"Alexa, are you smart enough to be useful now?"
This week, Amazon launched the new AI-powered Alexa+ in Australia. It's only been about six months since it launched in the US, so it's kind of exciting to see it arrive on our shores so promptly.
The best part of the new, updated Alexa is without a doubt its cultural features. I've been playing around with the iOS 27 Beta to test out Apple's updated Siri, and while it's an improvement over the old, disappointing Siri, it doesn't get me as an Australian.
Even though it can talk like an Aussie, Siri is still very much an American at heart.
But the new Alexa feels like a bloody ripper of a sheila. She gets our Australian idioms and cultural references. During a demo at the launch, she described something as a "shamozzle". Siri would never do that.
But as much as the "ocker" streak in Alexa is endearing, the platform itself still has a long way to go. I spent hours yesterday trying to set my family up in the Alexa app so we could all monitor each other's calendars on the Echo Hub and a Echo Show. It's still not working.
I also found that the upgrade to the Alexa app meant that most of my connected smart home devices need to be reconnected. It wasn't a huge deal, but it was still a pain.
That said, I like being able to have a proper conversation with Alexa. Given it's only just launched, I expect things should hopefully improve, with features expanding rapidly.
If you haven't already, you can sign up for the early access program now. Amazon have said they are looking to add "tens of thousands" of Aussies, so access should be fairly prompt. If you want to jump the queue, you can also buy a new Echo speaker...
What do you think? Are you keen to check out the new Alexa? Or has the virtual assistant ship sailed already?
Until next week
Nick @ BTTR
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This week's news
- Prime Video is about to make your Samsung TV work a lot harder for its picture quality » I'm going to have to deep dive into the differences between HDR10+ Advanced and Dolby Vision 2 now, aren't I?
- TCL's new gaming monitors are stealing all the best bits from its TVs » More options available for gamers wanting better monitor performance?
- Alexa finally grows up: Alexa+ has landed in Australia » It's a solid update. Does it make Alexa finally useful? I'll let you know.
- Energizer's new batteries snitch on your kid the second they put it in their mouth » This is brilliant, and frankly surprising that it took so long. But very welcome news.
- Shokz's Sydney Marathon headphones have crossed the finish line » If I ever decided to try and run, I would want these.
- Bose's QuietComfort Headphones get louder colours and quieter cancellation » The Mauve colour on these new headphones it stunning in photos.
- TCL goes big on fridges, and backs itself with a 10 year warranty » Untapped water on demand sounds good, but you need to manually fill up the internal water tank. Not sure I'd do that.
- Fujifilm's lens-swapping projector lands in Australia » Not for consumers, sadly, but still super-cool!
- DJI's tiniest mic just got a memory upgrade » DJI just doesn't stop launching stuff this year. Every time I think I've caught up, they launch another product.
- TP-Link's new Tapo robot vacuum untangles pet hair and washes its own mops » It's cheap, and has pretty good specs for a robot and dock!
- KEF's LS LUXE is a speaker designed to be stared at as much as listened to » This, on the other hand, is very expensive. But it's also stunning, so it can be forgiven.
- Fujifilm's instax mini 99 Silver is instant photography's answer to a classic film camera » Spoiler: I just received this to test out. I am very excited.
New reviews
- Bose Lifestyle Ultra speaker review: Great alone, but it's clearly built for two » If you want to build a multi-room audio system, this Bose speaker is a great starting point, though it's not too cheap.
New features
- Understanding warranty and repair rights across tech in Australia » Never accept a gadget failing on you too soon without reading this first.
- Touring a battery manufacturing plant: How your favourite technology gets its power » Ever wonder how a gadget's battery gets made? I watched it happen last week on my tour of the Ecovacs subsidiary Taiding's plant.
Best deals this week
Here's a taste of this week's top deals. There are 86 total this week.
- Save $1,004 on $1,004 OFF* Samsung 649L French Door Refrigerator (SRF7100B) - $2,195 at The Good Guys - Was $3,199, now $2,195
- Save $830 on Nikon Z 6III Body Only Full Frame Mirrorless Camera w/BONUS 64GB XQD Memory Card at Camera House - Was $4,499, now $3,669
- Save $750 on Samsung Galaxy S23 5G (Dual Sim, 128GB/8GB, Enterprise Ed) - Phantom Black at Mobileciti - Was $1,399, now $649
- Save $250 on JBL Spinner BT at JBL - Was $649.95, now $399.95
- Save $244 on CostwayCountertop Ice Maker with Removable Basket for Home at Costway - Was $387.95, now $143.95
- Save $209.99 on LG UltraGear G6 27-inch 300Hz QHD IPS Gaming Monitor DCI-P3 95% (Typ.), VESA DisplayHDR 400, 1ms (GtG), USB-C (PD 15W) - 27G640A-B at LG - Was $699, now $489.01
- Save $100 on Advwin Window Cleaner Robot at Advwin - Was $299.9, now $199.9