Alexa bandwagon rolls through CES

Amazon did not have a booth or any public visibility at CES, yet Alexa, its always-listening Siri-like digital assistant, was widely viewed as the star of the show.

Check out these headlines:

Yahoo Finance: CES 2017’s breakout star: Amazon’s Alexa 

Business Insider: Amazon’s Echo is building a coffin that’s custom-made for Google

Wired: Alexa just conquered CES. The World is next

Dozens of exhibitors jumped on the Alexa bandwagon with announcements of plans to incorporate Alexa into their products. The technologies ranged from kitchen appliances to cars to home automation and entertainment devices. A few samples:

Autos: Ford and VW said they would integrate Alexa for weather, navigation and other information. Hyundai had already connected its Blue Link system to Alexa.

Wearables: Martian is putting Alexa in a smartwatch. Sensory will put Alexa and other AI assistants in Bluetooth headphones.

Home security: ADT is adding Alexa control to its Pulse security system. Array and Brinks will make smart locks that that will lock with a voice command. Somfy showed a hub that uses Alexa to manage sensors and cameras.

Phones: Huawei will put a default Alexa app on its Mate 9 smartphone. Existing phones can download the Alexa app today. 

Appliances: Whirlpool showed washers, dryers, refrigerators and ovens that can be controlled with Alexa. Samsung and Neato are putting Alexa into it robot vacuum cleaners. LG put it in a refrigerator and a home robot. Conway announced a smart air purifier with Alexa inside.

Video: Dish will add Alexa to the Hopper DVR. Westinghouse and at least two other TV makers will put Amazon’s Fire TV with Alexa-remotes in new models.

Home control: Alexa is coming to a GE LED lamp, a Belkin smart plug, smart switches from iDevices, and a smart power strip from Incipio.

Toys: Lynx, a dancing robot from Ubtech, and Hugo were among the robots at CES that respond to Alexa. (You can see Lynx bust a move in the video below.) Aristotle is an Alexa speaker programmed specifically for kids.

Gadgets: Alexa will be included in a bedside clock and speaker, the Dok Talk charger that charges five portable devices, the Nightingale smart sleep-aid system, and Bixi, a gesture-control device.

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Written by Ric Manning

Follow me on Twitter @ricmanning and read my technology columns at My Well Being.