Voice Power

AS TECH GIANTS INTEGRATE VOICE ASSISTANTS WITH THIRD-PARTY HARDWARE, ONE CAN ENJOY THESE SMART SERVICES WITHOUT SPENDING A FORTUNE.

- Nidhi Singal

THE CONCEPT of always-present, always-connected smart speakers that respond to voice commands and carry out all kinds of tasks sounds fascinating mostly because they tend to simplify our life. Powered by AI software, they fetch relevant information, play music, book a cab, buy flight tickets, order food, control home appliances and do much more. In India, Amazon’s Echo family is leading the race, thanks to its early-mover advantage, but Google is catching up fast with its home speakers. Apple, too, has jumped on the bandwagon. Here is a catch, though. Their compelling hardware stands nowhere without the ‘brain’ or the virtual assistant software, which triggers all activities. Both Amazon and Google know better than restricting consumers to proprietary hardware and allow Alexa and Google Assistant to be integrated with third-party devices to push growth.

It does not mean their hardware offerings are on the wane. Amazon, for instance, offers several Echo gadgets, including the Echo Dot (second and third-generation devices priced between 3,499 and 4,499) and the second-generation Echo Plus at 14,999. The company is planning to launch a 10.1 inch-screen Echo Show in India early next year. But as voice assistants become increasingly ubiquitous, efforts are on to push Alexa via third-party integration.