Josh.ai has begun shipping Josh Edge, a new handheld remote designed to simplify smart home control while maintaining access to the company’s AI-driven voice platform. The product follows a closed beta program with select dealers and represents the culmination of a dealer-informed development effort that began more than a year earlier.
Josh Edge was first introduced publicly in February 2024 as a concept following Josh.ai’s Winter Launch Event, which featured a broad slate of announcements including new natural AI voices, the AVA Cinema Remote experience, app updates, Josh Touchscreen, and Nimble DevSuite. After that event, Josh.ai hosted a dedicated dealer webinar to preview the Josh Edge concept and invite partner feedback on whether the company should move forward with development.
At the time, Josh.ai positioned Josh Edge as a response to long-standing dealer input calling for a simple, intuitive handheld control option to complement voice-first smart home interaction. Dealers were invited to provide feedback and financially back the concept if they wanted Josh.ai to build it. According to the company, the crowdfunding-style initiative reached its funding goal within the first hour, signaling strong dealer demand and enabling the project to move into full development.
“After our Winter Launch Event, we were thrilled to be able to propose the Josh Edge vision with our dealers to foster a collaborative approach to roadmap development,” said Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh.ai, at the time. He noted that the company’s goal was to create products that are simple, private, and intuitive to use, shaped directly by partner feedback.
Since then, Josh Edge has progressed through hardware design, software integration, and a dealer beta program that focused on real-world performance, usability, and day-to-day operation in installed homes. Josh.ai says insights from that beta period informed final refinements and validated the product’s readiness for broader deployment.
From a design standpoint, Josh Edge is machined from aluminum and intended to balance durability with an ergonomic, minimal form factor. The company says the remote delivers an expected battery life of up to three months on a single charge and was engineered to meet a dealer-friendly price point. Physical controls include side-mounted volume buttons and customizable button mapping.
At the center of the device is a tap-to-talk near-field voice control button. Josh Edge is designed to be location- and context-aware, allowing spoken commands such as “open the shades” or “watch ESPN” to be executed without additional qualifiers. Voice interactions are processed through Josh.ai’s AI platform, including access to JoshGPT for conversational assistance beyond home control.
The lower half of the remote provides a traditional universal remote experience, with a multi-directional navigation pad and dedicated AV buttons. Josh.ai says Josh Edge supports popular entertainment platforms including Apple TV, Roku, Kaleidescape, Dish, and Xfinity.
The top portion of Josh Edge includes six programmable buttons that can be customized within the Josh app on a per-room basis. These buttons can be assigned to control lighting, shades, music, fireplaces, or other connected devices, trigger scenes such as “Movie Time,” or act as shortcuts to favorite channels and streaming services. Josh.ai says dealers can choose from nearly 90 predefined button options to tailor configurations to individual clients and spaces.
With shipments now underway, Josh Edge becomes the latest addition to Josh.ai’s growing ecosystem of voice- and AI-enabled control products. The company says the product reflects its continued emphasis on collaboration with the professional integration channel and on developing solutions shaped by long-term dealer feedback and real-world installation experience.
