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 |
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]
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]
LG Electronics Inc. is a South Korean multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of LG Corporation, the fourth largest chaebol in South Korea, and often considered as the pinnacle of LG Corp with the group's chemical and battery division LG Chem. It comprises four business units: home entertainment, mobile communications, home appliances & air solutions, and vehicle components. LG Electronics acquired Zenith in 1995 and is the largest shareholder of LG Display, the world's largest display company by revenue in 2020. LG Electronics is also the world's second largest television manufacturer behind Samsung Electronics. The company has 128 operations worldwide, employing 83,000 people.
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Naver is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. Launched in 1999, it was the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to introduce the comprehensive search feature, which compiles search results from various categories and presents them on a single page. Since then, Naver has added a multitude of new services, ranging from basic features such as email and news to the world's first online Q&A platform, Knowledge iN.
The Naver Corporation is a South Korean internet conglomerate headquartered in Seongnam that operates the search engine Naver. Naver established itself as an early pioneer in the use of user-generated content through the creation of the online Q&A platform Knowledge iN.
Line is a freeware app and service for instant messaging and social networking, operated by the Japanese company LY Corporation, co-owned by SoftBank Group. Line was launched in Japan in June 2011 by NHN Japan, a subsidiary of Naver.
Line Corporation was a Japanese Internet company. It was a subsidiary of Z Holdings, a joint venture between SoftBank Group and Naver Corporation. It was established in 2000 as the Japanese subsidiary of South Korean NHN Corporation's online game community site Hangame, under the name Hangame Japan. In 2003, it was renamed NHN Japan and in 2013, it was rebranded as Line Corporation.
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Wave is a smart speaker developed by Naver Corporation and Line Corporation. Wave was the first speaker to be powered by intelligent personal assistant Clova. The product has a cylindrical shape with colored status LEDs on the top and bottom of the device and touch buttons on the top. Voice commands is currently only available in Japanese and Korean.
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