A New Era for Alexa: First Impressions
▼ Summary
– A house fire in March 2024 prompted a fresh start in rebuilding a smart home, raising the question of whether Amazon’s upgraded Alexa+ is the best choice.
– Alexa+ introduces generative AI and integrates models from Anthropic and Amazon Nova, aiming to handle complex tasks like scheduling and personal data management.
– Initial setup with an Echo Spot was smooth, but the app’s cluttered interface and minor bugs (e.g., blank screens) hindered usability.
– Alexa+ showed promise in family scheduling but struggled with interruptions and failed to interpret events from emails reliably.
– Features like memory storage and shopping assistance were inconsistent, with Alexa+ often failing to retain data or provide real-time updates.
In the aftermath of a house fire in March 2024, an unexpected opportunity arose: a chance to rebuild and rethink my smart home from scratch. At the heart of this endeavor lies a crucial question: does Amazon’s upgraded digital assistant, Alexa+, still stand as the optimal choice for a connected home? In this series, I will explore this by diving into Amazon’s AI-powered devices, testing the waters with various AI queries, and sharing candid experiences outside the pristine setting of a corporate demo.
The Evolution of Alexa
Amazon’s voice assistant once evoked a sense of futuristic wonder, reminiscent of Star Trek’s home computer. Yet, with the rapid advancement of AI technologies like ChatGPT, Alexa’s prowess no longer feels singular. In response to this competitive pressure, Amazon has introduced Alexa+, a reimagined version of its assistant, drawing on generative AI and integrating capabilities from models by Anthropic, Amazon Nova, among others. Alexa+ aims to move beyond basic tasks to understanding and acting on personal data, making reservations, and even managing schedules.
Setting Up Alexa+
My journey with Alexa+ began with an Echo Spot, a device equipped for the beta version of this new assistant. The setup process was notably smoother than previous experiences, requiring just a QR code scan to initiate. Integration with services like Google Calendar was straightforward, although it did leave me momentarily puzzled with a blank screen—perhaps a minor bug in the iOS 26 developer beta. The app, despite its updated functionality, still struggles with a cluttered interface and navigation issues, making some features less intuitive to access.
Family Management Capabilities
For a busy family, an efficient digital assistant must manage schedules effectively. Alexa+ promises to handle this responsibility by summarizing daily plans, adding events, and resolving scheduling conflicts. In practice, while some features like inquiring about the day’s schedule worked seamlessly, Alexa’s conversational interruptions when adding events were a minor annoyance. The assistant adeptly handled calendar inquiries but stumbled when tasked with interpreting and adding specific dates from emails, missing out on several important events.
Exploring Alexa+’s Memory and Shopping Features
One of Alexa+’s touted abilities is to store personal information, such as frequent flyer numbers. However, this feature proved unreliable during my tests, with Alexa failing to retain the information as intended. Additionally, the assistant’s promise to aid in online shopping savings by tracking prices was inconsistent. While setting up deal alerts was straightforward, Alexa’s responsiveness to pricing inquiries fell flat, and the assistant struggled to provide real-time stock updates for specific items.
Initial Verdict: A Work in Progress
From these initial experiments, Alexa+ appears to be in its nascent stages, with potential that remains largely untapped. The assistant shows promise in integrating advanced AI capabilities into everyday tasks but falters in execution, often missing the mark on reliability and thoroughness. As I continue to test Alexa+, particularly its agentic AI features and smart home integrations, I hope to uncover whether these capabilities can truly enhance the smart home experience.Stay tuned for the next installment in this series, where I will delve deeper into the functionalities of Alexa+ and its potential to redefine home automation.
(Source: TechCrunch)
