If you own an Amazon smart speaker you’ll be well aware of shouting the word “Alexa” numerous times a day. This popular personal assistant is embedded in millions of devices across the planet with it setting timers, booming out alarms, turning on lights, announcing the local weather and keeping the family entertained with endless jokes.
Alexa is a massive success story for Amazon but the firm wants her to do more.
“While the vision of Alexa has been ambitious and incredibly compelling, right until this moment, we have been limited by technology,” explained Panos Panay during a major launch event in New York.
We first saw a glimpse of the new Alexa in 2023, but now the tech firm is finally ready to unleash this upgrade on Echo owners in the US with the launch of Alexa+.
This service supercharges Amazon’s personal assistant, making her feel more like a real person rather than a bot. The idea is that you’ll have full-blown conversations with her rather than simply asking a basic command.
It’s a big upgrade, but it will come at a cost. When it launches next month, users will need a US Prime account ($15.99) or pay a pretty hefty $19.99 (£16) fee to gain access.
So, is Alexa+ any good or is this just a way to finally monetise something we’ve all got far to used to using for free?
I was at the launch in New York this week and have had a chance to see what Alexa will soon be capable of – there’s no question that it’s incredibly impressive.
Numerous demos shown off by the Amazon team showed how Alexa can extract information from emails and remind you that you need to leave for an appointment or who you are meeting that day.
You can chat away with her, interrupt her at any point, keep changing your mind and still get a response – even if you don’t ask a direct question.
She can instantly set up lighting routines just by saying things like “Alexa, I’m heading away for the next week so can you sort the lights for me.”
She’ll even serve up recipes based on things you like and don’t like, find videos shot on your Ring camera via commands such as “Alexa, did anyone take the dog for a walk?”, and seamlessly move your music around your home.
In fact, if you say “Alexa play the music everywhere, but don’t wake the baby”, Alexa+ will know you mean to belt out songs on all speakers except those in the nursery.
The things Amazon showed me during an hour of demonstrations really is mind-blowing and makes Alexa so much more than just a device to make sure you don’t overcook your boiled eggs.
Even making shopping lists will be so much as easier as you’ll able to say, “Alexa, make sure the milk doesn’t go off this week,” and she’ll ask you if you want to order smaller amounts or guide you on what milk lasts longer.
The possibilities appear endless and at no point during the launch did Alexa+ falter or get things wrong. In fact, some of her replies took me totally by surprise – that’s how accurate it is.
Right now Alexa+ is only available in the US but it will come to the UK at some point in the future.
When it does, you’ll have decide if you really want this update in your life and if you are prepared to pay a monthly fee or take out a Prime subscription.
To get the most out of it you’ll need an Echo Show, Amazon’s Echo devices that have displays.
You’ll also have to start thinking of Alexa as more of a person than a robot otherwise this premium upgrade will be a bit pointless.
Of course, there’s also even more of your personal data being fed to Amazon and whilst the company told me its takes privacy seriously and users are always in control, some simply might not feel that comfortable letting Alexa have that much information.
I’ve only seen the very surface of what Alexa+ will be capable of but it’s leaps ahead of her current capabilities.
If you live on the other side of the pond, you’ll see it arrive soon; those in the UK will need to wait a little bit longer.
