assistant

Amazon has decided to allow Alexa+ to break out of its cage. No longer confined to Amazon devices, the artificial intelligence-powered assistant is gradually rolling out to the web, ready to be used by anyone – eventually.

For now, the availability of Alexa+ on the web is limited to Early Access users, but even this marks a significant change in approach by Amazon.

About a year ago, we told you that Google was partnering with some hotels to have Nest Hub smart devices installed in guest rooms. Understandably, some people were concerned about having a microphone and camera in their hotel rooms.

However, those worries were unfounded. You see, Nest Hub doesn't even have a camera! Plus, Google is extremely focused on privacy, and the microphone can be totally disabled with a hardware switch. Ultimately, this hospitality partnership was simply a big win for hotel guests as they get to experience the convenience of Google Assistant when away from home.