Amazon has officially launched Alexa Plus, an enhanced version of the popular voice assistant, designed to take advantage of generative artificial intelligence. This update aims to improve interactions with smart speakers, offering a more intuitive and useful assistant for users.
Article Key Points
More natural conversations and advanced functions
With Alexa Plus, as reported by Amazon, interactions will be significantly simplified: it will no longer be necessary to repeat “Alexa” for every request. The assistant will have the ability to remember personal information about the user, such as food preferences and tastes in movies. In addition, an improved interface is planned for Echo Show devices, which will include a customizable dashboard and a system of interactive widgets.
The update is not limited to smart home control only, but also includes schedule management, booking and content creation functions.
Alexa Plus Key Features
The evolution of the service brings with it several significant innovations:
– Smoother conversations, without having to repeat the activation command.
– Personalized memory, capable of remembering details about your diet and favorite music genre.
– Advanced smart home control, including creating complex routines.
– Enhanced music search, allowing you to find songs from general descriptions.
– Interaction with external services such as Uber Eats, Sonos and Zoom.
– Viewing and analyzing images, allowing checks on security cameras.
– Content creation, including the generation of personalized images and stories.
The system can analyze documents and answer specific questions, such as reading an event schedule and automatically adding appointments to the calendar.
Alexa Plus Availability and Cost
Alexa Plus will launch in the United States in the coming weeks, at a price of $19,99 per month, but will be free for Amazon Prime subscribers. The service will be available on almost all existing Echo devices, starting with the latest-generation Echo Show. Amazon has confirmed that Alexa Plus will be introduced globally, including Italy, although the price for the Italian market has not yet been specified. It is expected, however, that it could also be offered as a separate subscription, not included in Prime.
The launch of Alexa Plus comes amid a competitive landscape where Amazon is up against giants like Google and Apple, each with their own AI assistants. The strong installed base of Echo devices could be a strategic advantage for Amazon, although the choice of a subscription model could influence user interest in the new features offered. It remains to be seen whether Alexa Plus will be able to transform the voice assistant into an indispensable element in users' daily lives.
Article published on 26 February 2025 - 21:17
The idea of Alexa Plus is interesting, but I don't know if it will be useful for everyone. Some people may not want an assistant to remember their personal preferences. Let's hope that privacy is well protected in this new service.