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A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST NEWS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD

ARGOS VOICE SHOPPING

YOU can now shop at Argos just by using your voice.

A new service, powered by the Google Assistant on the search giant’s Home smart speaker, lets you search for items from a selection of more than 20,000 products in Argos’ catalogue.

You can check availability, and order without lifting a finger – Argos will send you a confirmation message when the item you have selected is available for pick up.

Another handy feature is the ability to voice search for store locations (and then have directions sent to your phone).

Argos promises the new service, called Voice Shop, will continue to be developed, guided by feedback from customers.

NEW AMAZON FIRE TABLET DOCK

AMAZON has a new version of its wildly popular Fire 8 HD tablet – but the tablet is pretty much the least interesting thing about the release.

An accessory, also released this week, and a new software mode, are far more interesting.

The new Amazon Show Mode Dock is a case and changing dock for the Fire 8 HD which, combined with the new “Show Mode” built in to the tablet’s new software, allows you to use the tablet as if it were an Echo Show.

The Echo Show is a standalone smartspeaker with a built in screen, which is powered by Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa. The Show Mode Dock turns your Fire 8 HD into an Echo Show… but for a lot less than the Show itself, which costs £199.

You can get a Fire 8 HD with the dock for £119.99. The tablet alone costs £79.99. Both can be ordered now for delivery on the October 4 release date.

Amazon says the dock will be available standalone at £40 soon, with versions for the Fire 8 HD and the larger Fire 10 HD.