When Amazon first launched its Echo Smart Speaker last year, it also set up a $100 million investment fund to help bring its Alexa developer kit to additional third-party devices. Today, that money is coming to fruition with the new Triby voice-controlled smart hub and speaker.
This is the first non-Amazon device to utilize Alexa’s Voice Service, although we have seen DIY projects that are able to leverage it. Not only does it offer support for the popular virtual assistant, this portable speaker is packed with other features like VoIP, Spotify Connect and more. Full details below.
At its core, Triby is very similar to Amazon Echo. It has always-on Alexa services, a built-in Bluetooth speaker and can control many of your smart home devices such as Philips Hue and WeMo. Features expand when the accompanying smartphone app is accounted for with VoIP and a variety of task management capabilities.
While Echo has a dark and electronic look to it, Triby is a family-friend visual appearance that is welcoming. The magnetic backside is designed to stick on your fridge or any other applicable location. A built-in battery provides up to two days of usage and brings portability into the mix (another feature devoid from Echo but available on Tap).
The front of Triby is covered in a mesh aluminum grate with a handle and e-ink style display. You’ll also find two radio station preset buttons and speed dial for a couple of important contacts. VoIP calling is handled by the accompanying app and can be transfered to your smartphone as long as you stay within range (15-feet). Other features include the ability to draw notes and message on the display and Spotify Connect.
Amazon Echo was designed as a central hub for a tech advanced house that prefers instant-access to information. Triby feels like a much more family-friendly play. The tactile interface and e-ink display bring a welcome vibe to a product category that can be intimidating for some. We expect this to open the floodgates to more Alexa-enabled devices in the near future from brands other than Amazon.
Triby carries a list MSRP of $200 but is available today direct at a special discounted price of $169 in four different colors. That puts it on par with Echo but still quite a bit more than Amazon’s latest Alexa-focused products that were released last month.
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Amazon Alexa Voice Service Goes Live on Triby – The Family Friendly Portable Speaker, Connected Message Board and Speakerphone
New York, New York April 28, 2016 – Invoxia, a leading developer of speakers and telecoms devices, has announced the Amazon Alexa Voice Service (AVS) is now integrated and available on Triby, its familyfriendly kitchen device that combines music, messaging and communication functionality in one voiceactivated product. Starting today, Triby becomes the first non-Amazon product to be Alexa-enabled. Triby is a fun addition to any family, transforming the way they connect with the content and people they love.
Triby is a digital assistant, Internet radio, connected speaker, hands-free speakerphone, and connected message board all rolled into one! And now with Alexa, customers have hands-free voice control for information from Wikipedia and the web, weather, timers and alarms, news, shopping/to-do lists, sports updates and scores, smart home features, calendar entries, IFTTT, and much more—with new skills being added every week. To learn more about Alexa on Triby, visit www.amazon.com/triby.
As the first non-Amazon product with a built-in Alexa experience, Triby gives families unprecedented access to new and exciting services. Simply say “Alexa, play Adele” and Triby can play Adele from Prime Music, say “Alexa, add milk to my list” and Triby will add it to your shopping list, or “Alexa, turn off the kitchen lights” and Triby becomes a way to access and control the smart home. “As a company with a specialty in creating speakers and telecoms devices, we are excited by the world of possibilities consumer products like Triby offer families to improve their lives,” said Sébastien de la Bastie, Managing Director of Invoxia. “Our expertise in far field voice capture and connected devices helped us integrate the Alexa Voice Service quickly, and now the already multi-functional Triby becomes even more versatile and intelligent, giving people access to continually evolving cloud-based content and services.” “As one of our first Alexa Fund companies, it’s great to see Triby offer their customers Alexa integration today,” said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “We believe voice is the most natural way to interact with technology in your home, which is one reason we’ve made access to the Alexa Voice Service available to device makers and developers for free.” The Power of Speech Invoxia brings its expertise in building state-of-the-art business speakers and conference phones to Triby.
Using four digital microphones, and noise and echo cancellation technologies, Triby creates a beam to capture voices while eliminating background noise from up to 15 feet away. With the Alexa-enabled Triby, users can play music, hear information, get the news, order a ride from Uber, set timers and alarms, control their smart home devices, and much more with just their voice. Along with access to Alexa services, users will also be able to use voice commands to control various aspects of Triby’s multi-functionality in the future, including making calls. Wake-word detection works even when Triby is operating on batteries, thanks to a dedicated ultra-low power chip. To respect privacy, Triby will not send any audio to the cloud until the “Alexa” wake word is detected. It then alerts the user it is listening with an audio and visual signal, and is immediately ready to carry out the user’s voice command. Customers can also choose to mute the microphone at any time by pressing and holding the push-to-talk button on the right side of the device. Music Matters Triby is an amazing family sound system, ideal for listening to music, podcasts or audio books. Its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connected speaker delivers impressive sound and lets you switch between content from personal devices, streaming services and Internet radio stations.
Triby is all about the bass and the treble, thanks to its In Vivo Acoustic® technology that delivers stateof-the-art sound processing. Two built in speakers and a passive radiator are managed by 3D algorithms that create immersive soundscapes with profound bass and clear treble. Surprisingly powerful for a device designed for the kitchen, Triby is magnetic and mighty, transforming the fridge from an icebox to a boom box. Triby is totally portable and can be enjoyed wherever family life is happening in and out of the home. With Alexa, customers can ask to play music from Prime Music, iHeartRadio, or TuneIn simply by asking. Through Bluetooth, any personal music device or smartphone can be paired. When connected through Wi-Fi, Triby blasts out music from online radio stations, as well as premium services such as Spotify Connect. Users can pre-set their favorite playlists and radio stations through the app, and access and manage them at the push of a button. Triby’s E-ink screen is always on and displays information about the station, playlist or track they are listening to. Say goodbye to Landlines People can say goodbye to landlines as Triby allows them to make free hands-free VoIP calls or turn their smartphone into a crystal clear speakerphone.
Now people can catch up while they wash up from up to 15 feet away. Contacts can be pre-set and managed with Triby through its dedicated iOS app, and only people within the pre-set group can call Triby, which means no unsolicited calls. Because it’s a closed family network, even the youngest of children can make safe calls to loved ones without having to have their own phone. Sticky Note 2.0 Triby transforms the fridge memo into a fun digital experience. Messages, emoji and freestyle drawn doodles can be sent to Triby via its dedicated app. Messages are displayed via Triby’s E-Ink display and its fun mailbox flag is raised to alert you that a message has been received. Child-friendly, Triby makes family communications child’s play.
Design & Availability Playful and kid-friendly, Triby features large simple keys, a robust splash-proof and dirt-proof durable design, and strong magnetic back to attach to fridges and other magnetic objects. Multi-colored rubber protective bumpers are also available to make Triby even more kitchen friendly. Washable and interchangeable, they are sold separately. Priced $199, Triby first became available through Amazon Launchpad, a program that makes it easy for startups to launch, market, and distribute their products to hundreds of millions of Amazon customers across the globe. Triby is available on Amazon at www.amazon.com/triby and at www.triby.io. Protective bumpers are priced $19.
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