SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 8, 2017– (NASDAQ: AMZN)–Amazon today announced that Alexa and Echo are now available by invitation in Japan. Additionally, developers can now use the Alexa Skills Kit to create Japanese Alexa experiences, and will soon be able to use the Alexa Voice Service to integrate Alexa into products for Japanese customers. Read the press release announcing Alexa in Japan: https://amazon-press.jp.
“Tens of millions of customers already love Alexa and we’re thrilled to introduce her to our customers in Japan today, with an all-new experience designed from the ground up for Japanese customers, including a new Japanese voice, local knowledge, and over 250 skills from Japanese developers,” said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “We’re also excited to expand the Alexa Skills Kit and the Alexa Voice Service, so developers and hardware makers around the world can create Alexa experiences for our Japanese customers.”
Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Plus are voice-controlled speakers designed entirely around your voice–they’re always ready, hands-free, and fast. Alexa is the brain behind Echo–just ask, and she’ll answer questions, play music, read the news, set timers and alarms, recite your calendar, check sports scores, control lights around your home, and much more. With far-field voice control, Echo can do all this from across the room. Since Alexa runs in the AWS cloud, she is always getting smarter–plus, it is simple for developers to build Alexa skills and integrate Alexa into their own products.
The devices will start shipping in Japan next week.
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