Amazon Announces It’s Latest AI Alexa – Alexa +
Amazon is scheduled to release it's biggest update to its Alexa device in years at its New York Devices & Services event in New York City. We'll cover the new developments here.
February 26, 2025 at 8:22 AM
And there's the announcement everyone was waiting for regarding subscriptions:
- Alexa+ will be a subscription service for $19.99 BUT free for all Prime Members.
- Alexa+ will start rolling out in the U.S. in the next few weeks, and subsequently in waves in the coming months starting with households with Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21
- It will be rolled out initially to U.S. households
- Amazon will also allow you to access your Alexa + from any device or browser at Alexa.com
February 26, 2025 at 8:15 AM
- Amazon announced more ‘agent/operation' capabilities for doing mundane tasks. Amazon gave an example of getting recommendations for a home maintenance provider who can fix an oven, contacting them to book a repair for you, and sending the request to the provider via Thumbtack to complete the service appointment booking behind the scenes.
February 26, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Some smaller announcements were made:
- It appears all of the AI functionalities will be processed in the cloud opposed to on the device. This mean slower than if performed on Alexa itself, but it's not surprising.
- Amazon suggests deeper integration with other apps and services such as Fodors, Wolfram, Grubhub, UberEats, Thumbtack, Tripadvisor, Uber, Fresha, Priceline, Viator, Yelp, etc.
- Amazon + will use its own Nova models and those from Anthropic. Amazon explained that Alexa+ uses a model-agnostic system, allowing it to select the best model for any given task.
- For all the parents out there, Alexa + will also featured mor advanced creative story telling (something Alexa has previously had at a very basic level).
February 26, 2025 at 7:49AM
A few significant announcements:
- Alexa + will be able to move media playing from device to another, i.e. you can move music from one room to another
- Not surprising, Alexa + will have more integration with your Ring devices.
- Alexa + will also be able to scan through movies and play a specific scene request.
February 26, 2025 at 7:35 AM
The first major changes to Alexa have been announced:
- Alexa will remember information about you. For example, if you're vegetarian, it will recommend vegetarian recipes to you.
- Bigger display. Alexa+ introduces an adaptive display to our largest Echo screen devices, so you’ll see your photos and personalized content from afar that transitions to a customized Home screen when you approach
- Panay says it will check your tone, sensing emotions like nerves and proactively trying to calm them; all with only one wake-word.
February 26, 2025 at 7:29 AM
The new Alexa has a name: Alexa +. This is revealed to us from Panos Panay, head of Devices and Services.
February 26, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Amazon boss Andy Jassy makes a rare appearance and buckles us up for a 70 minute presentation.
