Friends (stylized as Clova Friends in Japan) is a LINE character-themed smart speaker developed by Naver Corporation and Line Corporation (a subsidiary of Naver).[1] The device is the second smart speaker that is powered by intelligent personal assistant Clova. Introduced in December 2017, Friends has a cylindrical shape and has the appearance of the characters in LINE Friends – Brown the bear and Sally the chick, providing two versions – Friends BROWN and Friends SALLY.[2] The "Action" button, which activates the device, is placed on the nose of the character, while a LED indicator and other buttons such as volume and bluetooth settings are placed on the back. The LED ring are placed at the bottom of Friends.[3]
Logo used in Japanese markets | |
| Developer | Naver Corporation Line Corporation |
|---|---|
| Type | Smart speaker |
| Release date | December 2017 |
| Input | Voice commands |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Mass | 378 g (0.83 lb) |
| Predecessor | Wave |
| Website | clova.ai/ko/ (Korea) clova |
Same as the Wave smart speaker, it was first introduced as a bundle package included with Line Music. The developer, Naver and Line, claims that this kind of character design gives "a sense of character, and [...] a same sense of familiarity".[4] Same as the Wave, the device is able to do tasks such as reading text messages, creating memos, online shopping, calling taxis and controlling home appliances. Voice commands is currently only available in Japanese and Korean and the device is currently available in Japan and Korea.[5]
Other than Friends, Naver partnered with South Korean cellular carrier LG U+ to release Friends+, a speaker that will run the U+ Home AI rather than Clova.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ "Line launches $125 Clova Wave smart speaker in Japan ahead of Amazon and Google | VentureBeat". venturebeat.com. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ "Japan's answer to the Amazon Echo comes in 'bear' or 'chicken'". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ "Line's second wave of smart speakers go big on cuteness". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ "[Japan]Pre-Orders Starting December 8 for the "Clova Friends" Second Edition Smart Speaker – Now Portable and LINE Character-themed | LINE Corporation | News". LINE Corporation. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ "Line Unveils its Range of Smart Speakers Featuring Clova Digital Assistant - Lowyat.NET". www.lowyat.net. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ "LG Uplus debuts AI speaker". koreatimes. 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ "LG U+ partners with Naver on AI and speaker". Korea JoongAng Daily. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
External links
edit- Official website (Korea)
- Official website (India)
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