Verizon Media is likely working on an Alexa-powered smart display, the media reported.
However, rather than saying “Alexa” to activate the voice assistant, it appears anyone who buys the device would need to say “Hey, Verizon” instead.
Amazon’s Alexa Custom Assistant programme lets companies build a version of Alexa with custom wake words and device-specific skills, Engadget reported on Saturday.
The smart display emerged in Federal Communications Commission filings that were first spotted by Protocol.
According to the documents, the Verizon Smart Display has an eight-inch, 1280A-800 display, 4GB RAM and 16GB storage.
There’s a front-facing camera with a physical shutter as well. The device supports calls, messaging, Alexa announcements and Verizon’s BlueJeans video conferencing tool, per the user manual, the report said.
One kind of interesting wrinkle is that, along with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, there’s 4G LTE support.
Verizon has made smartwatches in the past, including models for kids, as well as tablets. Whether it will be able to break into a competitive smart display market remains to be seen.
