Want an Alexa TV? These webOS smart TVs are getting support overnight
Amazon’s assistant could be coming to a TV you own
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Amazon’sAlexaAI voice assistant will soon be added to a wide range of third-party TVs powered by LG Electronics’webOSsmart TVplatform. Users will be able to speak into their LGMagic Remoteto issue voice commands to Alexa for general help as well as opening apps or accessing channels.
AnLGpress release for the announcement stated that the Alexa functionality will come to North America first via an update in Q3 2021, followed by European and Asian territories soon after. The supportedTV brandsinclude Blaupunkt, Polaroid, Seiki and Skytech.
LG Home Entertainment head of content services, Jung Sung-hyun, said this of the announcement: “The addition of Amazon Alexa to the long list of webOS features will enhance the user experience and boost the value of our growing smart TV ecosystem. Bringing together the capabilities of Alexa with the convenience of webOS to third-party TVs is a win-win-win for TV brands, customers and developers.”
Alexa’s playing at my house
Over the past few months, LG has been making a serious push to get webOS out there, expanding its availability to severalthird-party TV brandsincluding Ayonz, RCA and Konka, all of which will also be benefiting from the Alexa functionality being added later in the year.
But how will it work? As mentioned earlier, users will need the LG Magic Remote. By long-pressing theAmazon Prime Videobutton, they’ll be able to speak to Alexa and access the features that the voice assistant provides such as opening an app, changing channels, learning the day’s news or just having it tell a joke for fun.
We see Alexa’s integration into webOS to be a win for accessibility, too. Being able to access most – if not all – of your smart TV’s features by using just one button and your voice can save less tech-savvy folk from wrestling with the Magic Remote’s litany of buttons. Not only that, users also won’t need to worry about buying a separate Alexa-compatible device like anAmazon Echosmart speaker.
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Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
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