Alexa+ Unveiled: Amazon’s Assistant Gets a Major Upgrade

Plus: iPhone 16e Review, a Smarter Way to Tip, and a Handy Travel Gadget

Greetings from 37,999 Feet!

I’m headed back to Los Angeles after spending much of the week in New York City—and it was a packed one.

Not only did I attend Amazon’s flashy Alexa+ event, but I also had the chance to meet up with my new radio station on the East Coast, 710 WOR.

It was pretty cool to visit iHeart’s home base in NYC, where they run several radio stations out of one massive space—including Z100, the station I grew up listening to.

The funny thing about technology is that no matter how good video chat gets, nothing beats an in-person meeting. There’s an energy, a back-and-forth dynamic, that just doesn’t translate virtually. While I’ve met a lot of these folks over phone, email, and video calls, being face-to-face is always best.

If you’re curious, my show still originates out of Los Angeles, but it’s now airing in New York City on Sunday nights, along with stations across the country. You can listen live or catch the podcast later—think of it like this newsletter, but spanning into three hours of tech talk.

Alexa+ Event Recap: Amazon’s AI-Powered Upgrade

I was in New York City for Amazon’s Alexa+ event, where the company unveiled its AI-powered upgrade to Alexa.

The event kicked off with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who took over from Jeff Bezos in 2021. Before that, Jassy led Amazon Web Services (AWS)—one of Amazon’s biggest revenue drivers.

Jassy set the stage for Panos Panay, the newest member of Amazon’s executive team, to introduce Alexa+.

Panay previously led Microsoft’s Surface division and was a key figure behind its success. I still remember him visiting me at KTLA back in 2012 when the first Surface launched. Now, he’s all in on Alexa.

He started by reminding everyone of how magical the first Alexa experience was. That brought me back to a shoot I was on in Kentucky. One of the producers had the first Echo and casually said, “Alexa, play this song.” Music filled the room. It felt effortless and futuristic.

Today, Alexa is in 600 million devices worldwide, but its capabilities have remained fairly basic.

Alexa is great for turning lights on and off, playing music, setting timers, and answering basic questions.

Beyond that, it never truly evolved. That’s changing with Alexa+.

Alexa+ is designed to handle natural conversations instead of requiring specific voice commands.

Instead of saying, “Turn on couch left light,” you can now say, “Turn on the light near the couch.”

But that’s just the start.

Amazon says Alexa+ will integrate with over 10,000 platforms. The days of manually adding Alexa Skills seem to be coming to an end.

Now, you can:

• Book restaurant reservations through OpenTable

• Listen to music from multiple services

• Order food and event tickets

• Ask Alexa to review Ring camera footage, like “Did someone take the dog out today?”

For those already using Alexa, this makes everything easier—less trial and error trying to phrase commands the right way.

One of the biggest changes is that Alexa+ will learn your preferences over time and allow users to feed information into it.

For example, you could send Alexa your kid's basketball schedule to reference later or add the games to your calendar. Or ask where the game is this weekend or if you’re on snack duty.

Users will manage this through a new mobile app and a website at Alexa.com, which functions similarly to AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

This shift toward AI-powered assistants is happening across the board.

Apple recently introduced Apple Intelligence, which aims to index personal data—emails, texts, and photos—so users can ask Siri questions about anything on their device. (We’re not there just yet)

Google’s Gemini AI is trying to do something similar but currently feels disconnected—it doesn’t seem like the Gemini in Gmail communicates with Gemini in Docs or Photos. (But super helpful when it works!)

OpenAI’s ChatGPT could attempt a similar approach, but convincing consumers to allow AI access to their emails, cloud storage, and messages would be a challenge. (A breach would be a privacy nightmare)

Right now, AI is scattered across different platforms, and I find myself using:

• ChatGPT for general AI tasks

• Google Gemini on my phone

• A separate AI tool for voice dictation

• Google Assistant and Alexa for smart home control

• Siri on the iPhone

The first AI to unify all these functions across home, mobile, and personal data may come out on top. Alexa already has a head start with millions of smart speakers in homes, but Google and Apple are moving quickly in this space.

The big question is whether Alexa+ will actually expand beyond its basic functions.

Personally, I’d be happy if it simply became a smarter smart home assistant that understands more natural voice commands.

Alexa+ costs $20 per month—or free for Prime members.

If Prime is $140 per year and Alexa+ is $240 per year, why wouldn’t you just get Prime?

Tech companies have a track record of adding new perks and then raising prices later, so I wouldn’t be shocked if that happens with the Prime Membership fee once people start using Alexa+.

Alexa+ rolls out in the coming weeks. To get it first, you’ll need an Echo device with a screen. You can sign up at Amazon.com/NewAlexa.

Amazon is making a big bet on its AI-powered assistant, and Alexa+ could be the beginning of a more natural and capable voice assistant experience.

Whether it becomes the go-to AI assistant remains to be seen. But at the very least, it’s a major upgrade for Alexa users.

iPhone 16E: The $599 iPhone for People Who Just Want a Phone

The iPhone 16e is now in stores—a $599 iPhone for people who “don’t care” about their phone.

The specs are basic but modern, and after a week of use, I kind of fell in love with it. It’s simple, unassuming, and surprisingly capable.

Sure, you could get something flashier, but at this price, it’s a solid package—especially if you find a good discount.

And the photos? They look pretty great, too.

Managing Screen Time for Kids

For better or worse, screens are a part of life for kids. If you feel like you’ve lost control, a new book offers insights on how to manage screen time effectively.

And let’s be honest—it’s not just kids. Parents have their own struggles with screen overuse, too.

A Cashless Solution for Tipping Housekeeping

A few weeks ago, I was out to dinner with friends, and we started talking about housekeeping tips. They mentioned how they rarely carry cash anymore, making it harder to leave tips. Meanwhile, I make an effort to keep cash on hand for situations like this.

But during my hotel stay in NYC, I saw something I’ve never seen before—and I think it’s genius. You know those little cards with the housekeeper’s name? Well, next to it was a QR code you can scan to tip digitally using your phone.

I gave it a try, and the process was quick and seamless. You scan the QR code, select a name from the list, choose an amount ($5, $10, $20, or custom), and—here’s the best part—you can pay instantly with Apple Pay or Google Pay.

The system also says housekeeping staff keeps 100% of the tips, which is great. I know cash is always preferred, but I hope this system catches on so more people are encouraged to leave a tip, even without cash on hand. I used it—and I’d definitely do it again!

Now, I get that tipping culture has gotten out of control. It’s ridiculous that self-service kiosks are asking for tips—but I have no problem tipping people who actually provide a service. Cleaning up my hotel room? That’s absolutely one of them.

By the way, the company behind this digital tipping system is Canary Technologies.

A Travel-Day Germ Fighter or Just a Gimmick?

Whenever I travel, I always bring a few alcohol sanitizing wipes in a small baggie—an entire pack for longer trips. I’ll use them to wipe down my phone at the end of the day.

Throughout the day, you’re touching so many surfaces and then handling your phone, so it’s no surprise that travel often leads to getting sick.

So imagine my surprise at the airport when I spotted an instant UV phone sanitizer kiosk. Remember when these were impossible to find during COVID? PhoneSoap was the big brand back then.

Curious, I slipped my phone into the UV light kiosk for a 15-second cleanse. Did it actually work? Who knows—but it sure felt cool!

Right next to the kiosk was a hand sanitizer dispenser, so you could clean your hands before grabbing your freshly “sanitized” phone.

Of course, this system is only perfect for about 20 seconds—until you touch something else in the airport.

AI to the Restaurant Rescue: Finding Hidden Gems with Smart Searches

I’m always on the hunt for fun, unique, and interesting restaurants when I travel—preferably within walking distance of my hotel.

The great thing about AI-powered recommendations is that you can get really specific in your search. It’s not always perfect, but this time, it led me to a true hidden gem.

I asked: “Best burgers in NYC, specifically in the Tribeca area.”

AI returned several choices, and one of them caught my attention. I started walking that way, and as I passed a small, unmarked spot, I thought, this place looks cool—so I snapped a picture and kept going.

A few minutes later, I realized that was the restaurant I was looking for.

Inside, it was tiny with limited seating, but well worth the wait. One person cooked all the food right in front of me using an induction burner, and the burger was excellent.

The takeaway? AI can be a powerful tool for finding hidden gems—especially when you’re specific in your queries. If you want the best results, use AI tools that have access to the web so they can cross-reference reviews, blogs, and the latest recommendations.

Tech Tidbits

Adobe has launched Photoshop on mobile, letting you edit on a much smaller screen. It’s available on iPhone now, with Android coming later. Some features are free, but there’s also a premium upgrade for extra tools.

If you have live Facebook videos, now’s the time to download them. Moving forward, Facebook will delete live videos after 30 days. You have until May 29 to save any past broadcasts. This does not affect regular photo and video uploads.

DirecTV has launched mini-bundles of entertainment, sports and news channels starting at $35 a month.

Google now makes it easier to remove your personal information from search results. Simply tap the three dots next to a result containing your info and request its removal.

The Travel Gadget I Didn’t Know I Needed

Believe it or not, I actively try not to bring too many gadgets when I travel. But since I’m always testing something new, that’s easier said than done.

On my trip to New York City, I was testing the iPhone 16e and the OnePlus Watch 3 (which has been delayed because of that spelling error on the back). The OnePlus Watch, by the way, has insane battery life—after a full day of use, I still had about 85% battery left.

But the one gadget that really came in handy? A simple motion-activated nightlight.

It’s already tough to get a good night’s sleep on the road, and the last thing you want to do is turn on bright lights if you wake up in the middle of the night. But if you don’t, you risk tripping over something in an unfamiliar space.

I ordered a set of these nightlights, and they worked perfectly—just enough light to guide the way without being so bright that it wakes you up completely.

A nightlight for the bathroom has always been a must-have in my Dopp kit, but this takes things to the next level. My only complaint? It still uses Micro-USB instead of USB-C. But at least it comes with a cable.

The Wildest Tech Eye Candy from CES

Last but not least, I had some fun exploring how tech companies go all out to grab your attention at CES.

That’s it for now! Hope you’ll tune in to the radio show this weekend and catch me on KTLA next week. And if you miss anything, there’s always the weekly show.

Rich