Finding their own software voices

Two very different Irish companies are reaping the benefits of working with speaker technology devices like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri

Mark Wheatley, head of product at Drop: ‘People like to be hands-free in the kitchen. They have stuff all over their fingers and don’t want to be touching their phone screen’ Pictures: Feargal Ward

The making – or breaking – of any new technology is what happens after the lull. When smart speakers first hit the market, the hype was huge and lots of big-name businesses jumped on board as partners. Voice-activated technology had arrived.

Users of the Amazon Echo and its Alexa technology are used to hearing short-form content from the likes of RTÉ, Reuters and the BBC in so-called flash briefings. When the device formally ...