Alexa+ has just become significantly more helpful, especially if your devices are included in this list.

      Your smart home is about to become significantly more intelligent.

      You may have asked Alexa to perform various tasks over the years, but "determine which of my washer's 30 cycles corresponds to a cold wash" probably wasn't one of them.

      Interestingly, Amazon has developed a toolkit that makes this functionality possible, and it will be made available across an extensive range of brands starting today.

      So, what changes can you expect for your smart home devices?

      Amazon is introducing a new AI-driven developer toolkit for smart home devices that allows manufacturers to integrate their complete feature sets into Alexa+, eliminating the need for users to sift through app menus themselves.

      Amazon reports that customers who switch to Alexa+ experience close to a 50% increase in smart home engagement in just the first month. This toolkit is evidently aimed at boosting that figure even further.

      The washer example mentioned earlier is a real functionality. If you tell Alexa that your child’s soccer jersey needs a deep clean but can only be washed in cold water, it will select the precise cycle for you. Currently, devices from brands like Bosch, Whirlpool, iRobot, Govee, Yale Home, and Eufy are compatible.

      What about booking, spending, and third-party applications?

      Amazon is also implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing brands to integrate their own MCP server so that Alexa+ can examine it and provide developers with a ready-made path for integration. Companies such as Priceline, Lyft, Headspace, and Virgin Atlantic are among the initial testers of this feature (set to launch later this year).

      This works in conjunction with the new Amazon Wallet, which enables instant checkouts using your saved Amazon payment method. Businesses like Atom Tickets and Fandango are already creating ticket purchasing processes built around it.

      Everything here is still labeled as Preview, so anticipate a slower public rollout than what the announcement suggests. Amazon's initiative toward MCP support places Alexa+ in a similar architectural category as the agentic tools from Anthropic and OpenAI, positioning voice assistants as orchestration layers rather than independent applications.

      For over five years, Shikhar has continually simplified developments in consumer technology and presented them...

      LG has agreed to eliminate the McAfee pop-up on Windows PCs after Microsoft intervened.

      This is a quick fix, not a comprehensive solution, since the channel that allowed LG to add the pop-up remains active.

      When an LG monitor is connected, Windows may quietly install more than just a driver. Several users recently discovered this when a pop-up advertising a McAfee antivirus trial appeared on their screens without any consent prompts. Following Microsoft's involvement, LG has announced that it will disable the ad.

      Where the pop-up originated from

      Mozilla has made it easier to differentiate between work and personal browsing.

      With the release of Firefox 153, Mozilla has provided users with a built-in method to separate professional, personal, shopping, and banking activities. The update began rolling out to users on the Release channel on July 21, also introducing HDR video playback on Windows, PDF enhancements, and improved controls over local files and network devices.

      The Containers feature opens tabs in isolated environments, where cookies, logins, and site storage are not shared. This allows users to stay logged into two accounts on the same website, keep their work Google account distinct from personal YouTube activity, or prevent shopping cookies from tracking daily browsing.

      OpenAI has introduced a feature that allows ChatGPT to connect with Apple Health data for more personalized health responses.

      OpenAI is entering a new domain with the launch of Health in ChatGPT, a feature that enables users to securely link health information from Apple Health and supported medical records. This functionality is rolling out to users in the United States and is designed to facilitate more personalized health-related inquiries, moving beyond isolated conversations.

      OpenAI notes that over 300 million people utilize ChatGPT weekly for health-related questions, ranging from understanding lab reports to preparing for medical appointments.