The new Alexa is powered by a more responsive AI. (iStock) Amazon is taking Alexa to the next level with the help of AI. Amazon just announced Alexa, an updated assistant powered by generative AI. The idea is to make Alexa more human, so she can help you control all your devices and get more done. The U.S. Alexa launch is set to happen over the next few weeks, and will start with the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 devices. It can have more in-depth conversations, understand colloquial expressions and think through complex ideas.

What we once called the Google Chromecast (and then the Chromecast with Google TV) is now the Google TV Streamer. I won't pretend to understand the reasoning behind any product's rebrand, but at least this one makes a bit of sense. Casting content from elsewhere used to be a big reason TV dongles existed. Today, streaming devices primarily provide the brains required to watch content from Netflix, Disney and other streaming services on almost any screen, and casting is a bit of an afterthought. A name that focuses on Google TV's interface instead of casting seems right in 2024.

Amazon held its annual fall hardware event on Tuesday. As in years past, the company had a lot to share in a short amount of time. We saw it announce new Echo, Kindle and Ring devices. It also had a few surprises up its sleeve from Eero and some of its other subsidiaries. Here's everything the company unveiled today.

A bunch of Amazon devices are starting to go on sale for Prime members ahead of the two-day shopping event next week, and that includes the company's most powerful streaming device. The Fire TV Cube has now been discounted to $60 for Prime members, which is $10 cheaper than its previous all-time low. Amazon appears to be staggering out its early Prime Day deals because the Fire TV Cube is one of two streaming gadgets on sale right now, the other being the Fire TV Stick 4K, which is $10 off and down to $40 for everyone -- not just Prime members. The Fire TV Cube is Amazon's most capable streamer, with support for 4K content, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and HDR10 . It also works as an Alexa speaker as well with its built-in mics.

Many of Amazon's gadgets went on sale at the start of this week and continue to be discounted today. Key among them are both new Kindle Paperwhites -- the standard version and the Signature Edition -- along with the second-generation Echo Show 8 and the Fire TV Cube. On top of that, Apple's AirPods Pro are on sale for $175 and the 2021 Apple TV 4K remains discounted to $160. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today. The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is on sale for $145, which is an all-time low.

Amazon is bringing several Alexa-powered features to the second-generation Fire TV Cube, including two-way video calls. Since the device doesn't have a camera, you'll need to connect a webcam that has UVC support and a resolution of at least 720p. It'll also need to capture video at a minimum of 30 frames per second -- 4K webcams aren't recommended, however. You'll also require a Micro USB to USB adapter to hook it up to the Micro USB port. You'll then be able to place and receive hands-free video calls with other Alexa-powered devices with a screen, such as an Echo Show or a phone or tablet with the Alexa app.

Now may be a great time to pick up that Amazon device you've been eyeing, because the e-commerce giant is selling several Echo Show and Fire TV models at deep discounts to celebrate Alexa's birthday. Amazon first announced the voice assistant in 2014, and it's celebrating its sixth birthday on November 6th -- think of these deals as an extended sale that makes the devices available at much lower prices, some of them being all-time lows. The Echo Show 8, to start with, now only costs $65, or half what it usually costs. It's out of stock at the moment and won't start shipping until November 20th, but purchasing it now means you can get it at the lowest price it's ever been. We gave the 8-inch version of the company's line of smart displays a score of 85 in our review, praising it for delivering crisp and vibrant images and for having an impressive audio quality.

If you're also tired of taking daily Zoom calls on your laptop, maybe you'd prefer to just turn on the TV, lay back, and learn or conduct business from the couch. Earlier this week, we wrote about a new video device for Microsoft Teams, but it's really large, at 85 inches, and really costly, at $21,199. Amazon is introducing a less pricey option later this year. "I just believe that your big, beautiful TV is a great place for communications and we're going to continue to lean in to make that a better experience well," said Marc Whitten, vice president of Amazon Entertainment Devices and Services. To drive the new device,you'll need the Fire TV Cube, a $119 accessory that's different from the Fire TV streaming stick units.

Like the previous model, the new Cube proffers a hands-free experience via Alexa voice command integration, and primarily improves upon the speed and "snappiness" of the first gen. In the box, you're getting the Cube itself, an Alexa-compatible voice remote, an ethernet adapter, an IR extender cable, and a power adapter--an identical accessory set to the first gen. Cube continues to offer support for streaming in 4K, HDR, HDR10, HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision--essentially every version of the High Dynamic Range format available on the consumer market. As a series, the Cube models also boast a suite of options that put them ahead of the more affordable Amazon Fire streaming devices like the Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick 4K. For one, the Cube has a built-in speaker, as well as far-field voice control over the device itself and connected compatible devices like soundbars.

This undated image provided by Amazon.com, Inc. shows an Amazon Fire TV Cube. This year could be the year of the streaming service. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu have comfortably held the top three spots for streaming services, but this year they're going to see some serious brands looking to take a bite out of the streaming pie. IMDb, AT&T, Disney, Apple, and Warner have all announced or hinted at plans to launch streaming services in 2019.