Amazon Alexa & Echo devices are now available in India

A week after launching its latest range of Alexa powered Echo smart speakers, Amazon is expanding them to Asia for the first time, starting with India. The e-commerce giant announced yesterday that Echo, Echo Plus, and Echo Dot along with Alexa are now on sale in India, and later this year, they will also launch in Japan.

The company says Alexa will deliver a customized Indian experience, which includes a new English voice with local pronunciations and intonation.

“Tens of millions of customers are already using Alexa, and today we’re excited to bring her to India with an all-new experience designed from the ground up for our customers in India,” said Dave Limp, senior vice president or Amazon Devices and Services.

The three devices are priced at Rs 9,999 for Echo, Rs 4,499 for Echo Dot and Rs 14,999 for Echo Plus. To purchase, customers need to request an invitation on Amazon’s official listing for the three devices and eligible customers will receive an introductory discount of 30 percent and one year of Amazon Prime membership, the company says. The company also announced that it will soon be launching its Prime Music service in India.

Amazon claims that it roped in Indian developers to optimise Alexa for the local audience. The company adds that third-party developers are already working on new and localised skills for the voice assistant. “10,000 skills will be available for customers in India, including skills from Saavn, Times of India, ESPNcricinfo, Ola, Freshmenu, and more,” the company said.