Latest news with #Alexa-themed
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alexa+ is a smarter, more conversational AI version of Amazon's digital assistant
Following years of development, Amazon's next-generation digital assistant is ready for public use. Panos Panay, Amazon's senior vice president of devices and services, demoed Alexa+ at the company's 2025 devices event. The model powering Alexa+ can detect tone and mood and respond accordingly, with a completely new voice — one that sounds more natural. Moreover, it's only necessary to say "Alexa" once to wake the assistant. It will then follow the conversation. Panay said Alexa+ has contextual awareness, with the ability to "remember" earlier parts of a conversation. "There's no more Alexa speak" with Alexa+, Panay said. "You can have almost any conversation — that intimidation factor of AI is gone." In one of the more impressive demos Amazon showed off, Panay asked Alexa+ to play a song without actually naming it properly. "What's the song Bradley Cooper sings.. it's like a duet?" Alexa+ correctly answered "Shallow," and said he sang it with Lady Gaga in A Star is Born. Panay then asked Alexa to "move" the music to the "right side of the room," and the assistant properly identified the correct speaker and played the music there. According to Panay, it will even understand requests like "play the music everywhere but don't wake the baby." In that case, Alexa+ will be able to reason that it shouldn't cast music to the nursery. Developing... Amazon is hosting an Alexa-themed event on February 26. Check out what we expect Amazon to announce, and come back to catch up on all the news from the company's showcase.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amazon Alexa event liveblog: New AI services and more
Amazon has kicked off its New York City devices event — and Engadget is on the scene, covering it in real-time. There's no livestream, so you won't be able to watch Panos Panay and his colleagues present to members of the media, but we're sharing live analysis and photos throughout the morning. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has kicked off the event, and the event space is adorned with what appear to be existing Amazon Echo speakers, Echo Show displays and Fire TV devices. Scroll down to follow live. Calling on Alexa+ brings up a little blue swirl at the bottom of the screen, which appears to change in subtle ways depending on what you're requesting. Panay says those are called "Alexacons." Panay is doing this whole demo on a large Echo Show display, by the way. Panay asks for pizza recommendations nearby, and Alexa+ gives a few recommendations back. The idea is that you can engage with the assistant in a more natural manner, not having to make stilted, more siloed requests one at a time. Panay says Alexa+ has contextual awareness. It understands and remembers the conversation you're currently having. Panay says Alexa+ can understand tone and respond accordingly. He only said "Alexa" once during that last little bit, didn't need to say "Hey Alexa" each time. Panay is chatting with Alexa+. He notes how he's giving a presentation, clearly trying to show how the updated assistant can comprehend and handle more complex conversations. Now it's live demo time. Panay admits he wasn't scared up until now. Everything coming up is "fully live." Panay says Alexa+ will remember your favorite movies, find all your favorite smart devices and "learn the rhythm of your life." Panay says it's smarter, conversational, more useful and more personalized. (He keeps referring to Alexa as "she," which I'm trying not to do but forgive me if I slip up.) It's called Alexa+. After comparing the new Alexa to a symphony, we have a little reel showcasing the updated assistant. We hear her giving dinner ideas, completing calendar and smart home requests, and so on, all in a more natural conversational tone. If only Amazon gave people time at the start of this event to mute their Alexa devices so they didn't all go off repeatedly during this video or event. Panay says an AI chatbot on its own doesn't get Amazon to their vision of Alexa. They need something that's easy to use and "can actually take action." Panay basically saying how it can still be frustrating to use Alexa today, but that generative AI will help rectify those existing pain points. Go on... Now we've cut to a video of different people using Alexa in various ways. They're all delighted, of course. Panay says people use Alexa 20 percent more in 2024 than they did in 2023. Amazon is hosting an Alexa-themed event on February 26. Check out what we expect Amazon to announce, and come back to catch up on all the news from the company's showcase.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
How to follow the Amazon's Alexa event today
It's sort of out of character for Amazon to be hosting a devices event in February, as opposed to its usual Fall launch. But this morning (February 26) at 10am ET, the company is holding a presentation in New York City. As it's done in the past, Amazon won't be livestreaming this event, and you won't be able to watch Panos Panay and his colleagues present to members of the media. Don't worry about FOMO, though. Engadget will be attending and liveblogging the event, so if you follow our updates it'll almost feel like you're right there with us! We'll have commentary and contextualization on the announcements, as well as the in-person vibes and quality of snacks. Our Sam Rutherford will be sharing pictures, too, so you won't miss a thing. Scroll down to see what we've posted so far, and keep this page open all day for the latest updates! I recommend having drinks or snacks handy while you follow along with us. To whet your appetite, here's our writer Lawrence Bonk's roundup of what we've learned from reports and rumors about what Amazon might announce today. In short, "Alexa is likely to get most of the attention, while new Echo devices may accompany it." Read more: Amazon is holding a devices event on February 26, here's what to expect We don't know much about what to expect out of today's event, other than some kind of Alexa update. The company's been teasing its next-gen Assistant for awhile now, promising that it can conduct more natural conversations and executive more complex tasks than the existing version. It will certainly be a welcome improvement if that happens to be true. Hello everyone and welcome to our liveblog of Amazon's devices event. We're so pleased you're here with us today. The company will be properly kicking things off at 10am ET, and at that time you'll find our senior reporters Jeff Dunn and Sam Rutherford joining me on this liveblog. Jeff will be bringing you most of the text while Sam will be adding photos to our coverage. I'm helping too, I promise. Amazon is hosting an Alexa-themed event on February 26. Check out what we expect Amazon to announce, and come back to catch up on all the news from the company's showcase.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
How to follow the Amazon devices event on February 26
It's sort of out of character for Amazon to be hosting a devices event in February, as opposed to its usual Fall launch. But this Wednesday (February 26) at 10am ET, the company is holding a presentation in New York City. As it's done in the past, Amazon won't be livestreaming this event, and you won't be able to watch Panos Panay and his colleagues present to members of the media. Don't worry about FOMO, though, because we've got you. Engadget will be attending and liveblogging the event, so if you follow our updates it'll almost feel like you're right there with us! We'll have commentary on the announcements, as well as the in-person vibes and quality of snacks. Our Sam Rutherford will be sharing pictures, too, so you won't miss a thing. Bookmark this page and come back on February 26 to stay informed! In case you were curious if it'll be worth your time, here's a quick refresher on what we expect to see at Amazon's devices event this week: Alexa. The company has teased its next-gen assistant for what feels like years at this point, promising a conversational cadence and the ability to process and execute complex requests. Rumors are sparse on what Amazon has up its sleeve, so we're not too sure whether there will be any new hardware. It's quite likely the company will show us updated Echo speakers to go along with the smarter Alexa, or a refreshed model of the Echo Buds that serve as a conduit for the assistant. For now, though, we assume there won't be new Kindles at the event, since Amazon released those late last year. Amazon is hosting an Alexa-themed event on February 26. Check out what we expect Amazon to announce, and come back to catch up on all the news from the company's showcase.
