If you’re wondering what happened to Amazon’s new and improved version of its Alexa voice assistant, you’re not alone. Bloomberg reports that the new Alexa is still stuck in its developmental phase and Amazon has cut off access to its beta phase including its new “Let’s Chat” phase. As a result, a planned late 2024 launch has been pushed back to next year. The problem seems to be with its large language models (LLMs). The new Alexa is designed to understand more complicated questions from users but it’s also more likely to fail doing some of the most basic things the old version could do quite easily like create a timer or operate smart lights, according to a follow up report from The Verge. Amazon originally planned to unveil its new version of Alexa AI in October but now the timeline has been extended into next year. (As you might have noticed, October has come and gone.) The original timeline planned to premiere the next evolutionary step in Alexa’s advancement on October 17 but Amazon decided to pivot and used the date to show off its new line of Kindle ereaders. Then in August, news surfaced that the new Alexa would be powered by Anthropic’s Claude AI and come with a monthly subscription fee. As ChatGPT began to rise in popularity in the summer of 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wanted to see if Alexa could compete if it had an AI upgrade. Jassy reportedly started peppering Alexa with sports questions “like an ESPN reporter at a playoff press conference” and its answers... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-11-01 21:50:42 UTC ]
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is again putting more money toward computer science education in Greater Washington, this time with a $100,000 donation to the University of Maryland's engineering school for diversity initiatives and robotics programming. Specifically, Amazon Lab126, the... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2020-10-13 15:47:55 UTC ]
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It’s Amazon Prime Day, so unsurprisingly the company’s own hardware is on sale. One of the more noteworthy deals is on Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite, which is selling for $80, down from the usual $130. The Kindle Paperwhite has been our favorite e-reade... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-10-13 10:00:23 UTC ]
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When Amazon’s Prime Day starts Tuesday, October 13 at 12 a.m. Pacific, you’ll need to be a Prime member to partake of the deals. Prime is Amazon’s $119 per year service that provides two-day shipping on all orders, as well as a ton of extras like the Kindle lending library and Prime... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2020-10-13 06:35:00 UTC ]
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Those who have a Kindle on their holiday shopping list are in luck. Amazon’s running an early Prime Day deal that knocks up to $70 off a couple of Kindle Essential bundles, which include the e-reader, a case and a power adapter. Prime members can gra... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-10-06 20:39:29 UTC ]
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Bookouture has signed crime writer Anna-Lou Weatherley, author of Kindle success The Stranger’s Wife, for three new psychological thrillers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-10 19:20:36 UTC ]
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Brianna Labuskes' Her Final Words (Thomas & Mercer) has ended the three-week run of Ian Rankin's In a House of Lies (Orion) at the top of the Bookstat chart, as Kindle Unlimited titles flock into the top 10. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-04 04:21:26 UTC ]
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Reading is a great way to fill this newfound free time we all have and Amazon’s newest deal on the Kindle Paperwhite can make it easier to do so. The Kindle Paperwhite is on sale right now for $100, which is $20 off its normal price, and you can get... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-07-20 17:46:44 UTC ]
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Rakuten’s Kobo readers are still hanging around to compete with Amazon’s Kindle lineup, and the company just unveiled a new model. The Kobo Nia is an entry-level reader with a six-inch, 1,024 x 758 Carta E Ink display (with Kobo’s ComfortLight front... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-07-15 10:05:12 UTC ]
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It's worth the extra $10 for this ebook reader to escape Amazon's stranglehold on our lives. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2020-07-15 04:01:00 UTC ]
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Take a semi-scientific dive into how many books the various Kindle models can hold. What does that mean in weight? Pages? Height? We've got your answers! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-07-09 10:36:02 UTC ]
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If you're scrambling to find something to give your dad for Father's Day, why not encourage them to read more by grabbing them an e-reader? Amazon has discounted its base model Kindle by $25, making it currently $65. You can also get the ad-free vers... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-06-15 16:15:58 UTC ]
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Classical music | Priceless reading | Broadsheet Guardian | Vacancy at LBC | Gin and tonicI’ve read my four column inches relating to classical music in Friday’s G2 Film & Music section. I’ve got to be honest, after excellent editorials (The Guardian view on the return of live music: hope... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-06-14 17:26:19 UTC ]
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We're bringing you the 20 best Kindle books for kids. All are either free for all or free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-12 10:33:52 UTC ]
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So you want to read a Kindle book, but don't have a Kindle? Library physically closed? Here's how to read Kindle books on PC or Mac. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-05 10:40:56 UTC ]
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Need an e-reader to get through pandemic lockdowns? Now’s a good time to get one. Amazon is running a sale on the standard Kindle that drops the price of the Special Offers version to $60, or $30 below its usual price. That’s similar to historic lows... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-05-25 15:30:13 UTC ]
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Having a surplus of books at your fingertips sounds like the reader's dream, but this Kindle Unlimited subscriber decided enough was enough. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-05 10:39:47 UTC ]
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Audible has snapped up an exclusive “white-knuckle suspense” thriller from Kindle bestseller Paddy Magrane. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-30 20:14:26 UTC ]
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Chancellor drops 20% levy on online news subscriptions and books as industry strugglesAmazon has confirmed it will cut the price of its Kindle ebooks from Friday, after the government announced it would bring forward plans to stop charging VAT on online publications because of the pandemic.The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-04-30 18:11:42 UTC ]
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For Amazon customers, here are some of the best Kindle Unlimited romance books on the market. A two-month free trial is available to new subscribers! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-27 10:36:34 UTC ]
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Turning your Amazon Kindle on and off is as easy as finding the power button—except the location of that button has varied from model to model over the generations. Our handy guide will help you, and we've included photos of a variety of models, working our way from the latest down to some... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2020-04-22 14:00:00 UTC ]
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