Alexa, walk with me. This command, if given to the Alexa in your home, would melt it’s socket. Alexa is cool. Alexa is hip. But Alexa comes with a wire that sucks. To tackle this, Amazon has announced a battery powered version of Alexa.
There have been around a dozen Alexa models in India. But Amazon developed this version on a very specific request by a lot of it’s customers, portability. This version comes with a 4800 mAh battery. Amazon promises a 10 hour life while music playing, and 11 hours on standby.
“Portability has been one of the most requested features in India,” said Miriam Daniel, VP of Alexa Devices. “You want to be able to carry Alexa with you from room to room within your homes. So we have designed something just for you.”
The model will cost a very affordable Rs5,999. The model is specifically designed for the Indian market. It is available for the price of Rs 4,999 as an introductory price. Amazon will start shipping the device from 18 December 2019.
Apart from the added feature, this model also boasts many other features like 30,000 Alexa skills, compatibility with a range of home devices, and of course, support for Alexa voice assistant — as other Echo variants.
Alexa speakers have become a cultutal phenomena in Indian household, taking the markets by storm. Amazon has reportedly sold 100 million speakers. Over the years, a number of companies including LG, Motorola, and Sony have added support for Alexa to their headphones and smartphones.
Amazon has been investing a lot of money in the subcontinent. The 1.3 billion people in the country have become a lucrative investment for many companies and Amazon has committed to spend to the north of $5 billion in India already. Therefore, it doesn’t seem out of the blue for the company to design special products just for the Indian market.
The world’s biggest company is gaining a lot of traction in the country. With an Alexa becoming a part of household all throughout the country, this move can benefit the ‘Needy’ Amazon.
