Amazon Echo smart speaker running the Alexa voice assistant recently “learned” a new useful skill. More specifically, this gadget is now capable of controlling an entire lineup of General Electric appliances. The Haier-owned company recently announced that its so-called Geneva lineup is now fully compatible with Alexa which can connect to these appliances and pretty much do everything you’d expect from a smart voice assistant possessing a dishwasher, a fridge, a microwave, or whatever other kitchen appliance you are trying to verbally control. The company’s VP Liz VerSchure described voice connectivity as an integral part of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, adding that’s precisely why GE is wasting no time with launching appliances compatible with one of the most popular voice assistants in the world.
Alexa is also rather intelligent when it comes to interpreting your orders so you just have to make sure you mention the word “Geneva” while trying to control your GE appliances with Amazon Echo. So, you can say something like “Alexa, ask Geneva if the dishes are clean” or tell Geneva to preheat your oven or heat up some water. As Alexa only responds when you refer to it by name, you basically have to instruct your voice assistant to instruct your kitchen appliance to perform a specific task. Still, the act itself doesn’t seem terribly hard to get used to and it’s definitely easier than… you know, actually doing something yourself. Isn’t living in 2016 a great thing? So, after getting Alexa to order you pizza, you can now instruct it to heat up the leftovers and wash the dishes when you’re done.
The GE Geneva skill for Alexa can already be downloaded for the Alexa-powered Amazon Echo, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Echo Dot. The only Geneva device Alexa currently can’t control is a window air conditioner and that’s only because GE hasn’t officially launched it yet. GE Appliances revealed that the said connected device should launch commercially in the following weeks. Naturally, while this skill is exclusive to the Geneva lineup, its release makes Echo and Alexa that much more useful and offers another relatively cheap alternative to people looking into smart homes.