Russian search giant Yandex reveals $160 smart speaker with 'Alice' AI to take on Amazon's Alexa

Moscow-based search giant Yandex has revealed a Russian speaking smart speaker to take on Amazon. The $160 device will work with its digital assistant'Alice', becoming the latest challenger to take on the leading voice-activated home helpers from Silicon Valley. Yandex is targeting the Russian-speaking market with its Yandex.Station speaker, as well as a platform on which third-party developers can programme Alice to order pizza, check mobile phone bills or buy plane tickets. The $160 device will work with its digital assistant'Alice', becoming the latest challenger to take on the leading voice-activated home helpers from Silicon Valley. The Yandex Station has Bluetooth capabilities and an HDMI port for streaming television on connected displays, and has including two 10W audio drivers and a 30W woofer.