Acer offers first ever laptops with built-in support for Alexa
Acer is rolling out the first ever laptops with built-in support for Amazon's voice-based digital assistant Alexa. The first group of systems that will have Alexa pre-installed includes Aspire 5, Nitro 5 Spin, Spin 5 (both 13-inch and 15-inch), Spin 3, and the Switch 7 "Black Edition." This PC lineup covers all types of systems: gaming laptops, tablet convertibles, ultrabooks, and thin-and-light models.
Existing systems can get Alexa via software update
While Alexa will come preloaded in the new laptop units that Acer now ships, users already owning the compatible laptops will also get native Alexa support via an update from the company's Care Center. This will start with the Spin 5 on May 23.
New pieces of hardware getting Alexa-compatible
With this, Amazon has pushed its smart virtual assistant on Windows 10 laptops, which was kind of a natural next step after establishing Alexa's strong foothold in the smart home space. It goes without saying that Alexa will be directly competing with Microsoft's Cortana as the latter has almost had a monopoly over Windows laptops so far.
Access to the same, wide range of Alexa tasks
In comparison, Apple's Siri is natively available on MacOS and Google has also been experimenting with Google Assistant on the Pixelbook. Notably, users will be able to carry out all the standard functions that Alexa supports on Acer's laptops as well. These will include getting weather updates, managing smart home devices, handling your schedule, and playing music, among others.
