Whirlpool smart appliances will work with Amazon Echo
Whirlpool's smart appliances will work with Amazon's Alexa voice-activated assistant from "early 2017", according to the firm. The announcement comes as Whirlpool prepares to launch a new range of connected appliances. Amazon's voice controlled speakers, the Echo, the Echo Dot and the Tap, will be able to control the 'smart' white goods. Owners of older Whirlpool appliances will be offered the same service with the launch of Whirlpool's Amazon Alexa Skill. General Electric has a similar partnership with Amazon.

Whirlpool today announced that many of its smart appliances will work with Amazon Alexa starting in "early 2017." The collaboration with Amazon's voice control speakers, the Echo, the Echo Dot and the Tap, will be timed with the release of a suite of new connected Whirlpool appliances.

The team also said customers of existing smart Whirlpool appliances would be able to enable this functionality when Whirlpool's Amazon Alexa Skill goes live.

GE beat Whirlpool to the large appliance-Alexa partnership, though. A number of GE 's smart appliances already work with Amazon's voice control speakers via the Geneva Alexa Skill. With GE's Skill, an intermediary assistant named "Geneva" is required. That means you can say phrases like, "Alexa, ask Geneva when the dishwasher will be finished."

In a similar fashion, Whirlpool customers will be able to say, "Alexa, ask Whirlpool to start the washer/dryer," "Alexa, ask Whirlpool if the oven is on?" and "Alexa, ask Whirlpool what is the status of my refrigerator filter"?

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