At last year’s CES, Alexa’s presence was mostly limited to voice-controlled speakers. This year, that changed a lot, with the digital assistant finding its way into everything, from mirrors and smart locks to showers and toilets. Yes, you heard that last one right – you can now use voice commands to flush the toilet after doing your business. To put it simply, you can now make Alexa an inescapable fixture in your home like never before.
ALEXA-EQUIPPED DEVICES
Kohler Verdera Voice Lighted Mirror
Kohler’s new three-sided bathroom mirror comes fitted with a speaker, a mic array, and computing tech running Amazon’s Alexa, allowing you to listen to news, receive messages, and even jam to your favorite playlists while doing your morning routines, whether that be shaving the growth on your face or putting on your makeup in the morning. The integrated lighting is entirely voice-controlled, so you can adjust the lights with a single command, while a motion detector can automatically switch the lights on as soon as you walk in front of the mirror.
U by Moen
Ever wanted to start heating the shower without having to get off the bed just yet? Do you want to change the shower temperature on the fly without having to lift a finger? How about checking your messages while you scrub yourself from head to toe? U by Moen, an Alexa-powered shower lets you do all that and more, making the relaxing activity even more convenient, while allowing you to multi-task in the middle of a shower. A single control panel that installs on the bathroom can control up to four shower outlets, all while showing pertinent information (shower temperature, time, and more) on an integrated display. You can use voice control, as well as physical buttons, to control not just temperature, but to activate specific outlets, adjust shower angles, and trigger specific presets. When you’re away from the shower, you can control it using any Alexa device, as well as from a companion app, in case you prefer tapping on screens to issuing voice commands. If you set the shower temperature remotely, by the way, the same app will issue an alert as soon as it is ready.
DUX
Luxury Swedish outfit DUX revealed a new bed with Alexa onboard, essentially integrating a speaker into the bed frame, so you can control your entire smart home from the bedroom without a speaker in sight. No, the bed itself doesn’t have smart features (it sleeps you flat like all traditional beds), but those in the market for a luxury bed might want to consider this, in case you want your bedroom’s Alexa speaker to be just a little more discreet.
Kohler Numi 2.0
We were already impressed with the Kohler Numi back when it first came out. Its second generation brings more of the same wild feature set, enabling hands-free control, personalized cleansing, and exceptional water efficiency. In addition to the automatic seat cover, automatic flush, heated comfort elements, adjustable warm-water bidet, deodorizer, air drier, and integrated speaker found in the original, the second-generation toilet sports dynamic ambient lighting, UV sanitization, and Alexa integration, with the latter giving you full access to Amazon’s digital assistant the whole time you’re… uhm… taking a dump. That way, you can check on your messages, book an Uber, and get a whole load of other things done while you engage in your dirty deeds.
LG Signature OLED TV R
One of the fanciest things at CES this year, this rollable TV can roll up and hide away in its base when not in use, all while gracefully unrolling and rising up into viewing position when you want to use it. And, yes, it really rolls into a bundle, since there’s absolutely no way it can fit into the base without doing that, so it’s not just a clever trick. While LG has had Google Assistant integration for a while, the TV will be their first to come with Alexa onboard, allowing you to bring up Amazon’s smart assistant by simply clicking the Prime button on the included remote. From there, you just speak to Alexa the same way you do on every compatible device, searching for shows, changing channels, and replaying your favorite YouTube clip over and over.
Panasonic GZ2000 TV
Panasonic is calling their upcoming panel “the world’s most cinematic TV,” bosting a 4K OLED panel, HDR10+ support, Dolby Vision HDR, and upward-firing speakers that deliver Dolby Atmos immersive sound. Yes, it will have both Alexa and Google Assistant onboard, so you can talk to it like it’s an animate being that will carry out all your desires. Well, your desired viewing playlist, at least.
Smart Displays
A few smart displays debuted at this year’s CES with Alexa onboard, allowing the digital assistant to interact with you not just with voice responses, but visual cues as well. Joining Amazon’s Echo Show and Echo Spot in the category are two devices from Archos and another two from Lenovo. Archos’ budget-priced devices consist of the Mate 5 ($129) and the Mate 7 ($149), with the former combining a round body with a rectangular 5-inch screen and the latter tacking on a speaker to the side of what’s essentially a tablet. Lenovo’s displays are, basically, 10-inch Android tablets that you can dock to an Alexa speaker, giving the latter a functional screen. Each one comes with different tablet specs, so you can opt to go the budget route ($199.99) or splurge a little bit ($299.99).
ALEXA-COMPATIBLE DEVICES
Ring Security Products
Having been acquired by Amazon, Ring naturally came to the show with all-out Alexa integration, adding four new smart sensors (smoke, flood, listener, and siren), Z-wave smart locks, smart lighting (floodlight, spotlight, path light, and step light), lighting controller (Ring Transformer), and the Door View Cam. Yes, all of those work with Alexa out of the box, so you get plenty of new options for your smart home if you’re among those that are invested in Amazon’s ecosystem.
Reverie Voice-Activated Power Base
Reverie already makes some of the most technologically-advanced beds in the market, with an electronically-adjustable base that can adjust the bed in any position, so you never have to be forced to sleep in a flat posture ever again. Well, that bed now works with Alexa, allowing you to adjust the bed’s position using simple voice commands. Even better, the bed now has a “lift-awake” feature that immediately positions it upright to wake you up, giving you an alternative to the ringing sounds of traditional alarms.
Whirlpool Smart Countertop Oven
Like other smart ovens out there, this appliance can identify the food you put inside its chamber using cameras and various sensors inside, then set the necessary cooking time and temperature automatically, whether you’re roasting chicken, baking lasagna, or just thawing out some pork you want to cook for later. You can, of course, override the settings, either directly through the oven, the companion app, or any Alexa device using voice commands. You can even have it show you what’s cooking in real time (using the interior cam) to your screen-equipped Alexa device.
Gourmia Kitchen Appliances
Gourmia introduced three kitchen appliances that are compatible with Alexa, namely an air fryer (which also happens to be a dehydrator and a rotisserie), a slow-cooker (11-in-One Deluxe Multicooker), and a coffeemaker (10-Cup Coffee Maker and Grinder). All three can have their settings adjusted via voice commands to an Alexa device, allowing you to start the frying, begin the slow-cooking, and start brewing coffee without having to be anywhere near the kitchen.
Schlage Encode Smart Deadbolt
This smart deadbolt can be locked and unlocked using Alexa, making it easy to let people in even remotely, along with support for Amazon Key to give delivery people access to your home, so they can leave your packages safely inside. Do note, it doesn’t come with a camera, so you’ll have to pair it with an Amazon Cloud Cam (or something similar) if you want to monitor package deliveries over a live feed.
Lockly Secure Pro
Lockly’s latest lock also allows locking and unlocking using Alexa voice commands. What it makes it special, however, is the integration of four other ways of engaging and disengaging the lock, which you can do via a physical key, a fingerprint scanner, the companion app, or an integrated keypad. The keypad is particularly unique, by the way, as you don’t just enter a simple number code. Instead, it generates random numbers in random orders every time you enter your passcode, with each input in the code requiring three keypresses, making it difficult for anyone (even those watching directly) to discern your particular code. We imagine there will be a slight learning curve to this, but it could be a great solution if you’re wary about people sharing your door’s entry code.
Maximus DualCam Video Doorbell
This video doorbell comes with dual cameras, giving you a top and bottom view of visitors, ensuring you can see whoever’s outside from head-to-toe, so you know exactly what they’ve got on their person. Of course, it’s compatible with Amazon’s intelligent assistant, so you can control the live feed, along with other settings, using any Alexa device.
Daikin One+ Thermostat
This smart home thermostat, which can also double as a controller for the outfit’s smart inverter HVAC systems, can now be controlled entirely via Alexa voice commands, finally making the tech available to Daikin’s many commercial and industrial clients. Yes, people in the office will finally be talking to their speakers, too, so things are about to get weirder.
IKEA Fytur Smart Windows Shades
Yes, IKEA was at CES, showing off a set of blinds that you can deploy and roll up using Alexa voice commands. Hey, if you love everything IKEA, might as well opt for this one instead of the dozen or so other options out there.