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.
