At CES last year, voice was a big deal,
primarily as companies announced that their respective products could be enabled by Amazon Alexa.
At CES this year, voice also was a big deal, but in a somewhat different way.
More
companies announced that they were teaming with Amazon Alexa, with the Amazon voice agent integrated into their product.
For example, a shower from Moen now comes with Alexa built in. No need
to have an Amazon Echo in the bathroom, a consumer can simply speak to the shower.
Bathroom fixture maker Kohler introduced Kohler Konnect, which features voice-enabled technology for the
shower, bathtub, toilet, mirror and faucets.
Whirlpool introduced a smart clothes washer and dryer last year and at CES this year added Alexa voice control.
Alexa initially was wedded
to Amazon’s Echo line of products, but no more.
The digital voice assistant is expanding into the bathroom and the laundry room in a big way.
The reality is that the voice of
Amazon Alexa will essentially be everywhere.