Amazon, the world’s largest online marketplace, launched its Echo lineup of smart speakers in the UAE.
The speakers come with a localized version of its virtual assistant, Alexa, finally bringing its popular range of home devices to the Emirates with full support.
Interaction with Alexa – a rival to Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana – can be done in English and Gulf Arabic dialects, reflecting local pronunciations and intonation. Almost 200 Alexa Skills – app-like functions that can be added to an Echo device – from regional developers and brands are also available
Omar Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, welcomed Alexa’s entry into the local market “on our way to becoming a world leader in artificial intelligence”.
“Much like AI is at the core of Alexa’s personality, we are working on doing the same for the entire nation-building an AI-driven economy that contributes significantly to education, government development, and the happiness of our community,” Mr. Al Olama said.
Amazon released the first Echo in 2014, but, like its competitors, it did not quite take off as expected owing to a few issues, most notably those related to user privacy. The company, however, guarantees that all Echo devices are designed with several layers of privacy protection, including physical microphones and camera controls.
Speculation about a UAE launch grew in May this year when Amazon invited select local users to participate in a beta program to test Alexa’s capabilities, including learning Arabic.
On the other hand, Apple’s HomePod, until it was discontinued in March this year, was never made available on its UAE retail channels. Its mini version, however, continues to be sold in other markets.
Google’s Home speakers were also discontinued last year but rebranded as Nest products, They are also still unavailable in the region; trying to access them on Google’s online store redirects to a region-picker microsite.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Technology Express staff and is published from a syndicated feed)
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