Amazon Alexa's popularity continues to grow as the voice assistant is now available in 20,000 compatible smart home devices, PCs, and other gadgets.
In a blog written by Ted Karczewski, the increase was fivefold from the 4,000 devices at the end of 2017. During the IFA 2018 in Berlin, around 50 announcements were made regarding new voice-forward devices that either work with Alexa or has built-in Alexa incorporated into their systems. At the Messe Berlin, around 70 devices showcased their Alexa integration, including Lenovo, Sony, RIVA, and Toshiba.
Amazon executive Daniel Rausch also announced that Alexa has sung "Happy Birthday" millions of times to customers, and she's told over 100 million jokes. Since Alexa was invented in 2014 as a device for the home, Rausch said Amazon will continue to beef up its capabilities from there.
Recently, Bose included Alexa as a built-in for its new devices such as a Home Speaker 500, Soundbar 700, and Soundbar 500, while Sony and Soundcore released new gadgets that were created with Alexa Mobile Accessory (AMA) Kit. Not to be outdone, Huawei has created a smart home hub with Alexa, while Toshiba recently previewed its OLED and LED TVs with Alexa built-in.
Aside from gadgets, Alexa is starting to become a hit for appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines to security systems and lawn mowers. During IFA 2018, Bosch, Haier, Yale, and Tado showcased their latest brands with built-in Alexa.
Alexa For PC Also In the Works
Recently, Amazon announced that Alexa was coming to PCs, where customers can ask questions, manage their calendar, shop for household items, and control smart home devices, among others, without the hassle of using their hands.
Karczewski said that during IFA 2018, several PC brands were spotted with expanded Alexa integrations. Customers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany will soon enjoy Alexa-powered PCs with Dell set to ship its Inspiron 7000 notebooks to them.
To keep up with Dell, Lenovo also said that Yoga C930 and Yoga S730 notebooks with Alexa built-in capabilities are arriving to the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany soon, while Acer's Z 24, Aspire 7, and Aspire 5 notebooks will come with built-in Alexa. MSI, for its part, will have Alexa on its GS65 laptop PC. Other PC brands such as HP and Asus also released their latest brands with Alexa capabilities.
Alexa Skills Exceed 50,000
As of now, Alexa developers have launched more than 50,000 skills that make it easier for companies, developers, and hobbyists to build upon for their convenience. In addition, thousands of device makers around the world are also working to integrate Alexa into their products, particularly the Alexa Voice Service and Alexa Skills Kit.
From 4,000 devices at the end of 2017, Alexa-compatible devices have increased to 20,000. The number could even rise with other brands planning to integrate Alexa into their products.
