Amazon Launches “Ziggy” As A Wake Word For Echo Devices
Amazon have added a new wake word for their devices in tribute to David Bowie – “Ziggy”.
“Ziggy” is the fifth wake word option for Echo devices in addition to “Alexa”, “Amazon”, “Computer” and “Echo”. Customers can change the wake word of their Echo device via the Alexa app or the Settings screen on Echo Show devices, and all wake words options can be used with either the male or female voice options for Alexa. To change Alexa’s voice, customers need to say “Alexa, change your voice.”
“We are constantly looking for ways to offer our customers more choices so they can personalise their Alexa experience” said Dennis Stansbury, Alexa UK Country Manager. “The wake word is very important as Alexa devices are specially designed to only detect the users chosen wake word. Our devices detect wake words by identifying acoustic patterns that match the wake word, so a lot of consideration goes into the selection. We chose ‘Ziggy’ not only because it performed well in testing but it’s fun and reflects Alexa’s wealth of knowledge on everything from A to Z. As an aside, I am a self- confessed David Bowie fan so I am enjoying saying ‘Ziggy, play Ziggy’ and ‘Ziggy, play guitar’ to my Echo device!”
In other Bowie-related news, the National History Museum has reported that a new group of spiders containing over 100 species has been named after the late singer. The tropical arachnids have been named after the musician to draw attention to the threats they face.
“When examining species from a predominantly Asian lineage in this family, I soon realised that they could not be assigned to any pre-existing genus,” Dr Peter Jäger said. “On the occasion of David Bowie’s 75th birthday, I wanted to commemorate this incomparable artist who left us much too early.”