While Samsung has been flirting with the concept of dumping Android in favour of its own Tizin operating system, it has limited its use so far. However, Huawei’s move to give its flagship handset access to Amazon's Alexa in the US is a slap on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.
For a start, it is telling the world that it thinks that Amazon has opened a lead on Google in the fight to provide digital assistants. This is important as voice is expected to be the next big popular interface.
But it could also weaken Google’s future AI efforts. Google needs a pile of voice data to make its AI work and financially worthwhile.
There was muttering among smartphone makers when Google decided to debut Google Assistant on its own Pixel smartphones. Smartphone makers are always wary about what Google sticks on its smartphones because it represents a rival product to them.
Google has started to allow its assistants onto partner’s products but the damage appeared to have been done. Manufacturers have started to see Google as being a tyranny they can do without. In some ways it is cutting your nose off to spite your face. Google Assistant has a good search engine.
Nvidia told us at CES that they'd be using Google Assistant for their Shield TVs, while Whirlpool and Ford both announced Alexa-enabled products.
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Huawei snubs Google and goes to Alexa
Begun the revolution has
The widely-expected revolt against Google’s Android has begun with Huawei signing up for Amazon’s AI Alexa.