Sony TVs jumped on the Alexa bandwagon Thursday, with the company's announcement its 2017 4K Android TV lineup can now be voice-controlled by the Amazon Echo via a recent firmware update. Users can ask Alexa to manage power, volume, play and transport controls for connected devices, switch inputs and change channels, said the company. Users don’t have to know the channel number: They can say, “Alexa, change channel to CNN” on a given TV, Sony said. The functionality is currently only supported in the U.S., and dates and service conditions for other countries haven’t been announced. Sony said earlier this year (see 1702100056) the Android TVs would support Google Assistant voice commands later in 2017. Sony didn’t respond to questions about whether the Android TVs also have been updated for Google Assistant control.

Smart speakers account for one in three home audio shipments in the U.S., said a Futuresource report referencing a “new CE land grab” that could “unsettle the entire CE industry.” Worldwide in Q1, 3.4 million smart speakers were sold at a retail value of more than $440 million, said the report. Interest in voice-enabled speakers beyond the U.S. and U.K. has been limited, and the U.S. is projected to generate more than half of global smart speaker revenue by 2021, it said. Smart speakers have been the natural home for voice-based digital assistants because of features, functionality and price, and they’ve been an effective vehicle to introduce the concept of voice control to consumers, said analyst Rasika D'Souza. Voice-based personal assistants are poised to become “the new, primary interface for all consumer electronics devices across the board,” said analyst Simon Bryant. Calling voice control “the biggest opportunity of the decade,” Bryant said the company that “gets it right will set the agenda for the next generation of CE devices."

Calling voice ordering a “natural next step” to online grocery shopping, Peapod announced an Alexa skill Tuesday that allows users to make additions to their virtual grocery carts. Peapod customers make multiple visits during a week to add to their carts, and 51 percent of Amazon Echo owners have the device in a kitchen, said Cat de Merode, Peapod vice president-product. Customers also can place reorders, remove items and be alerted to a delivery date via Alexa, said Peapod.

The Alexa voice control universe continued to expand Monday with compatibility announcements from HVAC company Carrier and robotics maker Ecovacs. When the Alexa skill is enabled, Carrier customers can manage systems via voice over a secure bridge that allows cloud-to-cloud interface between home automation systems and Carrier's Wi-Fi-connected Infinity system, said Carrier. Ecovacs, meanwhile, launched an Alexa skill for the Deebot R95 robotic vacuum, which will get a $100 discount at Amazon on Prime Day, said the company. Users can direct the vacuum to start cleaning and start charging, which sends the robot back to its charging station, it said. Home control company Savant Monday announced Alexa integration in conjunction with the release of the Pro Remote, which allows homeowners to activate a Savant scene, choose a channel or select a source in their entertainment system.

Cirrus Logic announced a development kit for Alexa Voice Service that’s optimized for smart speakers, hands-free portable speakers and networked speakers. The Voice Capture Development Kit is designed to help manufacturers get to market quickly with Alexa-enabled products with “high-accuracy wake-word triggering” and command interpretation within noisy environments and during music playback, Cirrus said. The kit includes a reference board with Cirrus’ CS47L24 smart codec, CS7250B digital microelectromechanical system microphones and SoundClear algorithms for voice control, noise suppression and echo cancellation, said the company. The smart codec uses an on-chip, high-performance digital-to-analog converter with a 2-watt mono speaker driver for high-fidelity audio playback, it said.

Samsung didn’t respond to questions Wednesday seeking details about a reported upcoming voice-enabled smart speaker, the subject of numerous accounts this week speculating that the CE manufacturer is looking to toss its contestant into a ring already populated by several Amazon Alexa-based devices, Google Home, the upcoming Apple HomePod and an upcoming speaker from Samsung brand Harman Kardon that will pack Microsoft Cortana voice control. The Samsung-branded speaker is expected to include Samsung’s Bixby voice engine, but Bixby Voice has yet to launch in the U.S. A report in the Korea Herald Tuesday said the English version of Bixby Voice, originally expected to launch with the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone in spring, encountered difficulties with managing big data, an essential part of deep learning technology. An early release beta version of Bixby Voice for English users showed “just how much work is left for the company to provide a polished user experience,” said a ZDNet report.

Ceva announced at Mobile World Congress last week an optimized implementation of the iFLYTEK speech-recognition software suite for its audio and voice digital signal processors (DSP). Target products are high-volume consumer electronics, they said. The companies worked together to optimize iFLYTEK’s neural network-based speech recognition, noise reduction and echo-cancellation algorithms in the DSPs for what they said is a highly accurate, on-device voice processing solution capable of enabling multiple mics’ voice activation without requiring cloud access.

Sure Universal added Amazon Alexa integration to its universal software remote app and will demo the feature at Mobile World Congress Shanghai from Wednesday to Saturday. Once the Sure software is linked to a user’s Alexa account, users can control their smart home from another room or away from home, said the company. The Sure app recently received Open Connectivity Foundation certification, and future versions will support Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit, said Sure. Alexa integration launched for Android devices at the Google Play store, and an iOS version will be available in September, said the company.

Some 87 percent of Amazon Echo owners plan to upgrade to the Echo Show when it begins shipping Wednesday, said an Asurion survey released Monday. Reasons for purchase include a desire to have the latest technology (22 percent) and appeal of the 7-inch screen (15 percent). Of the 9 percent of current Echo owners who don’t plan the buy the Show, just over half said the $229 device is too expensive, and 27 percent said the basic Echo serves their needs. Some 22 percent of consumers surveyed who don’t own an Echo plan to buy the Show, with 30 percent wanting the latest technology and 18 percent drawn to the screen. Sixty-two percent of respondents who don’t own an Echo haven’t been motivated to buy any of the voice-controlled devices, Asurion said. The extended warranty and tech support company is expecting an uptick in calls from consumers after the Show is released, mirroring the 400 percent jump in support calls for Echo after the winter holidays about setup, pairing devices and troubleshooting integration across apps and accounts, it said. “Customers are excited about the screen and ability to make video and internet phone calls and our experience tells us customers will most likely experience issues with basic set up, pairing and connecting to their home Wi-Fi setup,” said Todd Chretien, Asurion senior vice president-customer solutions. Many consumers lack the basic knowledge set to integrate an Echo-like device into their lives, causing frustration and a growing “knowledge gap” between OEMs and consumers, Asurion said. The company partnered with Toluna Quick Surveys for an online survey, which was completed by 609 general population respondents and controlled for a 50/50 gender mix.

Due to Apple’s late entry into the voice-controlled speaker category, “it’s vital that HomePod provide a differentiated experience” from the growing field of competitors, said NPD analyst Ben Arnold in a blog post. Apple is counting on a more robust Siri to be one distinction of HomePod, said Arnold, citing Siri artificial intelligence that's expected to be able to analyze multiple streams of user data and past app and device usage to make better informed recommendations. Apple’s expansion of voice control to note dictation in Evernote and VoIP calling via Siri are signs Apple is looking for ways to expand the ecosystem, he said. An improved Siri that’s more tightly integrated into iOS and HomePod “is likely to get iPhone and iPad devotees interested,” he said. But numerous challenges face HomePod, especially at a $349 price that’s twice those of Google Home and Amazon’s Echo, “making it unlikely consumers will buy multiples to position throughout the house,” Arnold said. And simulating a Sonos-like multiroom experience “would be equally cost prohibitive,” he said. Early reports indicate HomePod delivers on sound quality, said the analyst, while noting “Apple isn’t a pedigreed audio brand.” The $300-plus segment of the wireless speaker market accounts for only 12 percent of revenues, and total category revenue has declined 3 percent year to date, Arnold said. While the HomePod is still several months out, new products such as Amazon’s Echo Show and Look are signs the market “is already looking beyond the tabletop speaker,” he said.