Amazon buys Siri competitor Evi, could hint at smartphone plans
Amazon might be showing a bit of their hand after acquiring natural language search companion Evi. The Siri-like voice search app and the company behind cost the retail giant $26 million, according to reports. Though the company’s specific plans for the Evi are not known, the takeover could hint at functionality to be included in the rumored upcoming Amazon smartphone.
Rumors of an Amazon-made smartphone have persisted since before the launch of the original Kindle Fire. more recently, chatter has risen to a level that suggests the release of such a device could occur during the second half of this year. Integrating Evi’s voice search capabilities would offer Amazon a direct avenue to compete with the likes of Siri and Google Now.
As for the apps current status, it remains available for both iOS and Android devices. Whether or not it disappears from the respective app stores could shed more light on Amazon’s plans.
[via TechCrunch]