Amazon's Alexa and Echo to finally launch in Australia and New Zealand

It's not just Amazon itself that is yet to truly launch in Australia.

The company's Alexa-powered Echo devices are not currently available in Australia or New Zealand, either. But they're on their way, launching in both countries "early next year."

On Thursday, Amazon announced the coming of its hands-free Echo device, activated by smart voice assistant Alexa, to both countries in 2018. 

Developers will be able to build localised voice experiences and embed uniquely Australian and New Zealand knowledge within Alexa with the expansion of the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) — a collection of self-service APIs — and the Alexa Voice Service (AVS). Read more...