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Amazon will update its plug-in Echo speakers with the open-source Matter platform later this year, joining other big tech companies like Samsung, Google, Philips Hue and more in a joint effort to streamline the process. smart home setup.
As The Verge reports, Amazon is the latest tech company to join the Matter initiative and will update their Echo Studio, Echo Show, Echo Flex, and Echo Plus speakers, along with most of the popular line-up. Echo Dot. No release date for the update has been announced yet, with just a vague “end of 2021” at the moment.
Unfortunately, not all Amazon Echo speakers will receive the update, with the first-gen Echo and Echo Dot missing alongside the Echo Tap. That’s understandable, given the age of these speakers compared to newer models, so it’s likely that these earlier devices don’t meet the Matter standard.
For the uninitiated, Matter is a common open source platform made up of tech companies specializing in smart home technology, like Amazon, Samsung, Google, and others. The concept stems from the desire to create a unified smart home brand that is compatible with the voice assistant of your choice.
The connections supported by Matter include all the usual connections, such as Bluetooth, Thread and WLAN. It is also possible that Ethernet connections will be supported some time after launch.
In theory, this should make the process of setting up a smart home easier than ever before, minimizing the number of incompatibilities that might otherwise arise. With Matter, for example, a user can keep their preferred voice assistant (such as Alexa or Google Assistant) and use it to control Matter-branded devices like Philips Hue smart lights or Bluetooth speakers. wireless.
Analysis: what is it?
Matter is made up of over 170 tech companies dedicated to unifying a smart home experience. It was created by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (formerly the Zigbee Alliance). The Matter brand is also unlicensed, which makes it about as accessible as it gets.
So why is Amazon joining the Matter initiative? On the one hand, and most obvious, it shows that the tech giant is ready to play ball with other manufacturers. Amazon probably already has good relationships with most of these other companies – especially Samsung and Philips – which host storefronts on Amazon’s site.
It also means Amazon Echo users have nothing to worry about if they want to either start – or improve – a smart home environment. They can be sure that Amazon smart devices will be widely compatible with other products under the Matter umbrella.
The concept of Matter is an ambitious endeavor that will always depend on each tech company to do their part in updating their respective devices. Ultimately, however, we’re happy to see these companies working together to simplify the smart home process, which will potentially present the concept and its litany of useful benefits to a wider audience.
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