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Internet retail giant Amazon has introduced a home virtual assistant always at the ready to answer questions, fetch news, play music or help with to-do lists.
The assistant, referred to as "Alexa", is accessed via the Echo device that is essentially a small set of speakers and microphones.
Alexa can be verbally asked to perform a range of tasks, and is seen as a challenge to "Siri", the virtual assistant in Apple's mobile devices.
Echo became available on an invitation-only basis at a price of US$199, or US$99 for those who pay for the company's Prime subscription service.
"Echo's brain is in the cloud, running on Amazon Web Services so it continually learns and adds more functionality over time," Amazon said at a webpage where people could request invitations to buy the Bluetooth-enabled speakers.
"The more you use Echo, the more it adapts to your speech patterns, vocabulary, and personal preferences."
A demonstration video online revealed a female voice responding to questions or commands preceded by the trigger word "Alexa", homage to the ancient library of Alexandria. A ring of microphones built into can-shaped Echo speakers enable the devices to identify voices even when music is playing, according to Amazon.
Echo accesses news, weather, streaming music and more using wireless internet connections.
The 23cm tall device is designed to be plugged in and left in place, but it can be managed remotely using free applications built for smartphones powered by Apple, Android or Amazon's Fire operating software.
Apple and Google are eager to make their platforms hubs that exploit powers of smartphones, tablets or other devices to serve as controls for entertainment, information, temperature, lighting, and more in "smart homes", according to Forrester analyst James McQuivey.
Echo could let Amazon jump ahead in that race with the first device in homes that will be listening and ready to act whenever people might think of something they want or need to buy.
"Sure, it doubles as a connected speaker and some people will end up buying it for that, but the Echo will only achieve its real purpose when you start asking it questions, having it complete tasks for you, especially shopping tasks, just the way Apple hopes its users will interact with Apple Watch," McQuivey said.
"Amazon has a unique ability to monetise the microphone, principally by putting microphones in places where you will think of things you want to buy, the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room and things which Amazon can then easily fulfil."
For now, Echo's connections to Amazon's shopping empire are few. Echo customers will be able to buy digital music from Amazon. And they will be able to add items to their shopping list to buy later from the website.
But Amazon spokeswoman Kinley Pearsall said users initially would not be able to purchase physical products from Amazon directly from Echo, nor will they be able to add e-books to their Kindle library.
"We think it makes everyday life a bit easier, when you have a question or want to do something, all you have to do is ask," Pearsall said.
The debut of the Echo could have caught rivals off guard, especially with Amazon still stinging from the lack of consumer interest in a Fire smartphone it recently released to compete in that market, McQuivey said.
Additional reporting by McClatchy-Tribune


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Amazon has high hopes for its new virtual assistant. Photo AFP

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23cm tall, Amazon's stay-at-home virtual assistant is set to challenge Apple's mobile helper in battle to maximise use of smartphone systems


Internet retail giant Amazon has introduced a home virtual assistant always at the ready to answer questions, fetch news, play music or help with to-do lists.


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Amazon debuts Alexa, home-based virtual assistant to take on Apple's Siri

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}23cm tall, Amazon's stay-at-home virtual assistant is set to challenge Apple's mobile helper in battle to maximise use of smartphone systems

23cm tall, Amazon's stay-at-home virtual assistant is set to challenge Apple's mobile helper in battle to maximise use of smartphone systems