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You can send SMS texts with Alexa, but theres a catch
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Amazon announced Tuesday that it launched a new messaging feature for the Alexa device that will allow you to text your friends using your voice. - photo by Herb Scribner
Its now possible to send SMS text messages using an Alexa device.

However, you and your recipient need Android phones.

Amazon announced Tuesday that it launched a new messaging feature for the Alexa device that will allow you to send SMS texts to your contacts using your voice, according to TechCrunch.

Just ask Alexa, the Amazon artificial assistant, to send a text to a specific contact, and the device will go to work. Alexa will either send the message through the Alexa messaging system or through SMS text if the other person doesnt have an Alexa-enabled device.

Here are the specifics on how to use it:

Hit the Conversations tab on the app.

Select Contacts.

Click My Profile.

Turn on the Send SMS feature.

The new feature comes 10 days before the release of Apples HomePod device, which will include the capability for iPhone and iOS users to send text messages through Siri, The Verge reported.

Theres no word yet if Amazon will allow Alexa to send texts between iOS device users in the future.

Amazon will roll out this new feature on devices that allow Alexa messages and calling, a feature that was announced in June.

Apples HomePod received criticism this week for its high price and because it lacks certain features you can find in Alexa devices, according to the Deseret News. For example, HomePod users can ask Siri to play music through Apple Music, but not through Spotify.

Critics said the HomePod is more like a smart speaker rather than an artificially intelligent device.

The HomePod is being positioned more as a competitor to Sonos high-end wireless speakers than as a competitor to the plethora of inexpensive smart speakers flooding the market, The Verge reported.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.