In November 2014, Amazon announced Alexa alongside the Echo. Other new devices included an Echo dot with a clock behind the fabric, a new third-generation Amazon Echo, Echo Show 8, a plug-in Echo device, Echo Flex, Alexa built-in wireless earphones, Echo buds, Alexa built-in spectacles, Echo frames, an Alexa built-in Ring, and Echo Loop as well as the Echo Show generation.Īmazon Alexa devices on display in a retail storeĪlexa was developed out of a predecessor named Ivona which was invented in Poland, inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey and bought by Amazon in 2013. The new Echo Studio became the first smart speaker with 360 sound and Dolby sound. In September 2019, Amazon launched many new devices achieving many records while competing with the world's smart home industry. In January 2019, Amazon's devices team announced that they had sold over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices. Most devices with Alexa allow users to activate the device using a wake-word (such as Alexa or Amazon) other devices (such as the Amazon mobile app on iOS or Android and Amazon Dash Wand) require the user to click a button to activate Alexa's listening mode, although, some phones also allow a user to say a command, such as 'Alexa' or 'Alexa wake'.Īs of November 2018, Amazon had more than 10,000 employees working on Alexa and related products. It uses automatic speech recognition, natural language processing, and other forms of weak AI to perform these tasks. Users are able to extend the Alexa capabilities by installing 'skills' (additional functionality developed by third-party vendors, in other settings more commonly called apps) such as weather programs and audio features. Alexa can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation system. It is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic, sports, and other real-time information, such as news. It was first used in the Amazon Echo smart speaker and the Echo Dot, Echo Studio and Amazon Tap speakers developed by Amazon Lab126. Intelligent personal assistant, cloud-based voice serviceĪmazon Alexa, also known simply as Alexa, is a virtual assistant technology largely based on a Polish speech synthesiser named Ivona, bought by Amazon in 2013. For the defunct subsidiary company of Amazon, see Alexa Internet.įire OS 5.0 or later, iOS 11.0 or later

Alexa and spotify