The Amazon Echo will from today henceforth be able to summon an Uber ride for you thanks to the latest integration of the two.
Uber has made its mission of becoming the ultimate means of transport for every person in every city of this world a top priority this 2016. Last year, the company moved to Facebook Messenger, allowing the more than 800 million people who use this app to call an Uber ride without leaving the platform. The same is now possible via Amazon’s Echo speaker.
Owners of this device have in the past been able to use it when ordering pizza or even for music streaming. But this time, with the help of Alexa, Amazon’s equal of Siri, one can easily ask this digital assistant to call a car from Uber to his/her current location. The company announced this on Friday, revealing that it has integrated the smart home hub into its API.
No more hassles
As mentioned earlier, Uber is on a mission to provide the globe with seamless transportation from point A to B. With the introduction of this ability in a digital-assistant environment like it has done with the Amazon Echo, this process couldn’t be any easier. All you need is speak a few words to your Echo speaker and in a few minutes later, an Uber ride will show up.
Different phrases will do the trick when asking Alexa to call you a cab, for instance, “call me an Uber,” “get me an Uber,” “call me a ride,” “call me a taxi” and so on. The digital assistant will understand a taxi or ride as Uber.
Unlike in many other platforms where an Uber ride must be summoned with the help of a button, the new partnership with Amazon means you won’t lift even a single finger and your ride will be with you in minutes.
Just like Uber, Amazon is also looking for ways to reach out to the rest of the world. The fact that it has beaten the likes of Cortana and Siri to this ability means that the online retailer is gaining footage with respect to the physical world.
Uber’s desire to serve the world with its taxi-based services has been received with mixed reactions in different countries that the service has been availed. Local taxi operators are of the view that the company is encroaching their markets with low-cost services that have become detrimental to their services. Despite this opposition, the Uber has yet to loosen its resolve to become the ultimate transportation service provider in your local town.