Amazon’s Dash Wand is an AmazonFresh ordering device with Alexa built in
Handheld "kitchen assistant" promotes Alexa, AmazonFresh and Prime services.
Amazon is creatively expanding the ways it uses Alexa to insinuate more services and devices into your daily life. The latest is the Dash Wand, a digital “kitchen assistant” and AmazonFresh ordering device that also can control the lights in your home.
This is essentially the relaunch of the Amazon Dash barcode scanner, which debuted a few years ago and didn’t really take off. However, this time it contains Alexa, and now it can do almost everything that Echo can except play music.
According to Amazon the Dash Wand can:
- Scan a barcode, or you can say an item. It’s added to your shopping cart.
- Buy home essentials or reorder previous purchases.
- Access thousands of features and skills with Alexa, like smart home devices.
- For initial setup, you’ll need an iPhone or Android phone and your WiFi password.
The video below shows the device in action. It’s pretty compelling and reflects the ways that Amazon is now able to use its technology and services for customer lock-in. Amazon is making it easier and easier to buy things within its ecosystem.
Prime members can order Dash Wand essentially for free. It costs $20, but Prime members get a $20 credit toward a future purchase. Amazon is also providing a free three-month trial of AmazonFresh, the company’s grocery delivery service.
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