Amazon paves the way for upcoming Alexa-enabled smart lamp and speaker hybrids

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Since her debut back with the original Echo, Amazon’s Alexa has made her way to just about every device or appliance you can imagine. And with one of the voice assistant’s main skills being control of your smart lights, it’s only natural to combine the two devices. At least that’s what one of Amazon’s latest initiatives intends to do. By working with third-party manufacturers, Amazon hopes to bring more Alexa-packed smart lamps to the market.

The idea of your beloved digital assistant Alexa residing in an LED lamp isn’t anything new, smart home accessory manufacturers like GE have already combined the two in its circular Sol light. A variety of crowdfunding campaigns have popped up alongside the rise of Alexa as well, offering a variety of takes on voice-controlled lamps. But this announcement is the first of its kind that Amazon has had a direct involvement in.

Working together with Alexa’s master, Adition is the main manufacturer behind the currently un-released smart lamp. And while the Alexa-imbued light still hasn’t been designated a name, we have some details on what kind of technology you can expect to see come its release. Headlined by dual microphones, Adition lamp packs the usual array of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity alongside all of the features you’d typically get from Alexa like music playback and smart home control.

But of course, the lighting features are what sets this apart from other Alexa speakers on the market. Adition’s lamp is based around a series of dimmable LEDs that illuminate warm colors. So rather than being a flashy mood lamp, Amazon has focused on a more functional design. All this comes in a form-factor quite similar to that of a typical Amazon Echo.

Aside from bringing its Alexa assistant into more homes, one of Amazon’s main goals is to make the development of smart lights easier on manufacturers down the road. This will let other companies utilize Adition’s design as a starting point, meaning multicolor support and other features may come down the line.

As of now, pricing and availability are still up in the air. And while it may be awhile before Adition begins to roll out the Alexa-enabled smart lamp, it’s great to see Amazon working on bringing its voice assistant to new form-factors.

[9to5-press-release]

Today, we’re excited to introduce three new Alexa-enabled white-box solutions offered by Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) JUNLAM, Narui, and Adition. These solutions are pre-tested, final-product designs qualified by Amazon. ODMs are a key resource for companies looking for an accelerated path to bringing quality Alexa-enabled products to market.

We envision a world where Alexa is everywhere, accessible through any connected device. In this world, you will be able to walk into a room and simply speak to Alexa, to get news updates, control smart home devices, and enjoy entertainment hands-free. Last November, we introduced AVS Solution Providers – Systems Integrators (SIs) and ODMs that offer a wide range of Alexa Voice Service (AVS) solutions qualified by Amazon – to help realize this vision by making it even easier for OEMs to launch their own Alexa-enabled products. The three new white-box solutions introduced today expand those available solutions.

JUNLAM’s CAW-18057 and Narui’s M120 are Alexa-enabled smart speakers in the cylindrical form factor, which has come to define the tabletop smart speaker category. The solutions feature 2-mic voice capture arrays, stereo speakers, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and support for multiple music services. We are excited to see how these two white-box options help propel the smart speaker market.

Adition’s Lamp Speaker is a smart home solution that gives soft, warm light with dimming support. It doubles as an Alexa-enabled smart speaker with a 2-mic solution, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and support for multiple music services. This solution is an exciting example of how Alexa can be integrated into products already found in the home.

JUNLAM, Narui, and Adition broaden the selection of white-box solutions available to device makers. They join Tonly Electronics and Wistron as ODM providers with qualified solutions for AVS. You can learn more on the Original Design Manufacturers webpage.

[/9to5-press-release]

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