Amazon rumoured to push Alexa-powered smart glasses

It’s no surprise that Amazon is pushing Alexa given that its virtual assistant dominates much of the market. Alongside implementing the AI into its rumoured 2017 revamp of its Fire TV series, the company is also possibly going to be pushing wearables with its own pair of glasses.

The rumoured wearables are set to use old but rather interesting bon conduction technology, in that sound is transmitted via the skull without the need to pop headphones in, reports the Financial Times. The device would tether wirelessly to other devices such as smartphones, presumably via Bluetooth however other plans could possibly be in the works for its connectivity.

The Alexa-powered glasses won’t follow in the footsteps of the garish and overreaching Google Glass, attempting to remain nonchalant in design by looking like ordinary eyewear. The device will keep its focus simple in that Amazon is attempting to simplify headset designs while still including various functionality in a smaller, more lightweight frame.

The leaked Amazon Fire TV revamp.

The move isn’t exactly absurd, considering companies are placing their bets on pushing virtual assistants in all manners of the home and beyond. And considering Amazon dominates the virtual assistant market by 76 percent over Google Home’s 24 percent, it makes sense for the company to diversify and spread its hit product.

Other items that are receiving the Alexa treatment are the new Fire HD 10” tablet as well as the rumoured next generation of Fire TV devices. These sit alongside the plethora of Amazon items already integrated with Alexa, such as the company’s Echo and Echo Dot devices, helping the firm’s push into its projected $10 billion worth by 2020, according to RBC Capital Markets.

There is no word on availability for Amazon's new eyewear, but it would be interesting to see if this gives the company a platform to enter the recent Mixed Reality trend that other companies such as Dell, ASUS and Pimax are pushing into.

KitGuru Says: Alexa is a powerhouse for Amazon, so it will be nice to see what inventive and useful ways that it can improve your daily life. I should rightfully wear glasses anyway so I wonder if these will also be available in prescription form. Do you like the idea of Amazon Alexa-powered glasses?

Become a Patron!