Alexa’s not the only Amazon property that’s getting a workplace component at this week at AWS Re:Invent. The LTE-M Button isn’t branded as a Dash Button, but it works in much the same way. Basically it’s a hunk of plastic which, when pressed, will perform one specific task — namely buying stuff online.
Unlike all of the pre-programmed Dash Buttons, this AT&T and AWS Web Services joint ships as a clean slate. A company buys the thing and programs tasks in using Amazon’s AWS IOT service. The idea here is that instead of, say, buying a box of Goldfish crackers, businesses can order office supplies or put in some other sort of work request by hitting a button.
The other big differentiator here is the inclusion of LTE-M — IOT-focused 4G. That means businesses will be able to use the buttons where there’s no WiFi. That sort of feature is overkill in the home setting, but makes sense off-site in, say, a construction site.
The buttons are due out at some point in the first quarter of next year. No word yet on final pricing, but the special promotion cost is $30 for the first 5,000 sold. That’s several times the standard $5 price for Amazon’s wide range of branded Dash Buttons, but these are obviously much more of a speciality product that both includes LTE connectivity and isn’t subsidized by all of the stuff you’re going to buy with it.