Alexa now comes with Spotify support, local news and radio, improved local knowledge, and more
Developers can use the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) to build skills or the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) to integrate Alexa directly into their products for customers in the Philippines, bringing the convenience of voice control to their connected device
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that the Echo International Version and Echo Dot International Version are available to ship to customers in the Philippines from Amazon.com. With access to Spotify, local news and radio stations, improved local knowledge, and more, Alexa is now even more useful. In the Philippines, customers can use Echo International Version and Echo Dot International Version in English (United States).
Echo devices, which are speakers designed entirely around your voice, are always ready, hands-free, and fast. The devices are powered by the Alexa service, which is always getting smarter—just ask and Alexa will answer questions, tell you the time, report the weather, set timers and alarms, play music, control compatible lights at home, call or message friends and family, and more. With Echo’s far-field voice control, you can do all this from across the room.
“We are excited to make the International Versions of the latest generations of Echo and Echo Dot available to customers in the Philippines from Amazon.com today,” said Rob Pulciani, Vice President, Alexa International. “We are always looking for ways to improve the Alexa experience and added new features that our customers in the Philippines have asked for, including local news providers and radio stations, Spotify support, and more. Best of all, since Alexa is powered by the cloud, these features are now available on existing devices already in homes.”
New Alexa Features and Local Content
Customers in the Philippines will find new features and localized content added just for them. Some of these improvements include:
- Local news sources including ABS-CBN, News5-TV5 Philippines, and Cignal OneNews Philippines, are now available. Customers can also access global news sources such as Reuters.
- Alexa is now more knowledgeable about holidays, local sports, food, history, places, celebrities and more—try asking “Alexa, when is Bonifacio Day?”, “Alexa, what is the national game of the Philippines?”, “Alexa, what is adobo?”, or “Alexa, who is José Rizal?”.
- Customers can now listen to music with a Spotify Premium or Free account through Alexa. TuneIn will also provide access to local radio stations like Yes! The Best Manila and 96.3 Easy Rock.
- Multi-room music – now you can group multiple Echo devices and synchronize them to stream the same music in every room. Simply use the Alexa app to create groups with two or more Echo devices by naming the group, such as “downstairs.” Once you’ve created the group, simply say “Alexa, play OPM music downstairs.”
Echo International Version—Spherical Design, Dolby Stereo Sound and Built-in Zigbee Hub
Echo International Version has a spherical design and fabric finish, which looks great in any space, with a bright LED light ring at the base of the device that reflects off of surfaces for added visibility. The new Echo also sounds great thanks to a 3.0-inch woofer, dual-firing tweeters, and Dolby processing that delivers stereo sound with clear highs, dynamic-mids, and deep bass. Echo automatically senses the acoustics of your space and fine-tunes audio playback—just ask to listen to your favorite music and the rich, detailed sound will automatically adapt to your room. For the first time, Echo comes with a built-in Zigbee smart home hub for even faster and easier smart home set up.
Echo Dot International Version—Spherical Designs and Crisp, Full Sound
Echo Dot International Version has the same spherical design and fabric finish as Echo, making it a stylish way to add Alexa to any space. It’s compact, but packs in a powerful 1.6-inch, front-firing speaker, producing crisp vocals and balanced bass for full sound you can enjoy in any room of your home. Use the tap-to-snooze feature to get a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning—the perfect bedside table addition.
Third Party Skills
Customers in the Philippines will be able to access English skills available through the U.S. skills store. The Alexa Skills Kit provides developers with the ability to create skills across different and diverse categories including general knowledge, quizzes, games, wellness, sleep sounds, cooking, and more. To learn more, visit: https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/alexa-skills-kit.
Additional Devices with Alexa Built-In
The Alexa Voice Service (AVS) enables developers to integrate Alexa directly into their products, bringing the convenience of voice control to any connected device. Companies who release products with Alexa Built-in in the Philippines will enable their customers access a growing number of Alexa features, smart home integrations, and skills on their favorite devices.
Availability
Echo and Echo Dot International Versions are available in Charcoal from http://amazon.com/echo-intl and http://amazon.com/echodot-intl. Certain Alexa skills and features may not be available in all countries and languages and are subject to change at any time. Some features that are available in the U.S. like Alexa Guard, Amazon Kids, and In-Skill Purchases will not be available.
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