SoundHound Launches Crowdfunded Voice-Controlled Speaker With Boombotix

SoundHound and Boombotix introduced an Amazon Echo competitor on Kickstarter Monday, the Hurricane smart speaker, based on SoundHound voice control and a Boombotix speaker. The Hurricane is powered by the Houndify voice recognition and conversational intelligence platform, said a news release. Users can ask the Boombotix speaker “compound and complex” questions and “seamlessly" follow up, said the companies. Sample commands: “OK, Hound, play something chill” or “Let’s hear something new,” the release said. Users also can request a specific artist, song or album. Houndify provides what SoundHound called fast automatic speech recognition, advanced natural language understanding and accurate Speech-to-Meaning technology. Software development kits are available across major operating systems and platforms, SoundHound said. More than 15,000 companies have registered to use SoundHound for their products including Nvidia for an in-car application and Samsung for its smart home products, said SoundHound. Besides music, the Hurricane can provide information including weather, sports, news, stocks, nutritional values, flight status, local restaurant and business search from Yelp, Uber ride fares and time estimates, said the companies. Examples of interactive and conversational interactions: calculating a home mortgage, playing blackjack, or checking on a flight status, said the company. Content partners include Google and ESPN Radio, said the Kickstarter page. The Hurricane, starting at $129, had netted 41 backers and $7,014 out of a goal of 500 backers and $250,000 Monday afternoon, with delivery slated for January.