https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/17/17871766/amazon-alexa-echo-eight-new-devices-microwave-oven-car-gadget

Amazon is planning to introduce as many as eight new Alexa-powered smart home devices later this year, according to a report from CNBC today. Those devices will be a wide-ranging offering of voice-controlled gadgets: a microwave oven, an in-car gadget of some sort, and a set of higher-end home audio gear, including an amplifier, receiver, and subwoofer. CNBC says Amazon is planning to detail at least some of these devices at an event some time later this month.

Amazon’s expansion into even more hardware categories will significantly heat up the smart home market, which is already flooded with Alexa-powered devices that either incorporate Amazon’s voice assistant exclusively or offer it as one of four prominent options alongside Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana. CNBC reports that some of the upcoming devices will have Alexa built in, while others will connect to other Alexa-enabled devices for voice control access.