![]() ![]() While Amazon's traditional options for calling up your voice assistant are Alexa, Computer, Amazon and Echo, there are several newer wake word additions you can use like Ziggy and Hey, Disney. I gave that speaker (and other speakers I just use for audio) a wake word other than "Alexa." I use the Dot mostly to play music, not necessarily to listen for commands. If you have two or more devices in the same vicinity, then it's best to give each one its own wake word.įor example, I have an Echo Show in my kitchen and an Echo Dot in the living room just a few feet away. I think Fire TV just enhances that.If you're like me and have multiple Echo devices in the same area, then you already know how annoying it can be to yell, "Alexa!" and have every device compete for your attention. "It's unbelievable when you look at the utility of what Alexa brings into the home. "People do use it for an alarm clock, don't get me wrong, but they use it for so many broad things," Limp said. Still, Limp said engagement with Alexa devices continues to increase. Rather than being used for shopping lists, ordering groceries and setting schedules, what if Echo owners limit their use to basic functions like alarm clocks, timers and weather updates? ![]() Some worry that Echo speakers are headed in the direction of other once-trendy consumer devices that eventually lost their value. Bloomberg reported that Amazon executives have expressed concern about fading Alexa user engagement. Amazon has about 10,000 people working on Alexa-related projects.īut Bezos' vision isn't universally accepted. Since its launch in 2014, Amazon has made big investments in Alexa and assigned top talent to grow the technology, largely at the direction of founder Jeff Bezos, who saw voice as key to how people would interact with computers in the future. "We're still super committed to the Fire TV and Alexa businesses, and you can see it with the products," Limp said, referring to Wednesday's announcement. ![]() Layoffs in the Alexa division were primarily in and around health-related services and newer projects that were "even higher beta," Limp said. Just under 2,000 people in Limp's division were let go as part of the job cuts, he previously told CNBC. "So how can we make better use of them?"Īmazon is doubling down on TVs at a time when CEO Andy Jassy has moved aggressively to cut costs, resulting in the largest layoffs in company history, a corporate hiring freeze and several canceled projects.Ī portion of the layoffs, which are expected to total 27,000 employees, landed in Limp's organization, which oversees the development of products such as Alexa, Echo smart speakers and Kindle e-readers. "As you're going around your house and you have all these dark panels, typically they're off and they're big black holes on the wall in your house," Limp said. For example, Samsung and LG have TVs that display high-quality art or photographs when they're not in use. The company calls it the Fire TV Ambient Experience. Amazon sees an opportunity to transform the TV into what's essentially an extra-large smart display that's always on. Entertainment is still the primary purpose of the TV, and the numerous form factors of the Echo can be used in any room in the house.įor Amazon to make a dent in the hypercompetitive smart TV market, the company needs a selling point that goes beyond TV shows, movies and offering all the streaming services available. Limp, as you'd expect, rejects the idea that an Alexa-powered Fire TV will cannibalize the company's Echo devices. "So it does serve double duty, it's just its primary responsibility is first and foremost to be a great television." "I don't have an Echo in there anymore, I just use my TV," Limp said. Amazon said Wednesday it has sold more than 200 million Fire TV devices globally, up from 150 million last January.īut as Amazon puts more emphasis on the TV, the company risks the possibility that consumers will shelve their Echo smart speakers, which were introduced in 2014 and soon became a home sensation. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lowerĭave Limp, Amazon's hardware chief, told CNBC in an interview that smart TVs are the fastest-growing part of the company's Fire TV business, which also includes streaming sticks and the Fire TV Cube, a streaming box with Alexa. Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit ![]()
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