Amazon has officially launched its AI-powered Alexa Plus in early access, but the upgraded assistant is missing several key features that were showcased during the company's recent devices event. According to Amazon spokesperson Kristy Schmidt, Alexa Plus is currently available to a "small number" of customers, with a broader rollout planned in the future.

One of the most notable omissions is the ability to brainstorm gift ideas, a feature that was heavily promoted during the devices event. Additionally, Alexa Plus cannot order groceries with voice commands, nor can it identify family members around the house and provide them with reminders to do chores. Other missing features include the ability to order takeout from Grubhub using context from a conversation and access to Kids Plus features like Stories With Alexa.

Despite these limitations, Alexa Plus is still capable of performing several tasks, including ordering an Uber, identifying objects, drafting emails, and searching for specific products. The assistant can also summarize uploaded documents, although the ability to delete these files is still in development. According to Amazon's early access page, customers can contact Customer Service to have original attachments deleted in the meantime.

Alexa Plus is currently available on Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 devices, with a planned expansion to most Echo devices in the future. The service is priced at $19.99 per month, or free for Prime members. Interested customers can sign up to be notified about early access on Amazon's website.

In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Kristy Schmidt said, "We're releasing a bunch of features to start, and we'll continue to launch new features in waves." While the company has not provided a timeline for when the missing features will be added, it's clear that Alexa Plus is still a work in progress.

The launch of Alexa Plus is a significant development in the AI assistant market, as Amazon looks to compete with rivals like Google Assistant and Apple's Siri. While the missing features are certainly a disappointment, the potential of Alexa Plus to revolutionize the way we interact with our devices is undeniable. As the service continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Amazon addresses the current limitations and adds new features to enhance the user experience.

In the meantime, customers who are interested in trying out Alexa Plus can sign up for early access on Amazon's website. With its promise of enhanced AI capabilities and seamless integration with Echo devices, Alexa Plus has the potential to become a game-changer in the world of AI assistants.