Ecobee Inc. has announced the launch of its next-generation smart thermostat: ecobee4, which features Amazon Alexa voice service and far-field voice recognition.
According to a press release, the company also plans to bring Alexa and far-field voice recognition to every room of the home through a voice-enabled smart light switch that will measure occupancy and temperature. This new product will be the company’s first venture beyond smart thermostats.
“We are committed to building technology that makes customers’ lives simpler and better. Technology that allows our customers to focus on the things that matter — their families and moments they share. The voice-enabled ecobee4 smart thermostat and smart light switch bring that promise to life,” said ecobee president and CEO Stuart Lombard. “More than just individual products, ecobee4 and the smart light switch work together to provide better comfort and savings, while allowing customers to ask for almost anything from anywhere in their home.”
With a built-in speaker and microphone, ecobee4 is controlled through its touch-screen, a smart device or voice. Alexa voice service allows customers to ask their ecobee4 to adjust the temperature of the home, and through far-field voice recognition, ecobee4 will respond to voice commands from anywhere in the room. The thermostat is also compatible with the company’s signature room sensor technology, which measures occupancy and temperature to deliver comfort when the customer is home and energy savings when they’re away.
“Our vision is to bring Alexa to customers wherever they are, on-the-go and in any room of their smart home. Ecobee’s smart thermostats and switches with Alexa will help realize this vision for customers,” said Steve Rabuchin, VP Amazon Alexa. “We think the experience of simply asking Alexa to raise or lower the temperature in a room, or interacting with 12,000-plus other skills available on Alexa, will be delightful for customers.”
Ecobee4 smart thermostat will retail for $249 and be available on ecobee.com, Amazon.com, Lowes.com, HomeDepot.com and BestBuy.com for pre-order beginning May 3, 2017. It will hit retail shelves on May 15, 2017, while the smart light switch will be released later this year.
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