In a bid to push Alexa more into our homes, Amazon has offered it free to third-party manufacturers who will be able to come up with a concept that integrates the smart assistant into their product.
General Electric is among the first to release an output in the form of a lamp called C, and the world got a glimpse of how Alexa figured into the equation.
What Is Alexa?
It is helpful to remember that Alexa is Amazon's own virtual assistant. It is similar in function to Google's own smart assistant and, to some extent, Apple's Siri.
Of course, Alexa is designed to be a tool for accessing Amazon services such as shopping at its website and enjoying the content bundled in an Amazon Prime subscription, among others.
However, it is also equipped with sophisticated algorithm to respond to specific commands like opening emails, streaming music, monitoring Twitter or even enabling connected devices such as lawn sprinklers and thermostats.
GE Smart Lamp
Essentially, C is a table lamp but a very stylish one. It is constituted by a circular LED tube, which resembles a halo when turned on or even a portal that could take you to another dimension.
Some observers stated that it is sleek enough to snag a place in a modern art museum. The contraption is a brainchild of designer Richard Clarkson, notorious for creating various tech products that look like actual clouds.
Alexa can be found at the base, still sporting the same color tone for brand identity, but — this time — it is smaller than the Echo. Though it does not have the same quality as the speaker, it is still capable of Alexa's core functions and the virtual assistant smarts, which includes what Amazon calls as skills.
One may be assured it can order around third party smart home devices that support Alexa. Obviously, this includes the C lamp itself.
The sound quality is also more inferior to the Echo speaker but some believe that it could be on par with Amazon's Echo Dot.
It is also worth noting that like other lamps in the C by GE smart bulbs series, the lamp will ship with GE's proprietary smart lighting app.
Price And Availability
In the announcement, GE did not provide any pricing detail save for the claim that it will be cheaper than the Amazon Echo. There is also no word about a release date, although the company cited a 2Q 2017 launch. This should be disappointing for those in the market for a smart assistant or a smart lamp this holiday season.
If you really need one for yourself or as a gift, you can always get an Echo speaker or Echo Dot. Amazon also has a big list of smart lamps to choose from.
