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Friday 29 September 2017 TECHNOLOGY
A24

Amazon turns up the volume on rivals with Echo price cut

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE It is introducing small devic-
AP Technology Writer es for playing games called
SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon will Amazon Buttons and an-
head into the holiday shop- other Alexa-powered de-
ping season with a simple vice with a 2.5-inch screen
wish list: It wants voice-con- called the Echo Spot.
trolled devices featuring The Spot, designed to re-
its digital assistant Alexa to semble an alarm clock, will
become as ubiquitous in cost $130.
people’s homes as televi-
sions. VIDEO STREAMING
The online retailer is slashing Amazon is also engaged in
prices to undercut Google, a fight to become the pre-
introducing better acous- ferred device for streaming
tics in response to a forth- internet video.
coming Apple speaker and It unveiled a new version
rolling out new formats to of its Fire TV player that will
appeal to different tastes stream 4K video like its pre-
and needs/ decessor, but will sell for
“We want to make sure $70, down from $100 previ-
we are building a product ously.
that everyone can use,” That’s more than $100
said David Limp, Amazon’s cheaper than Apple’s
senior vice president of de- latest streaming player ,
vices and services, during which sells for almost $180.
a Wednesday event show- David Limp, senior vice president of Devices and Services at Amazon, smiles as he displays a Other companies like Roku
casing the company’s holi- new Amazon Echo during an event announcing several new Amazon products by the company, and Google sell streaming
day product line-up at its Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Seattle. devices at comparable
Seattle headquarters. Associated Press or even lower prices than
Amazon so far has proven on command. the price advantage with assistant, Siri. Fire TV.Amazon also an-
far better at discounting a Amazon won’t say how the next generation of the The HomePod, though, will nounced that BMW is join-
potpourri of goods online many Echos it has sold Echo. cost three times more than ing other automakers such
than it has been at making since the device’s 2014 de- The new version will sell for the next-generation Echo as Ford, Hyundai and Mer-
its own devices. but. $100, a 44 percent reduc- at almost $350. cedes who are incorporat-
Most notably, it tanked Limp would only say “tens tion from the $180 price for For those that want even ing Alexa into their dash-
in its attempt to make a of millions” of devices cur- the current version. better sound and more board consoles.
smartphone, putting it at rently include Alexa and Google’s Home speaker features for controlling in- Those alliances with auto-
a disadvantage against that Amazon now employs currently sells for $130, but ternet-connected lighting makers still might not be
Google and Apple — the more than 5,000 people that price could be low- and appliance inside the enough keep Amazon and
makers of Android and the trying to make the assistant ered next week when the home, Amazon also is in- Alexa competitive with
iPhone, respectively — in even smarter. company is expected to troducing the Echo Plus, a Google and Apple outside
the battle to stay connect- The Echo’s popularity prod- unveil its own holiday line- slightly taller speaker that the home, given the soft-
ed with consumers when ded Google to introduce up in San Francisco. will sell for $150. ware made by those two
they’re on the go. its own internet-connected Pre-orders for both the new power most of the smart-
speaker, Home, with a digi- GOING UPSCALE Echos began Wednesday. phones in the world.
A HOME-STYLE APPROACH tal assistant last year. Apple Amazon is also adding Amazon hasn’t set a pre- There had been specula-
But Amazon has found a is scheduled to roll out its higher fidelity equipment to cise shipment date, but tion that Amazon is working
way to play a bigger role own speaker, the Home- the next-generation Echo said both devices will be on a pair of internet-con-
in people’s homes with the Pod, in December. in an apparent response to ready before Christmas. nected glasses that would
Echo, an internet-connect- Google has been position- the HomePod. Apple is pro- Amazon also will begin sell- make it easier for people to
ed speaker starring Alexa ing its speaker as a less ex- moting its speaker primarily ing a digital device called take Alexa with them wher-
as a concierge who can pensive alternative with a as a superior sound system the Echo Connect that can ever they go, but no such
do everything from order a smarter assistant. for music, although it will serve as a speaker system device was mentioned
pizza to turn out the lights Amazon now aims to erase also feature Apple’s digital for a home phone landline. Wednesday.q

Delivery by drone: Switzerland tests it in populated areas

By The Associated Press bring the packages to commerce startup Siroop. Friday with two drones and in action on Thursday, with
ZURICH (AP) — Drones will homes. It’s been approved by two vehicles. “We want to a woman enacting the
help deliver toothbrushes, Andreas Raptopoulos, the Switzerland’s aviation au- figure out, first of all : Is the scene of loading up the
deodorant and smart- CEO of drone firm Matter- thority. The pilot comes as public excited about this, drone with a bag of cof-
phones to Swiss homes this net, said Thursday that the Amazon, Google and Uber right?” he told reporters at fee that was flown several
fall as part of a pilot proj- drones will speed up deliv- have also been investing a news conference at a kilometers and landed
ect, the first of its kind over eries, buzzing over congest- in drone delivery research. dressed-up gas station in smoothly on the rooftop
a densely populated area. ed urban streets or natural Cautious not to imitate Zollikon, a Zurich suburb, on of a Mercedes-Benz van.
The drones will take items barriers like Lake Zurich. what called the “Google Thursday. “It’s the first time After high-fives at the suc-
from a distribution cen- Matternet, which is based Glass” experience, Rap- that an e-commerce pilot cessful flight, the coffee
ter in the Zurich area and in Menlo Park, California, topoulos said consumer is done in a central Europe- was then brewed up at a
transport them 8 to 16 kilo- is partnering on the proj- acceptance would be an city.” Executives from coffee cart at the ready
meters to awaiting delivery ect with Mercedes-Benz’s critical in the pilot project, the three partner compa- and served for the several
vans. The van drivers then vans division and Swiss e- which is expected to start nies showcased the drone dozen attendees.q