During CES last month, Richard Yu, Huawei's mobile chief addressed the problem about the company's footing against Amazon and Google. Yu pointed out that because Amazon has Alexa and Google has its Google Assistant, the Chinese firm is at a disadvantage and has no way of matching them on equal grounds. To change the situation, reports now have surfaced that an in-house developed smart/voice assistant, like Samsung's very own Bixby, is coming on the way for Huawei.
A Huawei Smart Assistant To Compete With The Likes Of Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant
According to the latest reports, the Chinese firm is said to be developing a Siri/Alexa/Google Assistant competitor. Huawei is also reported to have employed more than 100 people to create the Smart Assistant.
Not The First Time Huawei Has Tried This
It seems like this is not the first time that the Chinese firm tried to create or tapped into the realm of Artificial Intelligence. Last October, Huawei announced its plans to fund a research partnership with UC Berkeley. It was a $1 million contract that focused on deep learning, natural language and computer vision.
It is also worth noting that just last month, Huawei chose Amazon's Alexa over the Google Assistant to be incorporated in to the Huawei Mate 9. This could possibly be Huawei's early moves in testing out other Smart/Voice assistants before finally deciding of making its own.
Possibly China-Exclusive Only
In regards about the Smart Assistant, it could "possibly" be tailored for China only. According to an article at The Verge, the rumored Chinese voice assistant will be introduced to support an ecosystem of apps, games and services that Huawei is already building in its native market.
History Of The Huawei Mate 9
The Mate 9 was first announced last November of 2016 and was later released the following month. However, it did a "relaunch" on the U.S. market last January and came with Amazon's Alexa. Just like any voice/digital assistant, it is capable of setting up alarms, making a to-do list and getting info regarding the weather and news. The phone costs $600 at that time.
