quality for the $100 price tag, but after side-by-side testing with dozens of songs, the Echo takes the prize by a small but significant margin. Otherwise, Amazon Books they're fairly comparable, with the Nest boasting a slight edge when it comes to some acoustic and classical music.

And the new Echo, using Alexa, works pretty well here. Home theater in the round The other home feature I was excited to try with the new Echo was setting up a home theater group. Connecting a voice assistant to your entertainment system feels like a real improvement, if you haven't done it before.

And at least in design, it did: the Alexa countertop device is shaped like a sphere, a striking departure from the soft-cylindrical speakers of past generations. Six years after the first Echo launched 10,000 (or at least a few dozen) smart speakers, a reimagined design was overdue. In a year both Google and Apple launched new $100 smart speakers, Amazon had to make its fourth-gen Echo smart speaker stand Free Novels out.

But Lula's commitment signals an abrupt shift from the policies of Bolsonaro, who has been widely criticized for dismantling Brazil's environmental policies and weakening the main government bodies that fought deforestation.

But the kinks still aren't worked out to the extent I want them to be, so I still wouldn't recommend picking up new Echoes for your entertainment center unless you have fantastic Wi-Fi and don't plan to use the speakers for music, too. Using Alexa to control your TV and dual Echoes for stereo sound as you stream is cool -- it's much better than you could do a few years ago.