Qualcomm and Amazon Deepen Strategic Engagement with the Pre-Integration of Alexa Custom Assistant with Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platform

Qualcomm Technologies and Amazon announced new joint efforts to pre-integrate the Alexa Custom Assistant with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms - the new-generation of automotive-optimized SoCs from Qualcomm. This new system is designed to support automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers to build customizable, in-vehicle intelligent assistants and is offered as an extension module to the Alexa Automotive Software Development Kit (SDK).

Futuresource Consulting has just released its most recent consumer electronics report covering a new place for audio in the smart home. “Voice recognition technology is shaking up the CE industry, broadening the horizons of speaker vendors and reinventing the audio device as the gatekeeper of voice, smart home and machine learning,” the report says. Futuresource research forecasts important growth in audio applications for the connected home.

Orion Labs announced that its smart walkie-talkie with unlimited range, Onyx, is now available across the US and that Onyx will have Amazon Alexa integration in Q4 2016. Onyx is a different kind of smart miniature speaker, allowing voice connections at the touch of a button using cellular networks or Wi-Fi, including group conversations. A free software update will add integration with Amazon Alexa, creating an ideal portable and hands-free voice personal assistant.