Alexa really could soon be everywhere – including your car.
At the annual Vegas tech gathering CES dozens of firms have revealed the smart assistant is coming to everything from dashboards to power chargers, bringing the smart assistant war to cars.
Amazon’s new Alexa Onboard technology will let users access the Alexa voice assistant through their car’s infotainment system.
That means drivers or passengers can play music, ask for directions or get other information simply by speaking to the car’s audio system.
Manufacturers are building Alexa directly into cars, while others are offering low cost ways to upgrade your current vehicle – such as this $50 plug-and-play Bluetooth smart charger Roav Viva from Anker
Toyota says it will begin integrating Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant into some of its vehicles this year, so drivers can tell their cars to play music or set a comfortable temperature at home before arriving.
In choosing Alexa over rival Google Assistant, Toyota Connected CEO Zack Hicks says Amazon is the right partner as Toyota studies what future mobility might look like.
With Alexa, customers can simply ask for directions, control entertainment, get the news, add items to a shopping list, control their smart home while on the road, and more, Toyota says.
‘Voice services are rapidly becoming more popular and through our integration with Amazon Alexa, Toyota and Lexus customers will soon be able to easily speak to Alexa in their cars while on-the-go,’ said Hicks.
‘We’re thrilled that Toyota and Lexus will bring Alexa to customers on the road,’ said John Scumniotales, head of product for Amazon Alexa Automotive.
‘Our vision for Alexa is that she should be everywhere a customer might need her – at home, in the office, on phones – and in cars.
‘This integration means that customers can interact with Alexa, virtually anywhere they drive.’
Once Alexa is enabled, drivers can ask her to do things like adjust their smart home’s temperature so it’s comfortable when you get there, add milk to your shopping list on your way to the store, or listen to an audiobook from Audible.
The integration will start later this year.
Alexa could soon be coming to a lot more devices, from smart watches to Bluetooth headphones. Amazon announced its new Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit today, in a move to expand the voice assistant to ‘on-the-go’ devices. Amazon’s Echo Dot is pictured
Hicks says there’s nothing preventing Toyota from partnering with others in the future.
Panasonic also said Monday it will put Alexa in its next-generation infotainment systems.
The company says the collaboration would allow functions such as heating and ventilation systems as well as audio and navigation functions to be controlled through Alexa skills.
It is also working with Amazon to provide Alexa Onboard with the infotainment system to let some skills work when the car is not connected to the internet through public wifi or an in-car hotspot.
Just before CES kicked off, Amazon announced its new Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit, in a move to expand the voice assistant to ‘on-the-go’ devices.
While Alexa has appeared on wearables before, the new kit aims to make the process much simpler, so Bluetooth devices built with it can connect right to Alexa through the smartphone app.
The new Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit means developers would no longer need to take on the bulk of the coding in order to add Alexa to their devices, the firm explains in a new blog post.
It works with the Amazon Alexa App for both iOS and Android, and will connect to Bluetooth audio device that have the new capability.
This could soon include headphones, smart watches, and fitness trackers.
According to Amazon, the kit will become available for developers ‘later this year.’
There are already a number of big name device makers working to integrate the service, with Bose, Jabrra, iHome, Beyerdynamic, Linkplay, SUGR, and Libre Wireless working to put out ‘Alexa on-the-go’ devices this year.
Amazon has revealed that Alexa users in the US can now control their microwave ovens with simple voice commands, by stating phrases such as: ‘Alexa, defrost three pounds of chicken.’ It will soon come to other appliances, including conventional ovens, as well
The move aims to bring hands free control to mobile devices, allowing easier access to weather updates, music, calendar management, and more.
Amazon also revealed today that Alexa users in the US can now control their microwave ovens with simple voice commands, by stating phrases such as: ‘Alexa, defrost three pounds of chicken.’
While the functionality is limited to microwaves for now, Amazon says support for ‘other cooking devices,’ including conventional ovens, is on the way.
The new microwave functionality will first come to customers in the US, with other countries to follow.
Whirlpool has developed an Alexa skill for its connected microwaves, with plan to launch the service soon.
According to Amazon, Alexa users will be able to ask the smart assistant to set cook times, modes, and power levels, instead of relying on what the firm says can be a ‘confusing microwave experience.’
GE, Kenmore, LG, and Samsung are also working to integrate the cooking capabilities.
Amazon says there are four new capability interfaces in Alexa’s Smart Home Skill API – Alexa.Cooking, Alexa.Cooking.TimeController, Alexa.TimeHoldController, and Alexa.Cooking.PresetController.
On social media, reactions to the latest capabilities have been mixed, with some users commenting sarcastically on the idea that the common household appliance is ‘confusing.’
And, others are focusing on the potentially dangerous ways the new capability could go wrong.
Amazon’s Alexa has steadily been building its skill set over the last few months.
Police are even exploring whether the devices could be used by owners to report crimes without ever leaving their couch.
The firm also revealed last month that Alexa is headed to the workplace.
The company said that Alexa is now programmed to handle a range of tedious office tasks.
Businesses can buy Alexa devices that help employees dial into conference calls, manage their calendars, find open meeting rooms and – not surprisingly – order work supplies from Amazon.