Update 08/13/2018: Guess what readers, the future is here and there are now a variety of devices available in Canada that feature built-in Alexa functionality. Amazon has been racing against Google to become the most popular smart speaker/voice-assistant maker, leading to Alexa being built into a variety of Wi-Fi connected devices.
Over the past year Amazon has added new technology that makes it easier for Alexa devices to work together, as well as third-party developers releasing Alexa Skills for just about everything. Users are even able to travel the snowy realm of Skyrim by only using Alexa’s voice controls.
Overall the company has been positioning Alexa as being the smartest and most useful assistant on the market today.
Sonos
Sonos has updated two of its speakers to make them work with Alexa, with a Google Assistant update still coming at some point in the future.
The Sonos One and the new Sonos Beam both support Alexa. The remainder of Sonos’ speakers are capable of being connected to an Echo device, allowing them to operate like a standard Echo, though they still won’t feature native Alexa support.
Bose
Bose has a few devices that work with Alexa, including its wireless Quiet Comfort II headphones.
The company also has an Alexa Skill called ‘Bose SoundTouch Control’ that allows users to control any of Bose’s SoundTouch branded speakers with Alexa.
UE (Logitech)
Logitech’s portable speaker brand UE has a speaker called the UE Blast that functions as an Alexa-enabled device. There are two versions of the Blast — the regular UE Blast and a larger (and Louder) MegaBlast.
UE’s regular line of speakers has a tap-to-talk button that allows them to access Alexa if they’re connected to an Android device that has Alexa enabled.
Ecobee
Ecobee has been making smart home thermostats for a number of years now, but only recently expanded into the voice-activated Alexa-enabled space. The Ecobee4 and the Ecobee Switch+ both feature built-in Alexa functionality, allowing users to give voice commands to the voice-activated thermostat or lightswitch.
Fabriq
Fabriq is a Canadian speaker companythat sells two speaker models, with each of them supporting Alexa voice control. The company’s larger speaker is called Chorus and the smaller is called Riff.
Bragi
Headphone manufacturer Bragi has a rage of headphones under the Dash moniker that work with Alexa. This is probably the smallest option for users who are looking to use Alexa on the go.
Garmin
Garmin has built a super simple in-car GPS device called the Garmin Speak Plus with Amazon Alexa. The little device sticks to a vehicle’s dashboard and then lets users talk to Alexa while driving. The Garmin Speak Plus also acts as a dashcam and displays some rudimentary driving directions too.
Polk audio
The Polk Command Bar has Alexa built-in. While it doesn’t make sense to have an Alexa connected to a TV unless the user has a Fire TV device, it’s still useful to have Alexa on a speaker that can fill a room as easily as a sound bar.
Android Phones
Amazon released an Android app that allows users to replace Google Assistant or Bixby with Alexa
HP
HP has a desktop PC called the Wave Compact that has Alexa built-in. Normal PC users can use Alexa while on their PC by pushing a button, but the Wave Compact works hands free.
Toyota/Lexus
Toyota has been slowly been rolling out smart features to its 2019 fleet of cars. New Models of certain Toyota vehicles like the Avalon have Alexa built in. New Lexus models with an Enform 2.0 stereo system also support Alexa.
Ford
Ford cars that feature the company’s Ford Sync 3 infotainment system can download an app that makes Alexa the car’s default voice assistant.
Amazon
Amazon sells a suite of devices that support Alexa that aren’t yet officially available in Canada, such as the Echo Show and the Echo Look.
Now that we know Amazon’s 2nd Gen Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Plus are available for order in Canada, Alexa-enabled devices from other manufacturers are beginning to appear north of the U.S. border.
First, Toronto-based Ecobee is releasing its Alexa-powered Ecobee4 voice controlled thermostat in Canada. According to Amazon, a number of other devices are on the way, including Ultimate Ears’ (UE) Megablast portable speaker and Chorus’ speakers from Canadian manufacturer Fabriq.
As of right now, these are the only devices currently available in Canada that currently support the Canadian version of Alexa. More devices are set to arrive in the future.
According to a representative from Sonos, Alexa is coming to the Sonos One in the near future. The high-end speaker company sent MobileSyrup the following statement regarding Alexa integration:
“While Alexa has officially launched in Canada, it is going to take some dedicated engineering work and QA testing to bring its support to the Sonos platforms. We are well underway with this are committed to bringing Alexa voice control to Sonos in Canada for early 2018.”
Other Alexa-powered devices include Amazon’s own Echo, the Echo Plus and the Echo Dot.
As more devices are confirmed to support Alexa in Canada, we’ll update this story.
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
