Alexa starts to speak Portuguese; Echo devices arrive in Brazil

Amazon: Alexa starts to speak Portuguese;  Echo devices arrive in Brazil

In the last week, we talked here about taking new products from Amazon and about how the retail giant has a clear goal of taking its digital assistant, the Alexa, literally everywhere by simply placing it on all devices around you (or on your finger). There was only one question: until then, it all seemed a little distant from us, since the devices Echo and Alexa were not yet available here. Now, everything has changed.

From yesterday to today, Amazon started its Brazilian invasion: the company announced that Alexa can finally communicate in Portuguese, in addition to starting sales of three devices of the Echo line in the national store. The devices are:

  • THE Echo Dot, small smart speaker, for R $ 350 (in promotion by R $ 250 during pre-sales, until October 7th);
  • THE Echo Show 5, smart speaker with 5.5 inch screen and front camera, for example R $ 600 (in promotion by R $ 450 during pre-sales, until October 7th);
  • THE Third generation echo, the line’s standard smart speaker, for R $ 700 (which will be launched at a later date, and does not yet have a pre-sale promotional value released).

The devices, of course, are deeply connected and have their entire operation based on the action of Alexa. The assistant, however, will not “live” only on Echo devices – she can also be accessed, for example, from smartphones iOS or Android, through its official application.


Amazon Alexa app icon

The assistant is able to answer questions (such as «What’s the weather today?») And perform basic commands (such as «Wake me up at 6 am»), depending on the device. But Alexa’s real power lies in its deep integration with other devices: you can connect electronics and objects of all kinds to the assistant and use her as a kind of master of your smart home.

At launch, Alexa is already able to integrate with some national devices, such as the smart lamps recently launched by Positive and the new devices from Intelbras. It is also possible to connect the assistant to JBL and the Bose, in addition to other Sony, gives LG and the D-Link. The menu is extensive, and is expected to expand rapidly from now on.

It is also worth noting that Amazon was not limited to translating Alexa into Brazilian Portuguese. What we have here is a complete localization job, from the pronunciation of certain terms in English (the national assistant says «fêicebuqui», as we speak) to the understanding of certain commands (you can say «play Raul» and she will know the you mean, for example).

At «Skills» (the name Amazon gives to the assistant’s skills) have also been adapted for our beloved republic. Right at launch, you can already use Alexa to order a iFood, check your account statement at Itaú or in Bradesco, check the status of a flight LATAM and call one Uber. It is also possible to check the news from several portals, such as Twitter, leaf, Estadão, Look, G1, CBN, Young pan, Infomoney and Economic value. Several other skills will be added over time.

Adding these news to the recent launch of Amazon Prime in Brazil, it is clear: 2019 is the year that Jeff Bezos’s giant decided to look fondly at our lands. Whether the company will achieve the ubiquitous status it has achieved here in the United States and other territories, this is another question – the certainty, for now, is that it will be very interesting to follow the next chapters of this trajectory.

via UOL