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| Amazon.com is now shipping the Echo and Echo Dot International Versions with Alexa to customers in the Philippines. |
Echo devices, which are voice-activated speakers, are always available, hands-free, and quick. The gadgets are powered by the Alexa service, which is always improving—just ask Alexa a question, and she'll answer it, give you the time, report the weather, set timers and alarms, play music, control compatible lighting in your house, call or message friends and family, and more. You can do all of this with Echo's far-field voice control from across the room.
Rob Pulciani, Vice President, Alexa International, said, "We are delighted to make the International Versions of the latest generations of Echo and Echo Dot accessible to customers in the Philippines through Amazon.com today." “We're always searching for ways to improve the Alexa experience, and we've introduced additional capabilities that our Filipino customers have requested, such as local news and radio stations, Spotify integration, and more. Best of all, because Alexa is cloud-based, these capabilities are now available on existing devices in homes.”
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Local Content and New Alexa Features
Customers in the Philippines will notice new features and content tailored to their needs. The following are some of the enhancements:
• ABS-CBN, News5-TV5 Philippines, and Cignal OneNews Philippines are now available as local news sources.
• Alexa now knows more about festivals, local sports, food, history, places, celebrities, and more—try asking, “Alexa, when is Bonifacio Day?”, “Alexa, what is the Philippine national game?”, “Alexa, what is adobo?” or “Alexa, who is José Rizal?”
•Customers with a Spotify Premium or Free account can now listen to music using Alexa. Local radio stations such as Yes! The Best Manila will also be accessible through TuneIn as well as 96.3 Easy Rock.
• Multi-room music — you can now synchronize several Echo devices to stream the same music in every room. Simply establish groups with two or more Echo devices by naming them "downstairs" in the Alexa app. Simply say, "Alexa, play OPM music downstairs," after you've created the group.
Spherical Design, Dolby Stereo Sound, and Built-in Zigbee Hub—Echo International Version
The Echo International Version features a spherical shape with a fabric finish that looks fantastic in any area and a brilliant LED light ring at the device's base that reflects off of surfaces for increased visibility. A 3.0-inch woofer, dual-firing tweeters, and Dolby processing produce stereo sound with clean highs, dramatic mids, and deep bass, and the new Echo also sounds terrific. Echo detects the acoustics of your environment and fine-tunes audio playback—just ask to listen to your favorite music, and the rich, realistic sound will adapt to your surroundings automatically. For the first time, Echo includes a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, making smart home setup even faster and easier.
The International Version of Echo Dot features spherical designs and crisp, full sound.
The Echo Dot International Version has the same spherical form and fabric finish as the Echo, making it a fashionable way to bring Alexa into any room. It's little, yet it's packed with a strong 1.6-inch front-firing speaker that delivers sharp vocals and balanced bass for a full sound experience in any room of your house. To gain a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning, use the tap-to-snooze feature—the perfect bedside table accessory.
Third-Party Expertise
Customers in the Philippines will be able to use the U.S. skills shop to get English skills. Developers can use the Alexa Skills Kit to create skills in various categories, including general knowledge, quizzes, games, wellness, sleep sounds, cookery, and more. Visit https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/alexa-skills-kit for more information.
Alexa-enabled devices are also available.
Developers can use the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) to incorporate Alexa directly into their products, enabling voice control to any connected device. Customers will access an increasing variety of Alexa features, smart home integrations, and skills on their favorite devices if companies release products with Alexa built-in in the Philippines.
Availability
http://amazon.com/echo-intl and http://amazon.com/echodot-intl have Charcoal Echo and Echo Dot International Versions. Some Alexa skills and features may not be accessible in all countries or languages, and they may change at any time. Some services, such as Alexa Guard, Amazon Kids, and In-Skill Purchases, will not be available in the UK.