Bulletins

Verizon is about to launch its own 4G smart display

Image of Verizon smart display showing both front and back of the device

Verizon's first smart display is based on Amazon's Alexa assistant.

Courtesy of the FCC / Verizon

The carrier is getting ready to sell a smart display based on Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, according to FCC filings published Friday.

The device, which bears the model name LVD1, features an 8-inch 1280×800 pixel display, and comes with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. In addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it also supports 4G connectivity, which should make it possible to operate it without Wi-Fi — something that would set the device apart from existing smart displays.

A Verizon spokesperson declined to comment.

The display has a front-facing camera that can be disabled with a hardware shutter, and a manual included in the filings suggest that it supports Verizon's BlueJeans video-conferencing service. The manual does not include any images of the smart display's user interface, but it mentions that it is being powered by Amazon's Alexa assistant.

Consumers will be able to query that assistant with the wake word phrase, "Hi Verizon." This means that Verizon is taking part in Amazon's Alexa Custom Assistant program. Announced in January, the program allows companies to effectively white-label Alexa for their own devices. In addition to custom wake words, companies can also use the program to release skills that are only available on their own devices.
Janko Roettgers

Janko Roettgers (Twitter, Mastodon) used to be a senior reporter at Protocol, reporting on the shifting power dynamics between tech, media, and entertainment, including the impact of new technologies. Previously, Janko was Variety's first-ever technology writer in San Francisco, where he covered big tech and emerging technologies. He has reported for Gigaom, Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Zeitung, and ORF, among others. He has written three books on consumer cord-cutting and online music and co-edited an anthology on internet subcultures. He lives with his family in Oakland.

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