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Alexa is Amazon’s smart assistant offering that is growing in popularity among customers with Internet of Things products. Now, the merchant giant is adding the feature to its tablet lineup, including its latest Fire HD 8.
Amazon is set to introduce Alexa to all of its Fire tablet lineups by the end of 2016, Digital Trends reports, but the HD 8 will be the first to come equipped with the smart assistant. As for what exactly this will mean for users of the tablet, anyone who has ever used the iPhone’s Siri assistant will instantly find the feature familiar.
This makes sense since Alexa is basically Amazon’s answer to Apple’s own smart assistant. The feature is voice-activated and can be commanded to do various things, including ordering stuff off of Amazon. Users can ask Alexa to add items on their cart or even re-order items that users had bought before.
The smart assistant can also interact with IoT devices, including sound systems or even security protocols. It’s compatible with numerous brands as well, such as Philips, Logitech, Samsung, and Nest.
For those who are wondering, yes, Alexa does answer questions. The Amazon assistant can provide details such as the names of particular actors, movie schedules, and even release dates of certain products. Much like other smart assistants, users can also use Alexa to do things like setting timers or alarms.
The popularity of Alexa and its accompanying gadgets has been on the rise since its inception, Business Insider notes, and even mainstream brands like CNN are starting to adopt it. For example, users can ask Alexa about specific news schedules or even news anchors, and the smart assistant will provide relevant details from CNN itself.
It is worth noting, however, that the IoT industry is still stuck between early adoption and mainstream popularity. This makes Amazon’s push for wider Alexa access incredibly important for the industry as a whole.
