Amazon Echo Club

[ApK]

Originally Posted by sgmoore

"About 4 feet and 11 inches" which I think gets a pass.

But for the second it replies
"From answers.com. The area of a circle with a DIAMETER of 7 inches is 38.48 square inches."

The emphasis is mine and not Alexa. So whilst the answer is factually correct, it isn't what I asked and so that is a fail.

I thought it might be that she has trouble understanding my Northern Ireland accent, but she didn't have any issues when I asked her what radius meant.

OK, the 1.5 meter thing may have been a glitch on my end, but listen to the attachment to hear how she answers the circle one:

[sgmoore]

Weird. It is almost like 'she' doesn't realise the difference between diameter and radius.

I was previously using my Alexa device and it gave the same answer whether I said a radius or diameter. But I just tried asking the Alexa app on my Ipad. She ignored the inches part, but gave the correct answer in both cases.

[tubemonkey]

Amazon is bricking primary feature on $160 Echo device after 1 year

Smart display will soon default to showing ads after three hours

In September of 2023, Amazon announced the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition. It looked just like the regular Echo Show 8 smart display/speaker but cost $10 more. Why? Because of its ability to show photos on the home screen for as long as you want—if you signed up for a $2 monthly subscription to Amazon's PhotosPlus. Now, about a year after releasing the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition, Amazon is announcing that it's discontinuing PhotosPlus. That means Echo Show 8 Photos Edition users will be forced to see ads instead of their beloved pics.

As per The Verge yesterday, Amazon started sending PhotosPlus subscribers emails saying that it will automatically cancel all PhotosPlus subscriptions on September 12 and will stop supporting PhotosPlus as of September 23. PhotosPlus, per Amazon's message, "makes photos the primary home screen content you see on your Echo Show 8 and includes 25 GB of storage with Amazon Photos," Amazon’s online photo storage offering. Users can continue using the 25GB of Amazon Photos storage after September.

more...

[tubemonkey]

Alexa AI Expected to Roll Out in October

Amazon's revamped Alexa with generative AI to roll out in October

Alexa's 'Remarkable' overhaul is now expected a bit later than originally planned. Here's what we know so far.

While there's been much talk surrounding Amazon's generative AI-powered overhaul of its voice assistant, Alexa, and its expected subscription fees, we've heard little from the e-commerce giant about a launch date. New reports indicate it's expected to launch in October and confirm that a subscription will be required.

The new and improved Alexa with gen AI should launch in just over a month, a delayed drop from what was expected earlier this year when reports indicated it would launch in September. It will be a paid alternative voice assistant to the "classic Alexa," which Amazon refers to the currently available free version in internal documents obtained by the Washington Post. The report indicates that a subscription to the new virtual assistant, dubbed "Remarkable Alexa," could cost as much as $10 a month.

more...

After a decade of free Alexa, Amazon now wants you to pay

Would you pay for a less dimwitted digital assistant?

Amazon is about to find out.

The Washington Post’s Caroline O’Donovan reported that Amazon is planning to sell a paid subscription for an artificial intelligence-revamped version of Alexa that could cost as much as $10 a month.

Among features of the subscription Alexa, expected in October, are recipe suggestions based on your family’s dietary restrictions and AI summaries of the news. Caroline reported that you’ll still be able to use the current version of Alexa without a subscription fee.

more...

[John F]

The article says there will no be no charge for the current Alexa, and I hope that is true. I get enough unasked for suggestions as is, I'm not looking to pay for more.

"The report indicates that a subscription to the new virtual assistant, dubbed "Remarkable Alexa," could cost as much as $10 a month."

I plan on sticking with the "Unremarkable Alexa".

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by John F

The article says there will no be no charge for the current Alexa, and I hope that is true. I get enough unasked for suggestions as is, I'm not looking to pay for more.

"The report indicates that a subscription to the new virtual assistant, dubbed "Remarkable Alexa," could cost as much as $10 a month."

I plan on sticking with the "Unremarkable Alexa".

Same here. I'm not about to pay extra for AI services I'd never use. My Echos only get used for audiobooks, music, news, weather, alarms, and timers; and none of the services require AI to function.

"Unremarkable Alexa"