Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant seems to be everywhere. Since it was first announced in 2014 with the original Amazon Echo speaker, the voice assistant has gained thousands of new “skills” and comes in a variety of form factors – from miniature speakers to ones with a video camera and a touchscreen. Alexa has been integrated into a wide range of devices including cars, fridges, smartwatches, lights, and security cameras.
The arrival of generative AI assistants in our smart homes held such promise; instead, they struggle to turn on the lights.
Amazon’s next-gen voice assistant has been rolling out slowly but surely, shipping on new Echo devices, and hitting the web for some users. Now Prime members with older Echoes can get Alexa Plus by saying “Alexa, upgrade.” The only question is, is it really an upgrade?
Amazon’s AI-powered assistant can use visual context from Ring doorbells to identify visitors, interpret why they’re there, and interact “intelligently” using natural language, according to the company. The feature, first announced in September, launches today and will work with the Ring Video Doorbell Pro (3rd Gen) and the Ring Video Doorbell Plus (2nd Gen) and requires a Ring subscription.
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It’s the first international expansion of Amazon’s upgraded, AI-powered Alexa, which launched first in the US. Amazon plans to invite “tens of thousands of Canadians every week to enjoy the new experience,” according to a blog post.
The 1.5 spec fills a huge gap in the standards’ promise of universal smart home compatibility.
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 launch this week, here are my first impressions
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The hardware finally feels ready, but Alexa Plus is still a work in progress.
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The Atmos smart speaker goes up against the HomePod 2… and wins.
After years of false starts, the promise of ambient intelligence has arrived, but will it be worth the price?
Amazon and Google just launched a bunch of new smart home hardware and software features this week, and I know you have questions. I haven’t tested any of them yet, but I got some hands-on time with the new gadgets and spoke with folks at both companies about the new features, so come ask me anything! I’ll go live at 1 PM ET.
The new model, announced yesterday, is the $39.99 4K Select. It’s pricier, yet it has worse specs than the $24.99 Fire TV Stick 4K (the Select is missing Wi-Fi 6, Dolby Vision, Atmos, and other features). The best value under $50 is still the Wi-Fi 6E-ready 4K Max.
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These new Echo devices may have just won Alexa Plus a permanent place in my smart home.
I’m in line with Len Edgerly, of the Kindle Chronicles podcast, discussing what we expect to see today. New Kindles and Echo Shows are at the top of our list. I’ll be live-blogging from the event, so stay tuned!
Alexa Plus is already rolling out. Now it’s time for Amazon to put some great hardware behind it.
As Amazon prepares to launch new hardware this week, it needs to push Alexa to the next level.
Why Amazon AGI Labs chief David Luan thinks solving agents is the next ‘S-curve’ for AI.
The deal, which includes access to the NYT, The Athletic, and NYT Cooking, will have Amazon paying $20 million to $25 million per year, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. In May, the NYT said Amazon will use its content to train AI models and bring article summaries to Alexa.
Alexa Plus’ new agentic AI capabilities are ambitious and show promise, but too often, I had to finish the job myself.
