Skip to main content

Lenovo brings Amazon Alexa to the new Smart Clock Essential

This Alexa-powered smart display is the perfect bedside companion.

What you need to know

  • Lenovo has announced the Smart Clock Essential with Alexa Built-in at CES 2022.
  • The smart display offers the same design as the Smart Clock 2.
  • Lenovo is also introducing new ambient light docks to use with the Smart Clock Essential.

Over the past few years, Lenovo has done a wonderful job when it comes to offering low-cost Google Assistant-connected smart displays. The trend continued in 2021 with the Lenovo Smart Clock 2, as this offered a bit of a redesign along with an optional dock that doubles as a wireless charger for your phone. But the truth is that more options is always better, which is likely why Lenovo has announced the Smart Clock Essential with Amazon Alexa.

Instead of being "limited" to using Google Assistant, this new version is powered by Alexa's smarts, while retaining the same great design. As expected, the Smart Clock Essential sports the same LED display, which shows off the time and weather information, along with letting you know if any alarms are set.

As for the design, Lenovo is bringing two different colors into the fold, offering either Misty Blue or Clay Red. The material itself is a soft-touch fabric that looks great, no matter where you put it in the home.

Under the LED display, Lenovo has packed a 3W forward-facing full-range speaker, which is great when you want to sit back and listen to some tunes on Amazon Music. Plus, thanks to the power of Alexa, you can add the Smart Clock Essential to your existing speaker groups, filling every room in your home with music.

Lenovo didn't stop there, as there is a new dock aptly called the "Lenovo Ambient Light Dock". When attached, the dock will illuminate and can cycle through eight different lighting modes. All you need to do is double-tap the top of the Smart Clock Essential, or you can just ask Alexa to switch lighting modes for you.

If you're a fan of the Smart Clock Essential but are concerned about privacy, Lenovo thought about that too. The smart display does not feature a built-in camera, and there is a hardware mute switch on the back if you want to disable the microphones. And while you can still snag the wireless charging dock, there is a full-size USB-A port on the back so you can charge your phone (or anything else) while you're sleeping.

Pricing for the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential with Alexa Built-in starts at $60 for just the clock itself. You will be able to purchase the wireless charging dock, along with ambient light docks when they are released later this year.

Essential Alexa

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential with Alexa

$70 at Best Buy

The Smart Clock Essential with Alexa, takes all of the great features of the Smart Clock 2 and adds a bit of Alexa flair. This is one of the best smart displays we've seen and you can even pair it with a wireless charging dock.



Source: androidcentral

Popular posts from this blog

The hidden cost of food delivery

Noah Lichtenstein Contributor Share on Twitter Noah Lichtenstein is the founder and managing partner of Crossover , a diversified private technology fund backed by institutional investors, technology execs and professional athletes and entertainers. More posts by this contributor What Studying Students Teaches Us About Great Apps I’ll admit it: When it comes to food, I’m lazy. There are dozens of great dining options within a few blocks of my home, yet I still end up ordering food through delivery apps four or five times per week. With the growing coronavirus pandemic closing restaurants and consumers self-isolating, it is likely we will see a spike in food delivery much like the 20% jump China reported during the peak of its crisis. With the food delivery sector rocketing toward a projected $365 billion by the end of the decade, I’m clearly not the only one turning to delivery apps even before the pandemic hit. Thanks to technology (and VC funding) we can get a ri

Cyber Monday Canada: Last-minute deals for everyone on your list

Best Cyber Monday Canada deals: Smart Home Audio Phones, Tablets & Accessories Wearables Laptops & PC Components Amazon products Gaming Televisions Cameras Lifestyle & Kitchen Toys & Kids Cyber Monday Canada is here, and retailers are rolling out the red carpet for customers who want to shop for everything from tech to kitchenware to games and everything in between. Unlike years past, Cyber Monday Canada deals look a bit different than normal. Instead of retailers trying to pack their stores with as many shoppers as possible, we're seeing tons of online deals that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your home. We've rounded up our favorites below, so feel free to browse through the best of what Canada Cyber Monday has to offer! This list is being updated with new Cyber Monday deals all the time, so check back often. Spotlight deals It's a Switch Nintendo Switch Fortnite Edition bundle $399.95 at Amazon It's a Switch.

Slack’s new integration deal with AWS could also be about tweaking Microsoft

Slack and Amazon announced a big integration late yesterday afternoon. As part of the deal, Slack will use Amazon Chime for its call feature, while reiterating its commitment to use AWS as its preferred cloud provider to run its infrastructure. At the same time, AWS has agreed to use Slack for internal communications. Make no mistake, this is a big deal as the SaaS communications tool increases its ties with AWS, but this agreement could also be about slighting Microsoft and its rival Teams product by making a deal with a cloud rival. In the past Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield has had choice words for Microsoft saying the Redmond technology giant sees his company as an “existential threat.” Whether that’s true or not — Teams is but one piece of a huge technology company — it’s impossible not to look at the deal in this context. Aligning more deeply with AWS sends a message to Microsoft, whose Azure infrastructure services compete with AWS. Butterfield didn’t say that of course

iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: 50+ Differences Compared

The iPhone 15 Pro brings over 50 new features and improvements to Apple's high-end smartphones compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, which was released two years prior. This buyer's guide breaks down every major difference you should be aware of between the two generations and helps you to decide whether it's worth upgrading. The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro debuted in 2021, introducing a brighter display with ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz, the A15 Bionic chip, a telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, Macro photography and photographic styles, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, ProRes video recording, a 1TB storage option, and five hours of additional battery life. The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro was discontinued upon the announcement of the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, but it is still possible to get hold of it second-hand. Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhone models is best for you and serves as a way to c