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CES: The 2026 BMW iX3 will debut with a voice assistant powered by Alexa+

CES: The 2026 BMW iX3 will debut with a voice assistant powered by Alexa+

BMW is finally getting the next-generation Alexa voice assistant and it’s coming with a generative AI upgrade.

Amazon said Monday that the 2026 BMW iX3 will be equipped with Alexa+, the same generative AI tech that launched in millions of the e-commerce giant’s smart devices last year. This will be the first vehicle to come with Amazon’s next-generation voice assistant, the companies announced during the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The launch is one part of Amazon’s effort to bring its LLM-powered voice and digital assistant to every device — whether handheld or in the driver’s seat — touched by consumers. Alexa+ is already in more than 600 million devices. And automotive is next on the list.

Bringing a custom version of Alexa+ into the BMW iX3 will be an important test for Amazon. Automakers have struggled for years to bring a voice assistant inside vehicles that can handle complex functions and requests that don’t end with the driver yelling in frustration. Efforts to develop natural language processing — a form of AI that lets computers understand and respond to human speech — have been in the works for more than a decade. And while progress has been made, these systems can still be easily stumped by humans.

BMW and Amazon’s Alexa+ partnership has been three years in the making.

BMW announced in 2022 that Amazon Alexa would be the foundation of its next-generation voice assistant. This meant BMW wouldn’t just embed Alexa into its vehicles, but would use Amazon’s technology platform known as Alexa Custom Assistant to build its own custom version. That timeline was extended as Amazon worked on an automotive version of Alexa+, an overhauled voice assistant developed and powered by large language models that promises to deliver seamless and natural conversations, like talking to a human.

Alexa+ was built using Amazon Bedrock, a service that lets AWS customers build apps using generative AI models from Amazon and other third-party partners. Customers, like BMW, can then customize the app with their proprietary data.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco
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October 13-15, 2026

The end result, according to Amazon, is a voice assistant that can break down complex requests, reason through steps, and take actions across different services. For instance, Amazon says users can start a conversation with their Alexa+-enabled Echo speaker in the home and continue it in their BMW. Once in the car, the user can make requests through the Alexa+ assistant that might normally require opening up different apps, like say music, navigation, and a home security system.

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#CES #BMW #iX3 #debut #voice #assistant #powered #Alexa


In the past decade, we’ve had three Venom films, six Spider-Man films, and zero instances of the two meeting. Oh, sure. Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock briefly spoke about Spider-Man at one point. And, way back in another multiverse, Tobey Maguire’s webslinger faced off against the symbiote. But in the current theatrical life cycle of both characters, in both live action and animation, the arch-enemies have yet to showdown.

And while we assume that wait continues with Spider-Man: Brand New Day (no spoilers here), some of the people responsible don’t want fans to give up hope. Speaking to Happy Sad Confused, Spider-Man: Brand New Day producers Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige talked about a potential meet-up between the Toms.

“It would be great, let’s put it that way,” Pascal said. Feige then added, “Always have hope,” before Pascal tagged on, “I have hope. We have hope.” Of course, that’s a whole lot of nothing. But what it isn’t is a “No.” Here’s the quote as part of a longer clip.

Okay, so assuming that team-up doesn’t happen in Brand New Day (nothing in the marketing has indicated it could, but we wouldn’t want to completely rule it out), when could it happen?

Pascal did confirm the recent news of a Venom animated movie being in the works. So, maybe we see it happen in animation. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is also in the works, and it’s been well-established in that world that every Spider-Man or Spider-Man-adjacent movie is part of an infinite Spider-Verse. Maybe it happens then.

Live action gets a little murkier, though. The general assumption is Holland’s Spider-Man will be seen after Brand New Day in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. And that film is, again, rumored to feature all manner of cameos: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, etc. Surely Venom, an alien by origin, could feature in that in some way. But we don’t think so.

Honestly, the most likely place for this crossover would be a future Spider-Man film and, of course, none of those have been written yet. So “hope” is basically all there is. However, we can all but guarantee Brand New Day is going to be a massive financial success and force Sony to continue making Spider-Man movies. Venom seems like a perfect place for the story to go next. After Secret Wars, of course.

Do you think Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will ever fight Venom? And, if so, will it be Tom Hardy? Let us know below. And, if you are really craving that crossover, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game does a hell of a job of it.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

#SpiderMans #Producers #Arent #Ruling #Venom #CrossoverAmy Pascal,Kevin Feige,Spider-Man,Venom">Spider-Man’s Producers Still Aren’t Ruling Out a Venom Crossover
                In the past decade, we’ve had three Venom films, six Spider-Man films, and zero instances of the two meeting. Oh, sure. Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock briefly spoke about Spider-Man at one point. And, way back in another multiverse, Tobey Maguire’s webslinger faced off against the symbiote. But in the current theatrical life cycle of both characters, in both live action and animation, the arch-enemies have yet to showdown.

 And while we assume that wait continues with Spider-Man: Brand New Day (no spoilers here), some of the people responsible don’t want fans to give up hope. Speaking to Happy Sad Confused, Spider-Man: Brand New Day producers Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige talked about a potential meet-up between the Toms. “It would be great, let’s put it that way,” Pascal said. Feige then added, “Always have hope,” before Pascal tagged on, “I have hope. We have hope.” Of course, that’s a whole lot of nothing. But what it isn’t is a “No.” Here’s the quote as part of a longer clip.   Okay, so assuming that team-up doesn’t happen in Brand New Day (nothing in the marketing has indicated it could, but we wouldn’t want to completely rule it out), when could it happen?

 Pascal did confirm the recent news of a Venom animated movie being in the works. So, maybe we see it happen in animation. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is also in the works, and it’s been well-established in that world that every Spider-Man or Spider-Man-adjacent movie is part of an infinite Spider-Verse. Maybe it happens then. Live action gets a little murkier, though. The general assumption is Holland’s Spider-Man will be seen after Brand New Day in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. And that film is, again, rumored to feature all manner of cameos: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, etc. Surely Venom, an alien by origin, could feature in that in some way. But we don’t think so.

 Honestly, the most likely place for this crossover would be a future Spider-Man film and, of course, none of those have been written yet. So “hope” is basically all there is. However, we can all but guarantee Brand New Day is going to be a massive financial success and force Sony to continue making Spider-Man movies. Venom seems like a perfect place for the story to go next. After Secret Wars, of course. Do you think Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will ever fight Venom? And, if so, will it be Tom Hardy? Let us know below. And, if you are really craving that crossover, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game does a hell of a job of it.  Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.      #SpiderMans #Producers #Arent #Ruling #Venom #CrossoverAmy Pascal,Kevin Feige,Spider-Man,Venom

Spider-Man films, and zero instances of the two meeting. Oh, sure. Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock briefly spoke about Spider-Man at one point. And, way back in another multiverse, Tobey Maguire’s webslinger faced off against the symbiote. But in the current theatrical life cycle of both characters, in both live action and animation, the arch-enemies have yet to showdown.

And while we assume that wait continues with Spider-Man: Brand New Day (no spoilers here), some of the people responsible don’t want fans to give up hope. Speaking to Happy Sad Confused, Spider-Man: Brand New Day producers Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige talked about a potential meet-up between the Toms.

“It would be great, let’s put it that way,” Pascal said. Feige then added, “Always have hope,” before Pascal tagged on, “I have hope. We have hope.” Of course, that’s a whole lot of nothing. But what it isn’t is a “No.” Here’s the quote as part of a longer clip.

Okay, so assuming that team-up doesn’t happen in Brand New Day (nothing in the marketing has indicated it could, but we wouldn’t want to completely rule it out), when could it happen?

Pascal did confirm the recent news of a Venom animated movie being in the works. So, maybe we see it happen in animation. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is also in the works, and it’s been well-established in that world that every Spider-Man or Spider-Man-adjacent movie is part of an infinite Spider-Verse. Maybe it happens then.

Live action gets a little murkier, though. The general assumption is Holland’s Spider-Man will be seen after Brand New Day in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. And that film is, again, rumored to feature all manner of cameos: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, etc. Surely Venom, an alien by origin, could feature in that in some way. But we don’t think so.

Honestly, the most likely place for this crossover would be a future Spider-Man film and, of course, none of those have been written yet. So “hope” is basically all there is. However, we can all but guarantee Brand New Day is going to be a massive financial success and force Sony to continue making Spider-Man movies. Venom seems like a perfect place for the story to go next. After Secret Wars, of course.

Do you think Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will ever fight Venom? And, if so, will it be Tom Hardy? Let us know below. And, if you are really craving that crossover, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game does a hell of a job of it.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

#SpiderMans #Producers #Arent #Ruling #Venom #CrossoverAmy Pascal,Kevin Feige,Spider-Man,Venom">Spider-Man’s Producers Still Aren’t Ruling Out a Venom CrossoverSpider-Man’s Producers Still Aren’t Ruling Out a Venom Crossover
                In the past decade, we’ve had three Venom films, six Spider-Man films, and zero instances of the two meeting. Oh, sure. Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock briefly spoke about Spider-Man at one point. And, way back in another multiverse, Tobey Maguire’s webslinger faced off against the symbiote. But in the current theatrical life cycle of both characters, in both live action and animation, the arch-enemies have yet to showdown.

 And while we assume that wait continues with Spider-Man: Brand New Day (no spoilers here), some of the people responsible don’t want fans to give up hope. Speaking to Happy Sad Confused, Spider-Man: Brand New Day producers Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige talked about a potential meet-up between the Toms. “It would be great, let’s put it that way,” Pascal said. Feige then added, “Always have hope,” before Pascal tagged on, “I have hope. We have hope.” Of course, that’s a whole lot of nothing. But what it isn’t is a “No.” Here’s the quote as part of a longer clip.   Okay, so assuming that team-up doesn’t happen in Brand New Day (nothing in the marketing has indicated it could, but we wouldn’t want to completely rule it out), when could it happen?

 Pascal did confirm the recent news of a Venom animated movie being in the works. So, maybe we see it happen in animation. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is also in the works, and it’s been well-established in that world that every Spider-Man or Spider-Man-adjacent movie is part of an infinite Spider-Verse. Maybe it happens then. Live action gets a little murkier, though. The general assumption is Holland’s Spider-Man will be seen after Brand New Day in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. And that film is, again, rumored to feature all manner of cameos: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, etc. Surely Venom, an alien by origin, could feature in that in some way. But we don’t think so.

 Honestly, the most likely place for this crossover would be a future Spider-Man film and, of course, none of those have been written yet. So “hope” is basically all there is. However, we can all but guarantee Brand New Day is going to be a massive financial success and force Sony to continue making Spider-Man movies. Venom seems like a perfect place for the story to go next. After Secret Wars, of course. Do you think Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will ever fight Venom? And, if so, will it be Tom Hardy? Let us know below. And, if you are really craving that crossover, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game does a hell of a job of it.  Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.      #SpiderMans #Producers #Arent #Ruling #Venom #CrossoverAmy Pascal,Kevin Feige,Spider-Man,Venom

In the past decade, we’ve had three Venom films, six Spider-Man films, and zero instances of the two meeting. Oh, sure. Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock briefly spoke about Spider-Man at one point. And, way back in another multiverse, Tobey Maguire’s webslinger faced off against the symbiote. But in the current theatrical life cycle of both characters, in both live action and animation, the arch-enemies have yet to showdown.

And while we assume that wait continues with Spider-Man: Brand New Day (no spoilers here), some of the people responsible don’t want fans to give up hope. Speaking to Happy Sad Confused, Spider-Man: Brand New Day producers Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige talked about a potential meet-up between the Toms.

“It would be great, let’s put it that way,” Pascal said. Feige then added, “Always have hope,” before Pascal tagged on, “I have hope. We have hope.” Of course, that’s a whole lot of nothing. But what it isn’t is a “No.” Here’s the quote as part of a longer clip.

Okay, so assuming that team-up doesn’t happen in Brand New Day (nothing in the marketing has indicated it could, but we wouldn’t want to completely rule it out), when could it happen?

Pascal did confirm the recent news of a Venom animated movie being in the works. So, maybe we see it happen in animation. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is also in the works, and it’s been well-established in that world that every Spider-Man or Spider-Man-adjacent movie is part of an infinite Spider-Verse. Maybe it happens then.

Live action gets a little murkier, though. The general assumption is Holland’s Spider-Man will be seen after Brand New Day in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. And that film is, again, rumored to feature all manner of cameos: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, etc. Surely Venom, an alien by origin, could feature in that in some way. But we don’t think so.

Honestly, the most likely place for this crossover would be a future Spider-Man film and, of course, none of those have been written yet. So “hope” is basically all there is. However, we can all but guarantee Brand New Day is going to be a massive financial success and force Sony to continue making Spider-Man movies. Venom seems like a perfect place for the story to go next. After Secret Wars, of course.

Do you think Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will ever fight Venom? And, if so, will it be Tom Hardy? Let us know below. And, if you are really craving that crossover, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game does a hell of a job of it.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

#SpiderMans #Producers #Arent #Ruling #Venom #CrossoverAmy Pascal,Kevin Feige,Spider-Man,Venom

It’s one of the most expensive for a reason, and comes with more attachments than any other model. I do find myself regularly grabbing the Fluffy Optic head for vacuuming my hard floors, which cover many square feet of my home. If you’re looking to really splurge on the best vacuum, this is still the one to get.

The only downside is compatibility with Dyson’s bigger attachments, namely a mop head or docking station. It doesn’t have a Submarine option like the V16 or V15, and Dyson’s Auto-empty Dok won’t work with this model. But if you aren’t worried about add-ons, this is the vacuum to buy. It’s had better sales since the launch of the new models, too.

The Runner-Up

The V16 Piston Animal’s powerful 315 air watts of suction did pretty well on almost every test. My only issue with this vacuum compared to the Gen5Detect is that it was more likely to push small debris (in my tests, both sand and litter) into a pile in front of itself if you were vacuuming a large spill. Gen5Detect did better all around, but the V16 Piston Animal stayed close behind that hiccup.

It’s a powerful all-around vacuum with some nice design upgrades to make it a little easier to use. This newer model has a release below the vacuum motor to release the cleaner head without having to bend down, and built-in crevice tools to both the handheld motor and the long wand that makes up the middle of the device. There’s also a compressor to help push dust out of the dustbin, and it’ll be compatible with Dyson’s upcoming self-emptying docking station. There’s also a Submarine version ($1,100) so you can use this vacuum as a mop, too.

It has some nice quality-of-life upgrades, but it’s really expensive. I’d recommend it if you know you also want to invest in the mop head and docking station; otherwise, just get the Gen5Detect.

The Affordable All-Arounder

One of the best overall performers is nearly half the price of my winners. The Dyson V10 Konical never once scored in last place, and was especially comfortable to use on carpets and rugs with the new cleaner head design. It did much better than the more expensive and powerful Gen5Detect and V15 Detect when vacuuming up sand, and I found it more comfortable to push around than the Digital Motorbar head on the V15 and V8 when it came to vacuuming a low-pile rug.

#Testing #Dysons #Vacuums #Clear #Winnershopping,household,vacuums,cleaning,dyson">After Testing Dyson’s New Vacuums Against the Old, There’s a Clear WinnerIt’s one of the most expensive for a reason, and comes with more attachments than any other model. I do find myself regularly grabbing the Fluffy Optic head for vacuuming my hard floors, which cover many square feet of my home. If you’re looking to really splurge on the best vacuum, this is still the one to get.The only downside is compatibility with Dyson’s bigger attachments, namely a mop head or docking station. It doesn’t have a Submarine option like the V16 or V15, and Dyson’s Auto-empty Dok won’t work with this model. But if you aren’t worried about add-ons, this is the vacuum to buy. It’s had better sales since the launch of the new models, too.The Runner-UpThe V16 Piston Animal’s powerful 315 air watts of suction did pretty well on almost every test. My only issue with this vacuum compared to the Gen5Detect is that it was more likely to push small debris (in my tests, both sand and litter) into a pile in front of itself if you were vacuuming a large spill. Gen5Detect did better all around, but the V16 Piston Animal stayed close behind that hiccup.It’s a powerful all-around vacuum with some nice design upgrades to make it a little easier to use. This newer model has a release below the vacuum motor to release the cleaner head without having to bend down, and built-in crevice tools to both the handheld motor and the long wand that makes up the middle of the device. There’s also a compressor to help push dust out of the dustbin, and it’ll be compatible with Dyson’s upcoming self-emptying docking station. There’s also a Submarine version (,100) so you can use this vacuum as a mop, too.It has some nice quality-of-life upgrades, but it’s really expensive. I’d recommend it if you know you also want to invest in the mop head and docking station; otherwise, just get the Gen5Detect.The Affordable All-ArounderOne of the best overall performers is nearly half the price of my winners. The Dyson V10 Konical never once scored in last place, and was especially comfortable to use on carpets and rugs with the new cleaner head design. It did much better than the more expensive and powerful Gen5Detect and V15 Detect when vacuuming up sand, and I found it more comfortable to push around than the Digital Motorbar head on the V15 and V8 when it came to vacuuming a low-pile rug.#Testing #Dysons #Vacuums #Clear #Winnershopping,household,vacuums,cleaning,dyson

The V16 Piston Animal’s powerful 315 air watts of suction did pretty well on almost every test. My only issue with this vacuum compared to the Gen5Detect is that it was more likely to push small debris (in my tests, both sand and litter) into a pile in front of itself if you were vacuuming a large spill. Gen5Detect did better all around, but the V16 Piston Animal stayed close behind that hiccup.

It’s a powerful all-around vacuum with some nice design upgrades to make it a little easier to use. This newer model has a release below the vacuum motor to release the cleaner head without having to bend down, and built-in crevice tools to both the handheld motor and the long wand that makes up the middle of the device. There’s also a compressor to help push dust out of the dustbin, and it’ll be compatible with Dyson’s upcoming self-emptying docking station. There’s also a Submarine version ($1,100) so you can use this vacuum as a mop, too.

It has some nice quality-of-life upgrades, but it’s really expensive. I’d recommend it if you know you also want to invest in the mop head and docking station; otherwise, just get the Gen5Detect.

The Affordable All-Arounder

One of the best overall performers is nearly half the price of my winners. The Dyson V10 Konical never once scored in last place, and was especially comfortable to use on carpets and rugs with the new cleaner head design. It did much better than the more expensive and powerful Gen5Detect and V15 Detect when vacuuming up sand, and I found it more comfortable to push around than the Digital Motorbar head on the V15 and V8 when it came to vacuuming a low-pile rug.

#Testing #Dysons #Vacuums #Clear #Winnershopping,household,vacuums,cleaning,dyson">After Testing Dyson’s New Vacuums Against the Old, There’s a Clear Winner

It’s one of the most expensive for a reason, and comes with more attachments than any other model. I do find myself regularly grabbing the Fluffy Optic head for vacuuming my hard floors, which cover many square feet of my home. If you’re looking to really splurge on the best vacuum, this is still the one to get.

The only downside is compatibility with Dyson’s bigger attachments, namely a mop head or docking station. It doesn’t have a Submarine option like the V16 or V15, and Dyson’s Auto-empty Dok won’t work with this model. But if you aren’t worried about add-ons, this is the vacuum to buy. It’s had better sales since the launch of the new models, too.

The Runner-Up

The V16 Piston Animal’s powerful 315 air watts of suction did pretty well on almost every test. My only issue with this vacuum compared to the Gen5Detect is that it was more likely to push small debris (in my tests, both sand and litter) into a pile in front of itself if you were vacuuming a large spill. Gen5Detect did better all around, but the V16 Piston Animal stayed close behind that hiccup.

It’s a powerful all-around vacuum with some nice design upgrades to make it a little easier to use. This newer model has a release below the vacuum motor to release the cleaner head without having to bend down, and built-in crevice tools to both the handheld motor and the long wand that makes up the middle of the device. There’s also a compressor to help push dust out of the dustbin, and it’ll be compatible with Dyson’s upcoming self-emptying docking station. There’s also a Submarine version ($1,100) so you can use this vacuum as a mop, too.

It has some nice quality-of-life upgrades, but it’s really expensive. I’d recommend it if you know you also want to invest in the mop head and docking station; otherwise, just get the Gen5Detect.

The Affordable All-Arounder

One of the best overall performers is nearly half the price of my winners. The Dyson V10 Konical never once scored in last place, and was especially comfortable to use on carpets and rugs with the new cleaner head design. It did much better than the more expensive and powerful Gen5Detect and V15 Detect when vacuuming up sand, and I found it more comfortable to push around than the Digital Motorbar head on the V15 and V8 when it came to vacuuming a low-pile rug.

#Testing #Dysons #Vacuums #Clear #Winnershopping,household,vacuums,cleaning,dyson

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