While Amazon was not at the recent Consumer Electronics Show 2017, it was still present because of Alexa, Amazon's voice assistant, which powers the company's smart home speakers. The cloud-based Alexa has been a massive hit after the successful launch of Amazon Echo and Dot in 2016. Alexa is now open to third-party applications, and it appears to have been placed in many products at this year's CES.
Google Home and Apple HomeKit are budding competitors and Amazon is now expanding its ecosystem as much as possible to secure its top position in the market. Alexa is increasingly becoming the preferred voice assistant for smart home devices. A lot of products integrate Alexa, including smart TVs, refrigerators, and more. Even an app which controls Ford vehicles has integrated Alexa as well. The Huawei Mate 9 is the first smartphone to have the voice assistant pre-installed on it. Below are some other products that have incorporated Alexa:
LG InstaView Door-in-Door has a 29-inch touchscreen which allows owners to see what's inside the refrigerator and warns them when products are nearing their expiry date. LG Hub Robot also uses Alexa to finish household tasks. Meanwhile, Westinghouse, Element, and Seiki are coming up with 4K Ultra HD Smart TVs which use the Amazon Fire TV software.
Lenovo is also developing a voice assistant which is an Amazon Echo clone only with better audio. Mattel is producing Barbie with an Alexa clone, equipped with features that help parents raise their kids. Gesture control company, Bixi, is coming up with its second gen portable puck which has Alexa in it as well.
GE, on the other hand, has created C by GE Lamp which is an Internet-connected lamp that can be commanded to dim lights or wake the owner up. Whirlpool has come up with dryers, washers, ovens, and refrigerators that have Alexa in it so owners can control them with their voices.
Meanwhile, the Samsung POWERbot VR7000 is a robot vacuum which can be operated with just a voice command. Furthermore, Ford will use Alexa so drivers can order their cars to unlock or warm up. It can also turn on lights or adjust the thermostat at home while the owner is inside the vehicle.