Reportedly spotted on Amazon.com, this image of an Amazon-branded security camera is fueling speculation about Alexa’s future.
AFTVNews.com
The Amazon Echo’s virtual voice assistant “Alexa” is already a great listener — now, a new report suggests she might soon keep an eye on your home, too.
That scoop comes in the form of a picture of an Amazon-branded security camera that AFTVNews reportedly found “sitting on Amazon.com.” The small, free-standing design is similar to products like the Nest Cam or the Canary Flex, but it’s the blue ring around the lens — reminiscent of the blue ring on top of the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot smart speakers — that’s raising eyebrows.
Does that mean that this thing is a voice-activated Alexa Camera? It’s too early to tell, and an Amazon spokesperson would only point to their policy against commenting on rumors and speculation when I asked them about it. Still, it’s hard to imagine that Amazon isn’t working on new hardware for the plucky voice assistant, given her skyrocketing popularity. One recent report projects that the smart speaker category will see more than $2 billion in sales by 2020, so why not hitch a voice-friendly camera along for the ride?
Of course, the image could also be a prototype or a mockup that was inadvertently posted to the wrong place. Maybe it’s just Amazon Basics’ attempt at a Nest Cam competitor. Maybe that blue ring is just a coincidence, and Alexa won’t be involved at all. As said earlier, Amazon hasn’t confirmed or denied anything, and while AFTVNews has a decent track record, they also aren’t sharing where, specifically, they found the image. Probably wise to take it with at least a few grains of salt.
At any rate, it’s something we’ll definitely be keeping our eyes on. If we see or hear anything else about it, we’ll update this post.
