As CES 2017 kicks off, Lenovo announced its new Smart Assistant, which will be powered be Amazon’s Alexa technology. Basically, it’s an Echo in a different case.
Lenovo says that there are two reasons that consumers are reluctant to embrace smart home products: they’re perceived as expensive, and they don’t have a “consumer-centric design”. That’s where the Smart Assistant comes in.
Available in light gray, green, and orange, the company says that this product is “elegantly designed”. It can use Alexa to play music, create lists, program and receive reminders and alarms, and more.
Ultimately, all that Amazon’s Echo is a microphone and speaker with the Alexa digital assistant technology. Because of this, a better Alexa device would be one with a better speaker, so Lenovo’s Smart Assistant also comes in a Harman Kardon model, which will cost $50 more than the regular one.
