Amazon is said to be working on a pair of glasses with Alexa built-in, according to the Financial Times. The glasses, which would be Amazon's first wearable device, would be unlike the ill-fated Google Glass, which featured a small screen in front of the right eye.
Amazon's smart glasses will be a regular pair of eyeglasses that you can wear comfortably on a daily basis, but have a bone conduction audio system.
That's right, there will be no screen to overlay information, but just voice feedback and some built-in microphones so you can speak commands and get answers to questions from Alexa.
The glasses will tether to your smartphone and give you instant access to Alexa, rather than having to open an app (Amazon has introduced handsfree Alexa with the Fire HD 10 tablet). The solution could prove handy in the car for example where you need to keep your hands free.
The lack of screen and camera will present more advantages than disadvantages. Firstly, manufacturing them should be much easier than with a product like Google Glass, and battery life should benefit as a result too.
The FT also reports that Amazon is said to be working on a smart home security camera akin to the Nest Cam. Recorded and live video from the camera would be shown on the screen of the Echo Show, which was recently launched in the US.
The FT added that one or both of these products could be released before the end of 2017.