When the idea behind the Amazon Echo was first pitched in 2011, executives expressed doubt.
The device was stuck in Amazon laboratories for years before the company had a major breakthrough and launched the program that made Alexa smart. Author Brad Stone broke down the process of how Amazon created Alexa in his new book Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire. Internal testing with Amazon employees was too limited, Stone wrote. They would need to massively expand the Alexa beta while somehow still keeping it a secret from the outside world.
In 2013, the team tasked with developing the Amazon Echo launched a data-collection program in partnership with the outside firm Appen, Stone reports. Appen rented out homes and apartments in Boston and filled the rooms with different kinds of electronics, from microphones and TVs to tablets and gaming consoles, according to the book.
Tile will tap directly into Amazon s Sidewalk network of Echo products to better compete with Apple s Find My network and AirTag.
Tile has made tiny tracking devices that users can place in wallets and bags for years. After rumors of an Apple-made tracking device began, Tile became vocal against Apple s efforts.
Now, Tile has partnered with Amazon to strengthen its network using Sidewalk. Instead of tapping into Apple s Find My network of over a billion devices, Tile will resort to using the Bluetooth signal of millions of Amazon Echo devices.
Amazon Sidewalk is a new network bridge protocol that will extend the range of smart home gadgets using existing Amazon devices like Echos. The Amazon Echos act as a bridge to the network and enable devices to communicate from much further away than standard Wi-Fi allows.
Amazon s Sidewalk will soon integrate with Tile trackers.
This newfound support will roll out from June 14.
Amazon also announced additional integration with Level.
Keeping track of your things is about to get easier than ever with a collaboration between Amazon and Tile. From June 14th, Tile trackers will now work with Amazon s Sidewalk, extending the Tile network s coverage to include even Amazon Echo devices.
Last year, Amazon Echos gained support for Sidewalk, adding to the pre-existing Ring support, but this is the first major non-Amazon tracker network to integrate with Tile.
CJ Prober, CEO of Tile, said:
Tile helps millions of people every day find their things, and we re always looking for opportunities to enhance the finding experience for our customers. To that end, working with Amazon to extend our finding network by securely connecting to Amazon Sidewalk devices like Echo smart speakers was an obvious choice. Amazon Sidewalk will strengthen Tile s finding power for