Alexa, Happy 7th Birthday!

Seven years ago, on November 6th, 2014, Alexa saw the light of day. She moved into our homes, became part of millions of families, and changed profoundly how we interact with technology at home: simply by voice.

Let’s celebrate Alexa’s birthday and look into seven exciting years with our voice assistant.

2014 – Introducing the Amazon Echo

The original commercial of the first-generation Amazon Echo showcased how Alexa becomes part of a family with two kids. It highlights features like music playback, setting timers and alarms, answering questions, listening to news and jokes, and managing shopping- and todo-lists.

As with almost every new technology, some people perceived the introduction initially as “awkward” and started to create parodies, which we will not link to, due to the explicit language. But, if you insist you could find one here.

Though we can find many use cases in the initial ad, which are also featured in today’s commercials for the smart speaker, one was originally missing: smart home control.

2015 – Alexas First Year, the Amazon Echo

It took Amazon almost a whole year to realize, that smart home control is an important use case and a great fit for Alexa. Voice control is just so much easier than pulling out a smartphone, opening an app, and searching for the button to tap on, only to control a smart home device.

The interest of many (smart home) device manufacturers to integrate with Amazon Alexa, and Amazon’s dedication to making it as easy as possible to integrate laid the foundation for Amazon’s upcoming success as the smart speaker market leader.

Meanwhile, in 2015, Apple was still focussing on making it very hard for manufacturers to integrate their HomeKit for Siri and Google just started to realize that the smart speaker market might be something they would also like to enter, maybe later, maybe next year.

2016 – The First Echo Dot

In March 2016, Amazon released a smaller smart speaker device, the first generation of the Echo Dot. A brilliant move. The smaller, more affordable device can easily find its way into more room in our homes.

A small speaker does not sound that great and so they provided an option to connect the little Dot either with a cable or via Bluetooth to an existing speaker.

In September 2016, Alexa launched in the UK, and in October 2016 in Germany.

2017 – Cameras and Displays: Look, Show, Spot

In February 2017, Amazon released the battery-powered Amazon Tap, so we can take Alexa with us, just like any battery-powered Bluetooth speaker (discontinued).

April 2017 brought us the Echo Look, the first Alexa-powered smart camera, positioned as our fashion consultant, who can take videos of us, keep a database of what’s in our closet and recommend what fits together (discontinued). In case you are wondering, if this was an April Fools joke, no, PetLexa was one …

The first-generation Echo with camera and display was released in May 2017: the Amazon Echo Show. Alexa can now display additional information on her screen.

September 2017 brought us the second generation of the Amazon Echo with a smaller size, better sound, and different styles to fit our interior. Also, the first Amazon Echo Plus was released, which integrates a smart home hub to directly control smart devices which support ZigBee. Last but not least, a smaller device with cam and display was released, the Echo Spot (discontinued, later replaced with the Echo Show 5).

In October 2017 Alexa launched in India, November 2017 in Japan, and December in: Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Uruguay.

2018 – The Big Surprise Event: New Devices and More …

In January 2018, Alexa arrived in Ireland and in February 2018 in Australia, New Zealand, and France.

Apart from new features, which are continuously updated through the cloud and Alexa app, September 2018 brought us a surprise event with many hardware announcements (watch our clip for a quick walkthrough by Alexa herself =):

• Echo Auto, Amazons first device to bring Alexa into our cars.
• The third generation Echo Dot, with better sound and new design.
• The second-generation Echo Show, which also received a facelift, a bigger screen, a home hub and better speakers. It integrates a browser, so we can watch YouTube and it supports Skype.
• The second-generation Echo Plus with better speakers and more compact design. It supports local voice recognition, so we can control our smart home devices even when the internet is down and has a built-in temperature sensor, which we can use to trigger smart home routines (discontinued).
• The new Amazon Smart Plug, which makes smart home setups easy to configure.

• The Echo Input, without speaker, connecting to our existing speakers at home.
• As well as following new devices without microphones, which work together with our existing Amazon Echos:
  • The Echo Sub, a 100 Watt stereo sub-woofer, which connects with up to two Amazon Echos to create a 2.1 audio setup.
  • The Echo Link and Amazon Echo Link Amp, which connects to our existing stereos or speakers.
  • The FireTV Recast, which records and broadcasts over the air TV shows to our Echo Show, Spot, Fire TV or smart phone.
  • And last but not least two devices for our kitchens: the AmazonBasics microwave and the Amazon Echo Wall Clock. The microwave offers a ‘Ask Alexa’ button, which lets an Amazon Echo set the right time for cooking, just by saying what we’re are putting in. The Clock can display multiple timers, so we don’t need to ask for the remaining time.

Together with the hardware announcements, many new software features were introduced:

• Alexa’s Guard feature, which monitors our homes, while we are away. We can receive notifications if certain sounds, like breaking glass or an alarm are heard and can forward the alerts to our security provider. Alexa, can also mimic with our smart lights, that we are at home to deter potential intruders.
• The new Hunch feature, learns from our smart home preferences and for instance remind us to lock our doors in case we forgot when going to bed.
• Alexa supports a new Whisper mode, where in case we whisper, she’ll whisper back.
• For a full feature list, please check out Amazons blog post: Alexa is Now Even Smarter—New Features Help Make Everyday Life More Convenient, Safe, and Entertaining.

Last, but not least Amazon released the Alexa Connect Kit, to enable hardware manufacturers to easily integrate Alexa into their devices, without having to care about Alexa’s cloud technology.

October 2018 brought Alexa to Italy and Spain.

2019 – Another Big Surprise Event: Even More Devices!

May 2019 brought us the Echo Show 5. The smallest Echo Show with a 5-inch display.

The Hardware Announcements at Amazon’s Event in September 2019 were overwhelming:

• The all new Echo has improved sound quality through integrated Echo Plus audio technology.
• A new Echo Dot Clock looks like the 3rd generation Echo Dot, but includes a LED digital clock at the side and snooze sensor on top.
• The new Echo Show 8 with 8 inch screen, fits well between last years Echo Show 2nd generation with a 10 inch display, and this years Echo Show 5 with a 5 inch screen.
• A new Echo Flex which is a small plug-in smart speaker. Through the USB port we can either charge our phone or add an optional motion sensor or nightlight.

• The Echo Studio is Amazons new high-end speaker with 3D audio, Dolby Atmos technology and a smart home hub (ZigBee).
• The Echo Buds wireless earbuds come with bose noise reduction and ‘Alexa’ wake word.
• And the Echo Glow, which is a Alexa controlled smart lamp for kids.

• Echo Frames can fit our prescription lenses, and also support the ‘Alexa’ wake word. Beamforming micro speakers project the sound into our ears.
• The Echo Loop is an Alexa enabled smart ring. We can activate Alexa by pushing an action button, hear her through super small speakers, and feel her through the integrated haptic engine.
• Furthermore, a pet tracker called Amazon fetch, an Eero Mesh Router, a retrofit alarm kit, two new ring cams, and … an Amazon smart oven were introduced!

We’re not ready yet. Software-wise following features were announced:

• Improvements in privacy control: new “delete what I said” commands, and rolling deletion for recordings.
• Alexa speaks now Hindi and supports a bilingual mode, where we can currently pair English with Spanish, French and Hindi.
• Alexa has now a new, more natural sounding voice, thanks to neural text to speech software. Plus, we will be able to subscribe to celebrity voices, starting with Samuel L. Jackson.
• Alexa will detect when we get frustrated and will apologize (starting with music requests next year).
• Kids will be able to communicate through Alexa, when parents agree.
• Alexa will let our guests connect to our Echos with their own Amazon account to access their Amazon content.
• Alexa Hunches can now tell us if there’s something wrong with a smart home device and Alexa will suggest routines based on actions we frequently do.
• Last year’s Alexa Guard is now available in Alexa Routines.
• And, a brand new low-bandwidth long-distance wireless network protocol called Amazon Sidewalk.

For a full list of announcements please see Amazon Devices Event – September 2019 – The Amazon Blog.

In October 2019, Alexa arrived in Brazil.

2020 – Surprise, Surprise: More Devices and Features

The surprise event in September 2020 brought us new Echo devices in a new, spherical design:

• The all-new Echo with a 3.0-inch woofer, dual-firing tweeters and Dolby stereo sound. Like the Echo Studio, Echo can now automatically sense the acoustics of the room and fine-tune audio playback.
• A new sleek compact Echo Dot with a powerful 1.6-inch, front-firing speaker.
• The new Echo Dot Clock with a built in LED Display that can show the time, outdoor temperature or timers.

• A redesigned Echo Dot Kids Edition with the new spherical shape, new Panda and Tiger designs and animal-themed alarms.
• The new Echo Show 10 turns to face us, whether we’re calling a friend or following a recipe. The motion is completely silent through a brushless motor.
• A new Fire TV Stick with an enhanced processor that’s 50% more powerful than the previous generation, while using 50% less power. It features HDR compatibility and Dolby Atmos support for full-HD streaming.
• The new Fire TV Stick Lite and the included Alexa Voice Remote Lite which do not have power and volume buttons.
• A new eero 6 dual-band mesh Wi-Fi 6 router that covers up to 1,500 sq. ft. with wifi speeds up to 900 Mbps.
• And a new eero 6 Pro tri-band mesh Wi-Fi 6 router that covers up to 2,000 sq. ft. with wifi speeds up to a gigabit.

Alexa is also becoming smarter:

• Teachable AI learns from our feedback. This new capability helps Alexa to get smarter by asking questions to fill gaps in her understanding.
• Later this year, Alexa will adapt her responses based on the context of the conversation by adjusting her tone, stressing certain words, adding pauses and even breaths.
• An improvement to the follow up mode, “Natural turn taking” will let us speak to Alexa without using a wake word during the course of a conversation—even when multiple people are talking.

• The Guard mode will be extended to recognize more sounds like a baby crying or someone coughing or snoring. We’ll be able to set up Alexa Routines like turning on the light in the bedroom when Alexa detects the sound of a baby crying or turning on white noise when our partner starts to snore at night.
• Alexa Guard Plus can play a warning sound from the Echo devices, like the sound of dogs barking and can connect with an Emergency Helpline, even when the phone is out of reach.
• Care Hub, a new Alexa feature will enable family members to care for aging loved ones, even from a distance. We can access the activity feed detailing when loved ones have interacted with their Echo device or connected smart home device, letting us know they are up and going about their day.
• Later this year, Ring cameras will support video end-to-end encryption right from the Control Center.
• The Ring Car Alarm monitors for impacts, break-ins, tows, and more and immediately sends an alert if anything is detected.
• The Ring Car Cam is a security camera for the car that helps to protect passengers and vehicle. When the car is parked, the sensors monitor for bumps and attempted break-ins, sending a real-time alert to the Ring app. While driving, it keeps the passengers safe with features like Emergency Crash Assist, which will automatically request help from first responders if a serious crash is detected.
• Later this year, if we would like to delete all the previously saved voice recordings associated with our account, we can simply ask, “Alexa, delete everything I’ve said.”

You can find a full list of announcements here: Amazon Devices & Services news—September 2020.

End of September 2020 brought us shareable Alexa Routines, November 2020 general availability of the Echo Frames, December 2020 Netflix and new video features on Echo Shows.

2021 – No Surprise, More Devices and Features, oh wait …

February 2021 introduced us to “Built It”, an Amazon program that gives us the say in what products Amazon builds next simply by pre-ordering them. We could choose between a smart sticky note printer, a smart nutrition scale, and a smart cuckoo clock. The sticky note printer met the 100% pre-order goal and should be available if it’s not temporarily out of stock.

In May 2021, Echo, Tile, and Level devices joined Amazon Sidewalk. Echo Frames now offer sunglass and blue light filtering lenses.

End of May 2021, Amazon included HD and 3D Audio at no additional cost in Amazon Music Unlimited. You can find more information in our post: Alexa, Play Some Music: All the Alexa Music Commands.

Amazon’s September event is no longer a surprise, it’s a tradition now. With a fresh vision of ambient intelligence – “an environment where each of your devices and services is a thread in a fabric woven together by artificial intelligence, offering far more than any one single device or service could on its own” – Amazon surprises us with new devices:

• The Amazon Smart Thermostat works with Alexa and gives us a simple way to keep our home comfortable and energy-efficient.
• The new Echo Show 15 can be wall-mounted or placed on a stand, in portrait or landscape mode. It features new Alexa widgets, like shared calendar, sticky notes, smart home favorites and picture-in-picture to check our live camera feeds while we’re doing other things on the Echo Show 15.
• Amazon’s new prozessor the AZ2, which powers the Echo Show 15 is capable of processing speech recognition in parallel to computer vision.
• The new Amazon Glow features a 19″ touch-sensitive projected area for kids which is shared with remote family and friends using their own tablet to interact with the shared virtual space in real time.
• Amazon opens up the invite list for the Ring Always Home Cam, an autonomous indoor flying camera.
• The new Ring Alarm Pro includes an eero Wi-Fi 6 router built in.
• The Blink Video Doorbell comes wired and wire-free and supports HD video, night vision, motion detection, two-way audio, and alerts integrated with Alexa.

And, surprise, surprise – there’s this “one more thing”:

• Meet Astro, the household robot for home monitoring, with Alexa. Amazon Astro uses advanced navigation technology to find its way around our home and goes where we need it. We can send Astro remotely to check on specific rooms, people, or things. We can get alerts if Astro detects an unrecognized person or certain sounds when we’re away. Astro can follow us with entertainment or find us to deliver calls, messages, timers, alarms, or reminders.

Software-wise following features were announced:

• Visual ID can recognize us when we’re in Echo Shows camera field of view. Alexa can then display personalized content: our personal calendar, our recently played music, or our notes. All image processing happens on-device.
• With preference teaching we can educate Alexa with our dietary preferences which she then takes in account when we ask for recipes, or our favorite football club when we ask for sports results.
• Next year we will be able to teach Alexa to recognize custom sounds – e.g. the beeping of our open fridge – to receive notifications.
• New celebrity voices Shaquille O’Neal and Melissa McCarthy were added earlier in 2021, more to come soon.
• With “Hey, Disney” a new kind of voice assistant will be available next year to interact with characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and beyond.
• Alexa Routines on Echo and Echo Dot 4th Gen devices will soon support ultrasound motion detection.
• Alexa Together is a new service designed to help aging family members feel more comfortable and confident living independently.

You can find a full list of announcements here: Amazon Devices & Services news—September 2021.

November 2020, brings us the new Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor.

Let’s Summarize …

If we look at the many devices and features released in such a short timeframe, it becomes obvious that Alexa is one of Amazon’s favorite kids. Though we have seen many countries listed, where Alexa (Amazon Echos) can be purchased, currently “only” following languages are supported:

• English (AU, CA, IN, UK, US),
• French (CA, FR),
• German (DE),
• Hindi(IN),
• Italian (IT),
• Japanese (JP),
• Portuguese (BR) and
• Spanish (ES, MX, US)

For most of the other countries the language defaults to English US.

There are already over 140,000 Alexa compatible devices available in the market, like:

• Alexa and Philips Hue: Setup, Review and Voice Commands
• Logitech Harmony and Alexa: Setup, Voice Commands and a Candlelight Dinner
• Alexa and Nanoleaf Aurora: Setup and Voice Commands
• Netatmo Weather Station, Rain and Wind Gauge, and Alexa and Siri
• Dyson Pure Cool with Siri, Alexa and Google
• or a smart plug to control almost anything: Healthy Humidity with Venta Airwashers and Alexa, Siri and Google

And, we completely forgot to mention the Alexa Skills, which have grown throughout the seven years to over 100,000 skills worldwide.

Dear Alexa, with all these impressive achievements, we can only wish you:

• Happy Birthday!
• Bon anniversaire!
• Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
• जन्मदिन मुबारक
• お誕生日おめでとうございます
• Buon compleanno!
• Feliz aniversário!
• Feliz cumpleaños!

Enjoy your birthday, Alexa!

P.S.: Alexa celebrates her birthday with many Amazon Echo deals! Explore our full list of current savings on Amazon Echo devices
P.P.S.: You can find more Alexa posts here: Amazon Alexa