Amazon's collection of network-connected speakers with built-in virtual assistants may be getting some competition from Google, if a report about a potential product is found to be correct. The search giant is said to be working on hardware like the
Amazon Echo,
Tap, and Echo Dot devices that can allow for searches to be performed without needing to access a smartphone, with the project claimed to have the internal codename of "Chirp."
Sources of
Recode claim it will have a similar appearance to the
OnHub wireless router, though details about its technology, aside from it being a competitor to Echo, remain scarce. A launch for the device could happen later this year, though despite Google I/O taking place next week, it is apparently unlikely to make an appearance at the event.
Chirp appears to be a natural extension of Google Voice Search, if it works similarly to the Echo range. The Echo uses the Alexa assistant to answer queries, as well as to buy items on Amazon itself, and to play media, all from vocal commands with no physical interaction. In many Android smartphones, similar searches can already be performed with a voice prompt before the query itself, so Google has effectively mastered one of the key features of the Echo already.
The prospect of an Echo competitor from Google has surfaced in earlier reports,
with The Information suggesting the Google-owned Nest has previously considered creating a similar product. Last year, Google received a
patent for an doll or toy that can analyze a user's speech and body language to work out if it is being talked to directly, responding accordingly. The patent received criticism after being published for being a "passive invasion" of privacy due to the described item's toy-like appearance.
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