Google Home and Amazon Echo soon will have VOIP features where one can make calls over Internet Protocol.
Amazon has sold more than 8.2 million Echo home speakers, says Consumer Intelligence Research. Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL) launched its artificial-intelligence supported home speaker system last fall but hasn’t disclosed shipments.
Amazon and Alphabet are racing to add more features to the internet-connected home devices. It’s not clear if telecom regulations would get in the way of Amazon’s Echo or Google Home adding communications features, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Amazon’s Echo AMZN, +0.75% or the Google GOOGL, -0.32% Home could be used to make or receive calls, people familiar with the matter said, a functionality that would give them further control over consumers’ digital lives at home.
Meanwhile, observers speculate that Amazon might offer a search service via its Echo home devices, which would pose a threat to Google’s core advertising business. A top Amazon executive signaled paid search plans at an advertising industry meeting on Jan. 19.
While Google’s business has weathered the migration of search to mobile phones from desktop PCs, voice-assisted technology from Amazon, Apple (AAPL) and possibly others could pose a long-term threat, analysts say.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said: “On voice search, we are really excited about it. You know, I think it’s a very natural way for users to interact. We think it will be one mode. Users will have many different ways by which they interact with computing. And for voice, you know, as you pointed out, we expect voice to work across many different contexts.”
“So we are thinking about it across phones, homes, TVs, cars, and, you know, trying to drive that ecosystem that way,” Pichai added. “And we want Google to be there for users when they need it. And even with Google Home, we just launched it in Q4. We had a very strong quarter there. And, you know, we are going to invest a lot in it over 2017.”
Amazon and Google are part of a broader race among tech giants to create and install digital assistants in everything from cars to homes. Adding phone capability is a way to tack on more functions, which could lead to greater adoption and more frequent use.
When it will be in the market let see, but it sounds like a we are going into the machine-era from where terminator will come in our present.
