Alexa is the brain behind Amazon Echo, a cloud-connected speaker that offers hands-free voice control for everything from music to weather and alarms.
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But the GE-Alexa connection isn’t direct; users must first download a Geneva instruction set, or “skill”, onto the Alexa app, and then invoke the name of the GE cyber intermediary to elicit a response. You can ask Alexa questions, use it to add items to your shopping list, get news and traffic updates, and even play games.
Amazon will launch the Echo speaker and its voice-activated Alexa personal assistant in the United Kingdom this week, amid rumours of a cheaper model also being released. Users can make simple commands such as “Alexa, tell Geneva to preheat the oven to 350 degrees”.
The speaker, which first launched this March, originally cost $89.99 and has been sold out since July.
KAYAK: Use the KAYAK skill to plan and track your next trip through Alexa, just say “Alexa, ask KAYAK: Where can I fly for $300?” GE Appliances products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. Liz VerSchure, a GE Appliances vice president, said an appliance like a dishwasher could one day send an alert to someone if it’s leaking.
Older appliances can’t be upgraded to work with Alexa; only newer models with Wi-Fi connectivity are compatible. “When we launched the Alexa Skills Kit over a year ago, our goal was to enable developers to build compelling voice experiences for Alexa customers”. So far, Amazon said, this fund has invested in 16 startups, mostly focused on smart home and wearable products.
GE Appliances isn’t opening up total control via Echo given safety concerns.
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Alexa now has more than 2,000 skills, and Amazon is poised to become the primary smart home enabler through voice control.
