Last Friday, I was working online and my Alexa Echo Show 8 next to me piped up and announced produly that a new enhanced Alexa is arriving soon. Alexa+.
Would I like to be notified about it when it is available? Would I like to be notified?
YES! I've long been on the bleeding edge of technologies as a power user since the 1980s. I was a MS Windows 95 beta tester before that product came out. That Spring I'd had to reinstall the OS on my PC 150 times and at about 40 minutes per install with 25, 3.25" floppy discs, it was a burden. I'd gotten to know the head of beta testing at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington. They actually took my PC for testing and gave me another better one as the motherboard was a market share and they needed to figure out what the problem was. Then by two decades after that of the bleeding edge thing? I'd pretty much burned out on it.
Around that time I had applied for a job at MS and was brought out for several job interviews. Which confused me. Finally, on yet another interview at their ever-expanding campus (seemed like on very visit there was a new building) I asked what was up and was told that I wasn't up for the "grunt job" I had applied for, but "Manager of the Internet". there was this new and growing "Internet" thing they wanted to dive into as it was the future. In the end, they politely told me that the other guy got the job. Two of us had been up for it and he just barely edged me out of the job. Too bad, too. Because had I gotten that job, my entire life would have been changed.
So, I've been using AI extensively for a while now. It's made my too simple Alexa devices seem even dumber than before. Yes, I'm aware of all the potential issues as I've been involved in cyber awareness since forever, back before the internet as we now know it came into existence. I was online in the 1980s working at the University of Washington on the text-based internet. I was there for over seven years with MCIS (now UW-IT)
Then in the early 90s at US West Technologies when the graphic world wide web became available and I was working toward the advent of thie intranet "Global Village" project. In the late 90s/2000s I was involved in a cybersecurity group of national and international business tech and government/police interfacing events to raise awareness between the two as we were concerned about encroaching cybersecurity issues which many businesses seemed very cavalier about and the government seemed somewhat unaware of. Not however certain agencies in the government like the NSA and others, who gave us briefings and learned of unknown issues from our business and other government representatives.
While we suggested and pushed for businesses to put 2% of their IT budgets toward cybersecurity protections, we were apparently for most, before out time and were ignored. This led to recent times of clever malware and ransomware issues bringing down various entities like hospitals, a very low thing to do and so often from within Russian "black hat" hackers with government connections. We warned of China's military-attached hackers like "Black Eagle", and others.
Black Eagle (黑鹰, He Ying) was one of the lesser-documented but widely discussed hacker groups from China in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They were rumored to have ties to military cyber operations, engaging in early cyber espionage and information warfare.
So yeah, I get all the concerns.
For myself, nowadays? I just don't care as I have a few issues to worry about compared to my past. Yes, I'm vocal on a variety of issues today, but one has to speak up, anymore.
And so I have Alexa in my house. I find it vastly useful, and time-saving, and it makes things easier at this stage of my life. Not that I'm not careful in certain ways, about certain things.
So with all that being said...here's the scopp.
Finally, Amazon has announced Alexa+, an enhanced version of its voice assistant powered by advanced generative AI. Alexa+ offers more natural, conversational interactions and personalized assistance. It can handle tasks such as planning events, booking reservations, managing smart home devices, and remembering user-specific details like dietary preferences.
I've been waiting and waiting for this announcement.
Early access to Alexa+ will begin rolling out in the U.S. over the next few weeks, prioritizing Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 device owners. As you've opted in for notifications, you'll receive an alert once Alexa+ is available for your device. After opting in, Alexa+ will work across all your compatible Echo devices, Fire TV, Fire tablets, the Alexa mobile app, and even through a web browser at Alexa.com.
Alexa+ will be free for Amazon Prime members and available for $19.99 per month for non-Prime subscribers.
Once Alexa+ is active on your devices, you can enjoy a more personalized and efficient experience, with Alexa+ proactively assisting you in various aspects of your daily life.
Since I have an Echo Show 8, I'm in the priority group for getting the new Alexa+ update. That means I'll likely receive early access in the next few weeks. Since I opted in for notifications, Alexa will alert me when it's available my your device and it will only be available on my Echo Show 8.
Once the update rolls out, I should be able to use Alexa+ for more natural conversations, smarter responses, and better personalization—like remembering preferences and helping with planning tasks.
Compiled with aid of ChatGPT
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