In the future Amazon are aiming for Alexa to be with you everywhere, from leaving for work to turning into bed.
They mean to do this with their new lines of wearable technology. Unveiled last week the Amazon Echo Frames, Echo Loop ring and the Echo Buds, meaning you can now have Amazon on your face, ears and hands.
The $179.99 (£146) Echo Frames have been equipped with directional speakers, and also contain microphones for Alexa, this can connect to your handset to allow text and email messaging.
However, a slight disappointment is that you won’t have any visuals in the Frames, unlike the Google Glasses.
$129.99 for the Echo Loop, which is a smart ring that vibrates, alerting users of notifications. With a built in speaker and microphone for interactions with the Alexa system.
The Loop and Frames will have a limited release in a trial from its skunkworks hardware development division. But the Echo Buds, competitors to Apple’s AirPods, will get a wide release costing £119.99 in the UK and $129.99 in the US.
They feature a true wireless design, Bose active noise reduction technology and, of course, integrated Alexa functionality similar to that provided by Siri with second-generation AirPods.
Geoff Blaber, vice-president of research for the Americas at market analysts CCS Insight, said: “Amazon is doing what it does best. Entering new categories with new features and disrupting aggressively on price.
“With Echo Frames and Echo Loop Amazon is offering consumers the opportunity to help it experiment in new areas. The more Alexa usage grows, the lower hardware pricing becomes. This should be a significant concern for Amazon’s competitors.”
