You'll pay more for Amazon Prime if you pay monthly

[MUSIC] Amazon is stepping up its battle with Netflix with new subscription plans. But the math doesn't always add up. I'm Bridget Carey, this is your CNet update. Amazon is now selling its Prime memberships in new monthly packages. But it's not gonna save you any money in the long run. Let's start by breaking down the prices, you can still get the standard 1 year of Prime for $100, and it comes with all the perks. But if you don't wanna commit to a full year, there's a monthly plan for about $11 a month. And if you just want video streaming You can now buy that separately for nine dollars a month. But over the course of a year, both of these of more expensive than just getting the normal full year of Prime for $100. It only makes sense to get these other options, if you just want a few months of access. But here's what makes the options interesting. That video only choice for nine dollars a month is a dollar cheaper than Netflix's standard service, Amazon is taking the battle against Netflix pretty seriously as it also invests in more original shows. Amazon's also making updates to the Amazon Echo Smart Speaker. It continuously adds new support for different apps, such as letting you give it voice commands to control different smart home appliances or control music on. Spotify or even book an Uber car. And now the speaker can answer questions a parent may have about their child's health like what they should do if there's a fever. How much medication is safe to give? The Echo also works with the home advisor app so you can talk to the speaker to hire a plumber or another handyman service. And just a few quick updates to mention before we wrap. Microsoft Skype video calls now work without needing to download any plugins that is if you're using the Microsoft Edge browser. Folks on Chrome Safari, Firefox, and old Internet Explorer just need to download a plugin to do a chat over the website and LinkedIn just launched a new app for college students. It's simply called LinkedIn Students. It helps connect students with alumni and resources to help in the job search. It even shows you what other graduates at your school School are doing what their degree is now. So if things are looking depressing, you can still change course before it's too late. That's all for this tech news roundup. And you can head to cnet.com for the latest. From our studios in New York, I"m Bridget Carey.