All articles tagged with #alexa
Amazon's upgraded Alexa Plus can generate AI-hosted podcast episodes on virtually any topic, offering an outline of the discussion and allowing users to adjust length before generation; examples include history, music, the World Cup, or lessons, with AI-curated content drawn from partner outlets and delivery via Echo Show or the Alexa app.
Amazon's Alexa+ now generates AI-powered podcasts featuring two robotic hosts, built from user-chosen topics and real-time reporting from major outlets (AP, Reuters, Washington Post, Time, Forbes, Politico, USA Today and 200+ local papers). The service outlines the episode, lets users adjust length and focus, and notifies you on Echo Show or the Alexa app when it’s ready. Alexa+ is free for Prime members in the U.S.; non-Prime customers pay $19.99/month. This marks a major push into AI-created audio content, following earlier experiments like Google’s NotebookLM.
In an in-depth interview, Panos Panay says Amazon isn’t aiming for a smartphone; instead, the company is expanding a cohesive AI-enabled hardware strategy—from Alexa upgrades to a range of devices and services—while pushing Leo satellite broadband as a separate growth bet and pursuing profitability through focused product design and pricing.
Amazon is folding Alexa Plus into Amazon.com as Alexa for Shopping, replacing Rufus and making an AI shopping assistant central to searches, price alerts, auto-purchasing, and cross‑site shopping (Buy for Me). It works across mobile, desktop, and Echo Show devices, with a new shopping chat and visual interface on Show displays, plus features like shopping guides, price history, and scheduled actions. Availability starts in the US with a ramp‑up in coming weeks, though the end‑to‑end shopping experience requires substantial data sharing and raises trust considerations.
Amazon unveils the Fire TV Stick HD (2026), its slimmest yet at $34.99, designed to be powered from a TV’s USB port (or via USB‑C with a wall adapter if needed); it runs Fire TV OS with Wi‑Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Alexa Plus, adds an Adaptive Display accessibility setting, and ships by month’s end to the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Reuters reports Amazon’s Devices & Services unit is developing Transformer, a smartphone centered on Alexa+ AI and shopping, with unknown price, OS, and launch date; after the Fire Phone flop, experts doubt the device can break into a crowded market dominated by Apple and Samsung, and privacy concerns loom over data collection, though a generative UI and Panos Panay’s leadership could shape the project.
Amazon is reportedly developing a smartphone centered on its Alexa AI, code-named Transformer, with the ZeroOne team led by J Allard exploring both smartphone and “dumbphone” designs and drawing inspiration from the minimalist Light Phone; the device may rely on AI-powered mini apps instead of a full app store, but there’s no timeline or price yet.
Amazon launches Alexa+ in the UK on March 19 via an Early Access program, bringing Europe’s first next‑gen generative‑AI assistant that is ambient, highly conversational, and capable of completing tasks across services; it’s free during Early Access, then £19.99/month for non‑Prime users (Prime members stay free); the UK version is tailored with British phrases and partners (OpenTable, JustEat, Treatwell) and works across Echo devices, Fire TV, with invitations expected to reach hundreds of thousands, and privacy controls are provided in the Alexa Privacy dashboard.
Amazon is rolling out Alexa+ in the UK, upgrading Alexa to be more conversational and proactive by following threads. The upgrade will be free for Prime members or £19.99/month; new Echo devices get it immediately, older devices must sign up online. The change aims to revive a stagnating Echo and compete with Google Gemini for Home. It could also give Amazon more user data for targeted ads, with UK usage already showing about 114 billion interactions since 2023 (roughly 1,500 interactions per person).
Engadget reports Amazon unveiled a new 'sassy' Alexa+ personality reserved for adults that will, from time to time, utter censored curses. Activation requires opting into the adult mode and completing extra security checks, and it won’t work if an Amazon Kids profile is enabled. Amazon says the mode blends unfiltered personality with wit and safeguards against hate speech or harm, but it’s unclear how the censoring works and when broader rollout may occur.
The piece speculates that OpenAI is pursuing a first hardware device—a voice-first smart speaker with camera features, potentially priced around $200–$300, and possibly developed with LoveFrom—aimed at challenging Alexa and extending OpenAI’s omnichannel AI capabilities into the home; it suggests a possible collaboration with Amazon while highlighting the broader race among Apple, Google, and Meta in smart home devices.
Amazon’s Fire TV is rolling out a free UI redesign in the US, featuring rounded visuals, faster interactions (claimed 20–30% quicker), and more visible apps (up to 20 pinned on the home screen); it also integrates Alexa+ AI for viewing suggestions and queue management.
An Echo privacy guide warns that default settings enable extensive data collection, including Amazon Sidewalk, indefinite storage of voice recordings, and optional human review to improve Alexa. To protect privacy, opt out of Sidewalk, set voice recordings to auto-delete after three months, disable the "Help Improve Alexa" feature, restrict Drop In to your household or turn it off, and regularly delete your sound history to minimize data exposure.
Verge reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy says Amazon’s Alexa app redesign centers the Alexa Plus AI but makes the shopping list cluttered and fiddly, forcing more taps and exposing ads, leading her to switch to Apple’s Reminders and Siri; Amazon says the changes included test features and aims to make Alexa a generalist AI assistant.
Amazon has made Alexa+ free for all US Prime members as of February 4, 2026, upgrading Alexa to a generative AI-powered assistant with long-context conversations, proactive, multi-step task support, and deep smart-home integration. Prime members receive unlimited access across Echo devices, the mobile app, and browser use, while non-Prime users can access a limited free text-chat tier or pay $19.99/month for unlimited access.