Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM OCTOBER 2016 28 to diversify their borrowing. We encourage our dealers to contact Northpoint about their new program." Northpoint's new program will give O'Rourke dealers a no-cost, extended term financing solution for an inaugural period. In addition, each dealer will be assigned an expert, dedicated account representative to serve as an ongoing financing strategist. "We're excited to provide O'Rourke dealers with the means to acquire their showroom and stock inventory without tying up cash and restricting liquidity," said John Durnien, SVP at Northpoint. Durnien also emphasized that Northpoint has financing options for all O'Rourke dealers, even though the initial extended terms program began with Nationwide members. As a non- regulated lender, Northpoint offers flexible programs not found in today's highly regulated banking environment, and can offer a nimbler response. For more information about Northpoint's product offerings, visit www.northpointcf.com. CONVERSATIONAL APPLIANCES: CONTROL YOUR HOME WITH YOUR VOICE Amazon Alexa and GE Appliances collaboration enables hands-free convenience with voice control What if you could find out when your dishwasher cycle would be finished, preheat your oven or find out if your clothes are clean—all with the sound of your voice? GE Appliances, a Haier company, is the first Alexa skill to control a broad range of kitchen appliances including refrigerators, dishwashers, wall ovens, ranges, laundry and more. "Voice connectivity has a big role in the Internet of Things, as well as in the home," said Liz VerSchure, vice president responsible for GE Appliances connected strategy. "Integrating our connected appliances with Alexa will help make consumers' lives easier, more productive and a little more fun." Have your hands full or cleaning up a mess? GE Appliances and Alexa now make it possible to preheat your oven with just your voice. Hate to leave the kids while you check on the wash? Ask Alexa the status of your cycle and save a trip. Last year, Amazon launched the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) and Alexa Voice Service (AVS), allowing developers to build Alexa skills or integrate Alexa directly into their hardware, product or service. Alexa is the brain behind Amazon Echo, a cloud- connected speaker that offers hands-free voice control for everything from music to weather and alarms. Today Alexa has over 2,000 skills and continues to grow, with new skills being added by third parties like GE Appliances, who want to connect their products to voice capabilities. The Alexa skill built for GE appliances and Monogram ® products has a unique name, which is "Geneva." This way, Alexa device owners can use and control their GE Appliances products by simply saying, "Alexa, tell Geneva I want hot water," which will tell the connected refrigerator to get hot water ready. A few other skills include: • "Alexa, tell Geneva to turn on Sabbath mode." • "Alexa, tell Geneva to preheat the oven to 350 degrees." • "Alexa, tell Geneva to set the oven timer for 10 minutes." • "Alexa, tell Geneva to set the water heater to 110 degrees." • "Alexa, ask Geneva if my laundry is clean." I N D U S T R Y [ N E W S ]

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