Amazon has announced that it will launch an Amazon Echo smartwatch, the first of its kind, in the US.
The Echo’s smartwatch is expected to ship by the end of 2017, but it won’t launch in the United States until after the holidays.
Amazon said the Echo will have “many” of the features that Apple and Google’s smartwares have on their wrist devices, including an ambient light sensor, NFC tags, and an accelerometer.
The company will also be adding an Alexa-enabled phone app to the Echo.
Alexa is the voice-controlled assistant that works with your smartphone and computer to answer questions.
It can also answer questions about the weather, the weather forecasts, sports scores, and the news.
The Amazon Echo is Amazon’s first smartwatch that is expected for release outside the US, though there are several other smartwands in development, including the Apple Watch, Samsung Gear, and LG G Watch R. Alexa and its competitors will be big targets for Apple and Samsung, but the Echo is expected not to be as successful as the others.
The device will be powered by an 8-core Cortex-A9 processor, with 1GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and 4GB of onboard storage, making it possible to stream videos, music, photos, and more from your phone, tablet, or computer to the smartwatch.
Amazon is also said to have added a camera, which is a big departure from Google’s Pixel and LG’s G Watch.
The new smartwatch will come with the same “smart” features that the Apple and Amazon smartwizards have been touting: voice search, the ability to control your smartwatch remotely, a built-in speaker, and a built in light sensor that allows you to set a timer.
Amazon will also sell a series of smartwars that will be sold in bundles, including a pair of Echo-enabled smartwires and a pair that will also come with an Alexa app.
The smartwatch comes in two sizes: the 5.8-inch version will be $299, and you’ll need to pay $200 more for a larger model.