For nearly a decade Amazon's Alexa has been invited into the homes of millions as a virtual assistant to lend a helping hand to routines, entertainment, shopping, and more.

However, in the build-up to Amazon's AI-backed Alexa Plus upgrade, some owners of the voice assistant are faced with a surprise ultimatum that could see the assistant no longer welcome in some privacy-conscious homes.

In a new change to its privacy policy, Amazon has revealed in an email to customers that Echo Dot 4th Gen and Echo Show 10 and 15 smart displays will no longer have the option to stop voice recordings from being sent to Amazon.

According to Amazon, this data will be used to train its new Alexa Plus model to improve its conversational abilities, and that voice command recordings will be deleted after they are processed.

Still, some affected users (which an Amazon representative informs Laptop Mag is only a fraction of a percentage of wider Alexa owners) have taken to social media to voice their concerns, with many forming a similar opinion: it's time to de-Amazon.

Luckily for those people, a viable and historically better user privacy option may be on the horizon, as one analyst reveals that an Apple-branded alternative is still on the cards for a 2025 release.

Amazon makes troubling privacy U-turn with Alexa

This change in Amazon's policy may leave many worried about their privacy, especially given the company's previous blunders in this area.

In 2018, Amazon accidentally sent 1,700 voice recordings captured by an Alexa device to the wrong user.

Then in 2019, it was discovered that Amazon was ordering thousands of employees to listen to and manually annotate parts of Alexa voice command recordings.

However, speaking to an Amazon representative, Laptop Mag can confirm that this change in privacy policy does not affect the large majority of Alexa owners, and only a small group of users who have previously opted into using the feature.

The change appears to stem from the Echo Dot 4 and Echo Show 10 and 15's ability to process this information locally, a task that not all of Amazon's smart home devices have been capable of. Amazon isn't necessarily encroaching on the privacy of its users, but bringing all of its devices into line, allowing them to operate through the same mechanism.

Attempting to ease concerns further, Amazon reports that all voice data will be encrypted in transit to the company's secure cloud, "designed with layers of security protections to keep customer information safe."

Ultimately, privacy-focused Echo users who feel noticeably impacted by this change are left with one decision to make: Agree to share your voice data or stop using your Amazon device.

However, those struggling with the latter option may be provided with some hope, as reportedly Amazon's privacy fumble leaves the door open for a new Apple product to save the day later this year.

Could Apple's rumored HomePod save the day?

Apple has long been rumored to be working on a HomePod follow-up, and this may be the year we finally see it unveiled.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that Apple's new HomePod will be "Apple's most significant release of the year" — which is a bold claim to make in the face of recent M4 MacBook Air, iPhone 16E, and M3 iPad Air releases, not to mention this year's expected arrival of M5 Apple Silicon devices alongside a fresh selection of iPhone 17 smartphones, including the rumored all-new iPhone 17 Air.

While more recent rumors have suggested that Apple's new HomePod, which is expected to include a display for the first time, could be delayed for some time following issues with Apple's own AI-backed Siri upgrades.

However, popular Apple analyst Min-Chi Kuo has recently revealed on X that we can still expect to see Apple unveil the device in the latter half of 2025.

Given Apple's firm stance on user privacy, something the company is even willing to fight the UK government over, this could be the smart home accessory of choice for many who prioritize privacy in the home.

Unfortunately, we still can't say for sure exactly when in the latter half of 2025 we could expect to see Apple's new HomePod, or how much more this improved model may cost.

However, authoritative voices in the space are at the very least agreeing that we'll be seeing it sooner, rather than later.

For the few Amazon Alexa Echo users impacted by recent changes, and those who seek a privacy-focused smart home epxerience, it may not be able to arrive fast enough.

More from Laptop Mag

• Apple may be working on something big — and it's not an iPhone or a MacBook
• Amazon's Alexa Plus will cost you — and I'm not just talking about your wallet
• We ranked the 5 most impressive Alexa+ capabilities revealed in Amazon's showcase

Amazon announced Alexa+, the overhauled, feature-packed new version of Alexa powered by generative AI.

Alexa+ will be free for Prime members or $19.99 per month for non-Prime members (you'd be better off just buying a Prime subscription for $14.99, though). It's slated to start rolling out within the next few weeks, starting with Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 devices. If you don't have one of those, don't worry. Alexa+ is coming to more Amazon devices down the line and will have a dedicated app, as well.

Alexa+ includes a mountain of new capabilities, but there are a handful of features that are particularly fun and useful that you won't want to miss out on.

1. Voice commands on Prime Video

Have you ever been watching a movie and wanted to jump to your favorite scene? Alexa+ can do that for you using voice commands, i.e. "Alexa, skip to the scene where Matthew McConaughey says goodbye to his daughter" in Interstellar. Commands can reference actors, characters, and quotes.

You can also use this feature to identify a movie without knowing its name, i.e. "Alexa, what's the movie where Matt Damon is stranded on Mars?" This is a unique feature, but it could come in handy if it works as advertised, and it's pretty cool that Alexa is capable of identifying actors and their lines across Prime Video's huge library of content.

2. Smart home announcements and reminders

Parents will rejoice at the announcements and reminders features on Alexa+. You can ask Alexa+ to set an automated reminder referencing members of your household. For instance, a parent could say, "Alexa, when you see Timmy, remind him to take the trash out." Alexa can visually recognize "Timmy" and trigger the reminder the next time it sees him.

Similarly, you can use Alexa+ to add a little spice to household announcements. Personalized Alexa announcements will add humor to announcements to other Echo devices throughout the house, such as announcing dinner is ready. This might not be ideal for announcing Timmy has once again forgotten to take out the trash, but it could be fun to joke around with now and then.

3. Create personalized smart home routines through voice commands

Routines are already a feature on Alexa, but Alexa+ takes things up a notch by allowing you to make complex, personalized routines using only voice commands. Previously, you could only make routines through the Alexa app. Now, you can simply say "Alexa, slowly dim the bedroom lights at 10 pm every night" and create a routine.

You can also make routines specific to different members of your household and make routines that activate by recognizing each person's voice. So, for instance, different routines could activate when each of your kids announces they are home from school.

4. Get summaries of activity around your smart home

The activity summary feature in Alexa+ is a boon for anyone who uses smart home security cameras or has a busy household. When connected to compatible smart home camera, Alexa+ can remember detected camera events, summarize them for you, and show you the related camera footage.

For instance, when you get home from work, you can ask Alexa to summarize the activity at the front door from the day and Alexa+ can show you your other family members leaving and returning home, packages and mail being delivered, and your dog walker stopping by.

5. Get conversational music, book, and movie recommendations

Prime Video and Prime Music can already suggest content for you based on your viewing and listening habits, but with Alexa+ you can find new recommendations just through chatting with Alexa. For instance, you could ask Alexa what style of music a favorite song is and ask about other artists with a similar style.

Similarly, you can ask Alexa about music you hear in shows and movies, saving you from pesky Google searches for the lyrics. You can even tell Alexa what kind of movie or book you're in the mood for and it will give you recommendations for what to watch or read. All this is possible just through natural language conversations with Alexa, which is pretty cool.

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Amazon's Labor Day sale offers epic end-of-summer discounts on all things tech. Now is one of the best times of the year to save on laptops, tablets, phones, headphones, and more. Labor Day 2024 falls on Sep. 2, however, Amazon Labor Day deals are available now. It's not too early to snag end-of-summer discounts on mobile tech and more, whether you're back-to-school shopping or refreshing your gear for the fall. 

In some instances, we're seeing the lowest prices ever on our favorite mobile gadgets. For example, you can get the MacBook Pro M3 for Amazon's all-time low price of $1,299 ($300 off).  If you're looking to update your audio gear, add Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones to your cart for $299 via Amazon's on-page coupon. 

Although we expect Amazon to drop its best Labor Day deals on Sep. 2, there are plenty of excellent Labor Day deals to shop this weekend. From Alexa-enabled devices to wireless routers, shop today's best discounts below.

Best Amazon Labor Day deals 2024

Quick links

• Shop: Amazon's entire Labor Day sale
• Acer Aspire 5 Slim: was $529 now $499 + Free game code
• Acer Predator Helios Neo 16: was $1,149 now $999 + Free game code
• Apple MacBook Pro M3: was $1,599 now $1,299
• LG gram 16: was $1,295 now $999
• LG gram 14 2-in-1 Laptop: was $1,599 now $1,149
• LG gram Superslim: was $1,999 now $1,599
• Amazon Fire HD 10: was $139 now $89 
• Alienware x14 R2 RTX 4060: was $1,999 now $1,499 + Free game code
• Asus 2024 Vivobook 17: was $799 now $679 + free game code
• Asus ROG Strix G16 (2024): was $2,999 now $1,899
• MSI Raider GE68HX 16 RTX 4080: was $3,000 now $2,649 + 2 free game codes

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Amazon Alexa is about to get a major upgrade, but with a catch.

After nearly 10 years of providing virtual assistance for free via Alexa, Amazon reportedly has plans to create an AI-powered version of Alexa that "could cost as much as $10 a month," according to The Washington Post, a publication owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Don't worry if you already own or are planning to buy an Echo speaker or another Amazon device for its Alexa capabilities. You'll still be able to use the free version of Alexa — you just won't have access to Alexa's more advanced features, like "recipe suggestions based on your family’s dietary restrictions and AI summaries of the news."

This new development begs the question: Will all AI-powered virtual assistants or services eventually offer a more powerful, feature-rich version as a subscription? 

ChatGPT, Gemini, Alexa — will Siri be next?

After Google rebranded Bard to Gemini, it revealed a new subscription-based model for access to its most premium AI assistant: Gemini Advanced. You can try out the service for a month at $0, but after that first month, it'll cost $19.99 every month.

For $20/month, Gemini Advanced uses Google's next-gen 1.5 Pro AI model, comes with 2TB of storage from Google One, and allows you to use Gemini in Gmail, Docs, and other services. For people who use virtual assistants for basic tasks, $20 for Gemini Advanced seems like a waste.

While Google was the first of the major tech companies to implement a subscription for its AI-powered virtual assistant, it followed in OpenAI's footsteps. OpenAI launched ChatGPT Plus in early 2023 at a cost of $20/month, giving users access to stronger AI models that could tackle more complex requests and other premium features.

With Google taking the subscription leap for Gemini Advanced, it's not surprising that Amazon is now jumping on that train for more profits. But are people actually paying for Gemini Advanced right now?

There aren't any currently published subscriber numbers to look at, but in a poll from Android Police on whether people pay for Gemini Advanced, 71% of 2,363 votes said, "No, I don't pay for Gemini Advanced."

With so many subscriptions to juggle right now — streaming services, dating apps, printer ink, meal delivery kits, and more — that high percentage of people not paying for Gemini Advanced doesn't surprise me. But if OpenAI, Google, and now Amazon are charging for an AI-powered version of its chatbot/VA, won't Apple inevitably do the same?

Apple already charges $19.95/month for Apple One, so the company clearly isn't averse to the subscription model. And Neil Shah, partner at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC that Apple may try to "pass it on with the Apple One subscription model," charging between $10 and $20 for Apple Intelligence.

I'd hope that since the company already has an Apple One subscription for its users, any cost for Apple Intelligence would be rolled into the existing Apple One subscription options rather than as a standalone, additional subscription to keep up with.

All that said, isn't AI solving all the wrong problems right now anyway? Unless Google, Amazon, Apple, and others provide clear reasons to invest in an AI-powered assistant versus its basic counterpart, I don't see people shelling out $20 every month for it.

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Prime Day 2023 is almost over, which means you don't have much time to get your hands on the $99 Amazon Fire 43-inch 4K . This is an absolute steal, resulting in a 75% discount — down from $399 — its biggest discount yet!

Exclusively for Prime members, to get this deal, you'll need to request an invite to join in on the purchase. It is without a doubt one of the best Prime Day TV deals you can get.

The best Prime Day TV deal ever

The Amazon Fire 43-inch 4K TV is an excellent entry TV choice for those needing a solid 4K LED display without investing in high-end technology. And now that the TV is 75% off, cutting $300 dollars from its price tag, now's the best time to invest into it. Featuring built-in Alexa support, alongside the Fire app that lets you use your favorite TV and movie apps.

This Amazon Fire TV isn't a miracle TV, though. It is specifically designed as an entry TV for those who aren't interested in mid-range or high-end TVs. We recommend OLED TVs along the lines of LG TVs, but it doesn't change how amazing this deal is. Considering Amazon is setting it up by invite exclusively, it's clearer than ever how valuable it is.

Sometimes we see deals on the internet that exaggerate how high the original price was, but this is not the case for this one. For a similar TV at similar quality, you will be spending anywhere between $300 to $400, so for this price to drop to $99 is unbelievable. We seriously recommend not missing out on this and trying to get an invite if you are in need of a TV.

Looking for more phenomenal Prime Day deals? We've got you covered! Visit our Prime Day deals hub for the best summer discounts.

WhatsApp is one of, if not the, most popular messaging platforms in the world. It’s seen as a secure and safe place for billions of users to communicate freely — guarded by secure end-to-end encryption.

It’s also owned by the man who once said “You can be unethical and still be legal.” So, when WhatsApp recently appeared to be accessing people’s phone mic every few minutes for no reason, there was justifiable concern. 

"It's just a bug"

Last month, Android users noticed that their phone’s Privacy Dashboard was showing an alarming amount of microphone activity from the Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp. One such startled user was former Twitter engineer, and ironically anagrammed “D afraid boi,” Foad Dabiri.

Dabiri garnered over 100 million views on a tweet showing WhatsApp’s activity on the Android Privacy Dashboard – showcasing the app’s frequent use of his phone’s microphone even while he was asleep. The tweet even caught the attention of Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who raised a digital eyebrow in Meta’s direction by responding with a “That’s weird.”

Hot take, Elon. Hot take.

However, we can all breathe a sigh of relief – as WhatsApp was quick to point out that this was just a bug in Android that was misidentifying mic access in the Privacy Dashboard. Google themselves corroborated this yesterday in a tweet that highlights “erroneous privacy indicators and notifications in the Android Privacy Dashboard.” (Oh good, so it's just that the privacy detection on Android doesn't work properly...wait a minute, that's quite bad too.)

But as far as WhatsApp is concerned, I guess that’s that. No looming conspiracy here, no cause for concern, nothing to see here, move along… Except… That does sound a little familiar doesn’t it? Haven’t we heard that one before? Am I suffering from a case of the digital deja-vous or something? 

It's always "Just a bug"

It’s not the first time we’ve heard that excuse, is it? In fact, since the dawn of virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa we’ve heard that exact phrasing be used when it comes to software making liberal use of its microphone access privileges.

There was the Google Home Mini’s long-touch 'bug' that merrily snooped through your private lives until Google disabled the feature entirely. What about the 'bug' in iOS 15 that saw Siri secretly forward conversations to Apple? 

Time and time again we are told that the notion that our devices are constantly listening to us and harvesting some sort of information is just a fantasy – and any occasion where they’ve been found to do so is “just a bug.” It’s an accident, our corporate overlords never meant to harvest all that additional data. It’s not like they make money from it or anything.

And if you don’t believe that then you’re some sort of a wild conspiracy theorist, living out in the woods and curling your fists over globalists and the latest He-man reboot. No. We don’t care how many conversations you’ve had with friends that have resulted in you being bombarded with eerily accurate ads afterwards, you take your crack-pot lunacy elsewhere.

At what point do we have to start pointing out this “just a bug” trend for what it really is? I’m no Biz Markie, but I know a “Just a friend” red flag when I see one.

Outlook

I’m happy to believe that WhatsApp probably wasn’t spying on users this time, but we’re right to be suspicious. Why wouldn’t they? While we’re all shouting “To the moon” at cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the cuff-linked gremlins running our corporatocracy are peddling in the real digital super currency – data.

We litter the sidewalks of the internet with our data on the daily without so much as a second thought, allowing it to be vacuumed up, fed into an algorithmic loom, and woven into a tapestry of marketing tactics designed to ensnare even the most stubborn among us.

While this story might have fallen in WhatsApp’s favor, it’s a stark reminder that there’s a real threat out there from companies who are more than happy to take advantage of opt-in by default data collection, information harvesting, and muddied terms of service agreements to get what they want – more of your valuable, precious data.

I mean who even reads terms of services? I’ve clicked agree on every terms of service I’ve ever seen without reading a single line of it. For all I know Mark Zuckerberg has my soul in a mason jar within the basement of Meta HQ. My advice? Drop all that conspiracy theory stigma, the chances are that your phone is spying on you, so learn how to stop it.

The Sennheiser HD 450SE headphones are the beginning of a hopeful mid-range redemption story. While Sennheiser is known for making some of the best headphones, including the highly-rated Momentum 3, some of its less expensive lineup has been lacking against tough competition. Take a look at the CX True Wireless earbuds, as an example.

That’s where the HD450SE come in, an over-ear pair hoping to buck this trend by adding Amazon Alexa to the popular HD 450BT for an additional ten bucks, along with delivering a signature Sennheiser sound and Bluetooth 5.0  — all in a rather affordable package.

Do these headphones provide good value for money? Let’s find out.

Sennheiser HD 450SE: Availability and price

The headphones are available in a slick black finish (more about that in the next section) for $199 (£169). This pricing puts them on the upper mid-tier price category, which also features the impressive Soundcore Life Q35 ($129) and Cleer Enduro ANC ($149).

You can pick up a pair directly from Sennheiser right now.

Sennheiser HD 450SE: Design and comfort

“Restrained and stylish” would be the words I’d use to describe my initial impressions of the Sennheiser HD 450SE’s design. 

No flash. No pomp and circumstance. Just a nice-looking pair of headphones with premium portability built-in with a smart folding design and plastics that don’t feel cheap. Sure, they are identical to the HD 450BT, but that’s not a bad thing when they look this classy.

At 7.8 x 2.8 x 6.1 inches with a weight of 8.4 ounces, these are smaller and significantly lighter than the Cleer Enduro ANC (9 ounces) and Soundcore Life Q35 (7.8 x 7.1 x 3.1 inches, 9.6 ounces). That makes them easier to carry around, but things aren’t as comfy when you put the HD 450 SEs on your head.

The clamping force is too tight for even average-size noggins like my own and the cushioning of the cups isn’t wide enough to be a truly over-ear pair of headphones. These are more of a hybrid between on-ear and over-ear headphones. They push down on the cartilage of your ears, making for an uncomfortable listening over longer sessions. What a shame it is given how nice these look.

Sennheiser HD 450SE: Controls and digital assistant

Amazon Alexa and the smart assistant on your phone make these ideal for on-the-go voice commands. The on-board microphones had no trouble picking up my requests throughout my testing.

However, controlling these headphones is not so easy. The buttons are responsive, but the layout is weird. 

On the likes of the Soundcore Life Q35, buttons are dispersed across both cups, which makes them easier to find given the extra space. Turning to these Sennheisers and all the buttons are crammed onto a small surface area on the right cup. 

The arrangement is busy, making it easy to forget which button does what outside of the easy-to-identify volume rocker. 

Sennheiser HD 450SE: Audio quality

The classic Sennheiser sound is here and produces a lovely listening experience when pumped out of the 32mm drivers, which deliver a frequency range of 18Hz to 22kHz.

Starting on the angrier side of the musical spectrum with Four Year Strong’s “Get out of my head,” this simple, but loud composition was handled with ease on the Sennheiser HD 450SE — distorted guitars had bite and the bass kick had a satisfying boom to them.

Making a hard turn into classic R&B bangers with “Millionaire” by Kelis proves these work well across any genre. The more subtle mid-tones continue to have great representation amidst the bass punch. But the hi hats can sound harsh when the composition gets busy.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be one of my reviews if I didn’t put them through my go-to song: “A Day in The Life” by The Beatles. The cacophony of the orchestral uprising section is always a good test, as many headphones and earbuds fail to provide definition to each of the 50+ instruments and instead turn them into a washy mess. 

The HD 450 SE, however, did not succumb to this problem, with the flatter profile of Sennheiser’s audio tuning giving everything room to breathe, allowing you to easily identify each instrument.

Sennheiser HD 450SE: Active noise cancellation and ambient listening

All of this is kept immersive with particularly powerful active noise cancellation. It does a great job at identifying and eliminating background noise — even when put under the more difficult testing like a loud, long train journey.

Unfortunately, there is no transparency mode on the HD 450SE, which when paired with the naturally strong noise isolation of over-ear headphones makes these slightly inconvenient for being able to hear someone calling for you, like what happened much to the frustration of my partner who spent five minutes shouting for me to come through to the living room.

Sennheiser HD 450SE: App

Like any of our previous Sennheiser reviews, the free Smart Control companion app (available on iOS and Android) is laid out nicely and offers you a decent level of customization, such as the fully editable EQ and a noise cancellation switch. Extra props for the rapid firmware update, which is delivered faster than anything I’ve tried in the past.

However, the continual lack of “find my headphones” across all of Sennheiser’s products is disappointing. This is more of a problem with true wireless earbuds, but is a default feature across most headphones at this price (and cheaper).

Sennheiser HD 450SE: Battery life

Sennheiser promises 30-hour battery life for the HD 450SE, which I hit in my own testing (give or take 20 minutes depending on how loud I had them). Charging is nice and fast too, with the ability to juice them to 80% in around 30 minutes, and fill them up to 100% in just under an hour.

But for all the fast charging abilities, the listening time of these is underwhelming, with Soundcore’s Life Q35 hitting 40 hours and the Cleer Enduro ANCs enduring for 60 hours. Sennheiser opted for lighter headphones than the competition, but the weight reduction compromises battery life.

Sennheiser HD 450SE: Call quality and connectivity

Call quality is great on the Sennheiser HD 450SE, with the microphones and noise cancellation highlighting my voice and ensuring I’m heard in most situations. And, since they are over/on-ear headphones, I heard the other end of the call clearly with the cups delivering decent isolation.

Like most audio products, the HD 450SE fell victim to the strong winds when I walked near a local river, but they did a decent job in these extreme conditions regardless — It mayhave sounded as though I were underwater but people could still hear me.

And the Bluetooth 5.0 connection remained strong and unbroken up to 25 feet away from my iPhone 12 Pro, Realme GT and M1 MacBook Pro. Itwould’ve been nice to see a later iteration of this codec in Bluetooth 5.1 this won’t make a difference in everyday use.

Sennheiser HD 450SE: Verdict

I really want to love these cans. They offer Sennheiser’s renowned sound profile, strong ANC and decent microphones for picking up voices during calls.

But the battery life falls behind its competition, the app lacks certain key features, and the uncomfortable fit makes these difficult to wear over longer periods.

And as far as the feature set and capabilities go, the HD 450 SE fell behind the Soundcore Life Q35 and Cleer Enduro ANC headphones — both of which are cheaper than Sennheiser’s option. All things considered, we wouldn’t recommend the Sennheiser HD 450SE over its competitors.

Move over Siri, Google and Cortana. Here comes Alexa. Amazon's take on the digital assistant is making the jump to PC, starting with Acer.

In fact, the laptop manufacturer will be the first to offer Alexa, as the assistant will be preinstalled on several of its 2-in-1 laptops including the Spin 3 and Spin 5 starting on May 23 and May 25, respectively.

Nowadays, it's all about the internet of things, and more specifically digital assistants like Amazon Alexa. To date, you can find Alexa in tablets like the Fire HD 8, soundbars (Polk Command Bar), headphones (OnVocal OV earphones) and of course, proprietary Amazon products like the Echo, Dot, Show and Spot. It was only a matter of time before the technology made the leap to laptops.

MORE: Best Acer Laptops

In addition to the Spin 3 and Spin 5 notebooks, Acer will also add Alexa to systems like the gamer-centric Nitro Spin 5 (update available starting in June). The company also plans to bring the technology to several laptops in its popular Swift, Aspire and Switch lines of notebooks as well as all-in-one PCs in coming weeks. If you already own one of the designated systems, you can expect an update via Acer's Care Center software sooner than later.

Consumers can summon Alexa using Intel's integrated digital sound processor, Intel Smart Sound Technology, which is specifically designed to handle voice and speech interactions. Some of Acer's laptops, such as the Spin 5, have four integrated microphones and far-field technology which will allow consumers to summon Alexa over fairly long distances, even in slightly loud spaces. Other Acer laptops will also utilize far-field tech, but will only have two mics to work with.

MORE: Best Alexa Skills

Similar to other digital assistants, Alexa will let consumers check the weather, update their schedules and play music among other commands. Alexa can also be used to control compatible smart home products, allowing you to adjust the temperature, turn on the lights or activate a smart security system from just about anywhere. If you don't own an Acer laptop, fret not -- the assistant is slated to come to a range of Windows 10 laptops throughout the year.

Want to learn what else Alexa can do? Be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to Alexa on our sister site, Tom's Guide.  

• Acer Laptops - Brand Review and Rating
• Acer Customer Service Rating
• How to Create Your Own Alexa Skill