Qualcomm eXtension Program Members Bring Amazon Alexa wake word support for Bluetooth® Audio Devices

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), today announced that Sensory Inc. and Rubidium Ltd., members of the Qualcomm® eXtension program, are now offering support for the Alexa wake word on certain Qualcomm® Bluetooth Audio system-on-chips (SoCs), namely CSR8670 and CSR8675. Manufacturers will be able to license software from Sensory and Rubidium, which has been developed using the software development kit made available through the Qualcomm eXtension program, to integrate Alexa wake word capabilities into Bluetooth products such as headphones, speakers, hearables and fitness accessories powered by the Qualcomm® CSR8670 and CSR8675 Bluetooth Audio SoCs. After the wake word is detected, manufacturers can pass the user's spoken request to Alexa through a downloadable app on their mobile phone. Users can then benefit from the information and services delivered using Alexa, such as accessing information like news or weather updates, and services such as transportation or music streaming from the Internet with their voice. The software offerings from these eXtension program members are also designed to support 'barge-in' use cases, allowing a Bluetooth device to recognize and respond to the wake word while music is playing.

With the solutions from Sensory or Rubidium, support for the Alexa trigger word is expected to be integrated into device manufacturers' new or existing product lines as an update to the software that runs on the Qualcomm Bluetooth Audio SoCs (CSR8670 and CSR8675). This feature can help accelerate commercialization of voice-activated products by combining local voice recognition algorithms running on the Bluetooth audio platform with cloud services running on a mobile application.

"Support for the Alexa wake word capabilities, offered by Qualcomm eXtension program members, can help reduce integration and development time for device manufacturers, which offers cost reduction opportunities as well," said Anthony Murray, senior vice president and general manager, voice and music, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. "Our eXtension program is designed to assist program members in integrating these voice service features using our Bluetooth Audio platforms. This in turn helps manufacturers meet the emerging demand for audio products integrated with Alexa."

The eXtension program is designed to extend the capabilities of our Bluetooth Audio platforms by providing manufacturers with the opportunity to select from a unique set of software features that they can license from program members, which in turn can help their customers deliver new features and differentiate their products. For more information on Alexa wake word support for CSR8670 SoCs, please contact Sensory Inc. or Rubidium Ltd.

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SOURCE Qualcomm Incorporated