Josh.ai Launches Coin-Sized Amazon Echo Competitor

Over the last few weeks, we’ve observed updates and expanded offerings across the smart home virtual assistant market. Apple introduced the HomePod Mini, Google released a much-anticipated update to the Google Home, and Amazon continued to diversify the designs of its Alexa-enabled speakers.

Today, a new offering arrives from an emerging competitor, Josh.ai. This company has focused on establishing a specialized position within the market by developing a smart assistant product intended for professional installation alongside existing smart home systems, and they have unveiled a new product this afternoon.

The new device, Josh Nano, caters to a high-end home environment with a discreet design that is slightly larger than a half-dollar. However, the majority of the device is installed within the wall and connected to a central unit through power-over-ethernet cabling. This unit incorporates an array of four microphones but omits a built-in speaker, instead designed to work with a user’s existing home audio system. Josh.ai confirms compatibility with leading AV receiver manufacturers, as well as partnerships with companies such as Sonos. Beyond these features, the device includes a light for visual cues, a multi-function touch sensor, and a physical switch to disable the microphones for enhanced privacy.

The goal of this new hardware is to conceal the smart technology within a home and move away from the typical touchscreen hubs with their often-outdated interfaces. By reducing a smart home product to its core functionality, Josh.ai aims to encourage greater user adoption with the assurance that future hardware releases will not quickly make their devices obsolete or aesthetically unappealing. The company is currently accepting pre-orders for the device, available in both black and white finishes, with shipments expected to begin early next year.

The functionality of these devices is powered by Josh Core, a compact server that functions as a central hub for all Josh-enabled devices within a home. This ensures that communication between smart home devices occurs locally, reducing reliance on external connections. The company will also continue to offer its previously released Josh Micro, which integrates a dedicated speaker into the wall-mounted hardware.

While Josh.ai works directly with professional installers for the hardware, the company is also expanding as a software provider, offering consumers a license to their technology on an annual, five-year, or lifetime subscription basis. The cost of this license varies depending on the size of the home, with smaller installations defined as those with fewer than 15 rooms. Regarding hardware expenses, Josh.ai states that pricing is variable, but the average cost for customers is approximately $500 per room.

Large technology companies typically design their products for broad consumer appeal. For startups like Josh.ai, this presents an opportunity to create products tailored to specific needs, rather than catering to a global audience of billions. In fact, a significant draw for many of their customers is the ability to avoid purchasing devices from major companies like Google, Amazon, or Apple and integrating microphones that transmit data back to them.

Although 95% of the startup’s current business is focused on residential applications, the company is also exploring opportunities to expand its technology into commercial settings, such as conference rooms or even elevators.