10 August, 2017
Anker said it will also be able to connect with and control other Eufy-branded smart home devices from Anker, including some lights and wall plugs due to be released in a few weeks.
The $10 to $15 saved may not seem like a lot up front, but those savings will quickly add up for those that want to outfit their entire house with an array of smart speakers. And while that's kind of a weird name, the product itself is pretty straightforward.
In a nutshell, the Genie is just a cheaper version of the Amazon Echo Dot.
"What we are trying to do is to turn the smart home concept into something more affordable, accessible and integrated". Most importantly, it works exactly the same. A new, app-enabled version of Eufy's RoboVac will come next in September - you'll be able to buy it bundled with the Genie for just $280, which is about as affordable as voice-connected housecleaning now gets.
Amazon, of course, welcomes third-party manufacturers adopting the Alexa API.
The $35 Eufy Genie smart speaker from Anker, available in black or white on August 16. You can still do that with Genie, but why would you wanna go through the hassle? Physically, it's a little bigger than the Echo Dot, but in operation it's hard to tell the difference, although to my ear the speaker in the Eufy Genie feels warmer and a little bassier, and the pickup from the microphones is excellent. Although the company mentioned that a $40 Bluetooth-enabled version of the device is coming in the future, the lack of Bluetooth pairing in the launch model of the device might be a deal-breaker for anyone who might prefer to use their own wireless speakers in lieu of the Genie's 2W speakers.
Anker's doing what other other smart home companies have failed to do: offer the whole package. The company will be hoping shoppers buy multiple devices, putting a bunch of Ankers in homes across the US. That is no mistake, as the Genie largely apes the functionality of the Echo Dot thanks to its inclusion of support for the Alexa AI assistant. I own several Anker products including its non-Wi-Fi version of the RoboVac and I've never had any problems.