Amazon products featuring its Alexa Voice Service (AVS) include the tech giant's line-up of Echo smart speakers. Last year the company set up a $100 million fund to help developers integrate AVS tech into third-party devices. Invoxia's Triby that includes the company's digital assistants is a voice-controlled hub that is the first such product to hit the market.

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Triby takes basic verbal commands like Echo and is a good example of the potential of Alexa tech in non-Amazon devices. It also streams music and connects Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart homes.  

However, unlike Echo speakers Triby is a battery-powered device that users can move around. Its price tag is a little higher at $200, but its speakers and magnetic frame make it a more flexible music player, according to Engadget. Meanwhile, the microphone can be used to function as a hands-free speakerphone, or tune into Internet radio, according to Tech News World.  

Nevertheless, the key function of Triby is as a hands-free virtual assistant that provides information from the Internet including news, weather, and sports. Voice commands can be used for various functions. They include alarms, timers, calendars, shopping lists, and to-do lists.   

In addition, Triby also has a display screen that can function as a web-based message board. The buttons and speaker grille make the gadget look like an old-school analog radio compared to Echo's sleek design.  

Sébastien de la Bastie is Invoxia's managing director. He shares that Triby was built so technology can improve modern family life. The smart magnet brings cloud-based artificial intelligence to the real world via household kitchens.  

De la Bastie claims that voice-activated devices would help to develop smart homes and have the same game-changing effect as Apple's touch screen technology.  

The new smart fridge magnet is a good example of how Alexa can be integrated into various IoT devices and shows the power of the Alexa Skills Kit.

In related news Amazon recently unveiled its $89 Dot. The small device plugs into a speaker or audio system using a cable to turn the unit into an intelligent device that can answer questions using Alexa, play Spotify tunes, and control Hue smart lights.