I love my 10 -year echo and I am terrified of Amazon, the new Alexa is going to bark

I bought my first Amazon echo Smart speaker a decade ago, not long after Amazon It presented it at the end of 2014. The tube of 9.25 inches sat in my capsule for years, responding casually to the “Alexa” weather consultations, answering what could describe simple trivia questions and play music from some of my favorite services In a surprisingly good speaker system. 10 years later, he is still doing all that, and it occurred to me how weird it is to have a modern piece of solid state consumption electronics that still work after a decade of service. But what if that ends tomorrow?

In approximately 24 hours, Amazon is expected to present its largest update of Alexaone that is ready to transform it from a relatively basic digital assistant into a true generative Chatbotone that can stop almost heading with Chatgpt and Google Gemini (At least when it comes to asking questions through speech).

It has spent more than a year since Amazon joked with this transformation. In 2023, Amazon was already behind in the generative career of AI, and that event served as a sign of the intentions of the trade giant.

And then nothing.

Waiting for Alexa

Amazon Echo First Gen

This original echo still works like a charm. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanooff)

Amazon did not deliver the AI review After six months, and not even after a year. Meanwhile, the company saw some changes in the upper part. The founder and former Ceo Bezos moved away in 2021. Still, it was not until some of his key lieutenants continued, such as Dave Clean (who showed that “new” Alexa “), and MicrosoftPanos Panay climbed on board that Amazon’s generative plans returned to the track. Maybe feeling that Amazon was not delivering exactly his promises of AI, Bezos, who is still an executive president, has been helping Spearhead Amazon’s efforts.

Now, we stop in the precipice of the transcendental change of Alexa, which will mean great changes for each Better echo device that admits it.

Since 2015, Amazon has delivered more than a dozen different echo devices. Some are tubes or orbs of simple and intelligent speakers, while others have screens. Each of them directs Alexa, and would say that if you connect any of them at this time, even the oldest models like my original echo, they will still work, and Alexa will be ready.

I am not implying that Alexa’s service has been stagnant. Shortly after the launch, Amazon added the ability to buy on Amazon through the platform. My echo now has reminders and notifications about things that care and possible Amazon offers that you like. It has become more conversational and capable of carrying out short conversations. You can tell terrible stories and jokes, and, of course, it is good to control intelligent domestic devices.

Echoes of obsolescence

Amazon Echo First Gen

The construction was made to last. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanooff)

For all that my echo of trust has become, my concern now is that this soon is no longer the case. It is possible that a harvest of echoes becomes useless due to this imminent update of Alexa. Without Alexa to boost operations, my echo would become an inert plastic tube. The iconic blue ring “Alexa is listening” at the top could turn a permanent and disconnected orange. There is no way to tell you what to do or boost the action and response without the “Alexa” slogan (you can also choose that your echo responds to other watch words such as “computer”).

Just look at the original echo specifications. It has a ARM Cortex A8 processor, 4 GB of storage and only 256 MB of RAM. None of that is enough processing or memory power to handle local automatic learning or generative operations. In addition, these major echoes may not even be able to support the basic programming necessary to house the new Alexa.

And trust me, the next Alexa will not be a minor intelligence update. It is potentially a brain transplant where the new generative capabilities of Alexa are driven by Anthopioc’s Throw. From what I have seen online, that AI platform can chew the processing power, at least when people execute it locally on the desktop. How will it be executed on the cloud with some local operations in an echo is an assumption of anyone, but, as I said, I fear that my 10 -year echo may not be up to the task.

Confusion clouds

Amazon Echo First Gen

My echo of a decade still has the answers. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanooff)

Amazon has traditionally done his cloud digital assistant work, so it will perhaps do the same with this update. But that is not a fact.

First, most people work with generatively generatively than digital assistants. Not only are they asking the AI to take action; They ask personal and detailed questions about home, life and business. They share details that you may not want in the cloud. Amazon can be completely encrypting these indications and may have no consequences, but maybe it is great.

I hope to be wrong. I have been so impressed with the longevity of these echo devices (I have a small Echo That is 9 years) and it would be a shame for Amazon barking them.

Hopefully they do not do it and that all the original Smart speakers and several other Alexa support devices can enjoy what I hope is an impressive update of AI.