Wyze Band brings Alexa to a fitness tracker

Seattle-based Wyze is launching an Alexa-connected fitness tracker, as it looks to blend the wearable tech and smart home worlds.

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For the uninitiated, Wyze has been churning out budget smart home devices since 2017, and has launched cameras, bulbs and door locks from as little as $37.

Wyze was founded by former Amazon product people, and brings much the same ethos as the company’s Fire devices: simple design, strong features, low prices.

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From the leaks the Wyze Band itself looks like a pretty run-of-the-mill affair – and that continues in terms of fitness tracking specs: heart rate, sleep, steps are all part of the mix – according to Zatz Not Funny.

However, the built-in microphone that enables Alexa on the wrist sets it apart from the competition.

But details on how that will be implemented are scant.

Of course, we’ve seen Alexa integrated onto the wrist via the Fitbit Versa 2 – which uses tap-to-wake functionality, and a more limited set of features.

Without a speaker, there’s no way for Alexa to respond to requests, so it’s all a little underwhelming.

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Given that Wyze has such close ties to Amazon, we’re expecting a step up in terms of Alexa functionality.

Access to smart home devices is part of the company’s roadmap, so perhaps the company will utilise the display in the same way Alexa uses the screen on Echo Show devices.

A speaker may be overkill, but using speak-to-wake over a physical button would make for new ground.

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