Amazon pushes Alexa integration further with 4k Fire TV partnership
Amazon is trying to push its Alexa voice assistant further into your home in a partnership with China-based electronics giant Tongfang to produce Fire-powered 4k UHD TV sets under the Seiki, Westinghouse and Element Electronics brands.
CES 2017
The 4k TV sets will range from 43- to 65-inches, and of course, the TVs' remote will feature an integrated microphone so Fire TV's Alexa digital assistant can pick up your voice. The sets will feature 3GB of RAM and 16GB internal memory for apps.
TV sets will be sold on Amazon and retail store. Pricing and availability wasn't shared.
"Smart TVs can be cumbersome and difficult to use," said Sung Choi, vice president of marketing, Tongfang Global. "Our new line of 4K Ultra HD Smart TVs - Amazon Fire TV Edition represent an elevated customer experience powered by the highest performance processors in the industry, a unique voice-controlled remote control, and Amazon's cinematic viewing experience."
Amazon's move isn't new, as Roku and Google have been working to integrate their software into TV sets for years.
However as ZDNet's Larry Dignan pointed out earlier on Tuesday, Amazon's steps to put Alexa everywhere are being embraced by several hardware partners. We are sure to see more Alexa-enabled devices at CES 2017, and it may pay huge dividends to advancing Alexa over Apple's Siri and Google Home -- not to mention Prime sales.