Amazon.com has announced the availability of the Echo International Version and Echo Dot International Version to their customers in the Philippines. Both devices come with access to Spotify, local news and radio stations, improved local knowledge, and an even more useful Alexa. Filipino customers can use their Echo International Version and Echo Dot International Version in English (US).
Amazon Echo devices are speakers designed entirely around your voice, are always ready, hands-free, fast, and powered by the Alexa service. Just ask and Alexa will answer questions, tell you the time, report the weather, set timers and alarms, play music, control compatible lights at home, call or message friends and family, and more. With Echo’s far-field voice control, you can do all this from across the room.
“We are excited to make the International Versions of the latest generations of Echo and Echo Dot available to customers in the Philippines from Amazon.com today. We are always looking for ways to improve the Alexa experience and added new features that our customers in the Philippines have asked for, including local news providers and radio stations, Spotify support, and more. Best of all, since Alexa is powered by the cloud, these features are now available on existing devices already in homes,” according to Rob Pulciani, Vice President, Alexa International.
New Alexa Features & Local Content
Customers in the Philippines will find new features and localized content added just for them, plus some improvements including:
- Local news sources including ABS-CBN, News5-TV5 Philippines, and Cignal OneNews Philippines, are now available. Customers can also access global news sources such as Reuters.
- Alexa is now more knowledgeable about holidays, local sports, food, history, places, celebrities, and more — try asking “Alexa, when is Bonifacio Day?”, “Alexa, what is the national game of the Philippines?”, “Alexa, what is adobo?” or “Alexa, who is José Rizal?”.
- Customers can now listen to music with a Spotify Premium or Free account through Alexa. TuneIn will also provide access to local radio stations like Yes! The Best Manila and 96.3 Easy Rock.
- Multi-room music — now you can group multiple Echo devices and synchronize them to stream the same music in every room. Simply use the Alexa app to create groups with two or more Echo devices by naming the group, such as “downstairs.” Once you’ve created the group, simply say “Alexa, play OPM music downstairs.”
Third-Party Skills
Customers in the Philippines will be able to access English skills available through the U.S. skills store. The Alexa Skills Kit provides developers with the ability to create skills across different and diverse categories including general knowledge, quizzes, games, wellness, sleep sounds, cooking, and more.
The Alexa Voice Service (AVS) enables developers to integrate Alexa directly into their products, bringing the convenience of voice control to any connected device. Companies that release products with Alexa Built-in in the Philippines will enable their customers to access a growing number of Alexa features, smart home integrations, and skills on their favorite devices.
Echo and Echo Dot International Versions are available in Charcoal from http://amazon.com/echo-intl and http://amazon.com/echodot-intl. Certain Alexa skills and features may not be available in all countries and languages and are subject to change at any time. Some features that are available in the U.S. like Alexa Guard, Amazon Kids, and In-Skill Purchases will not be available.