The tiny robot-like assistant helping Amazon Echo users to shop via voice interface just got an upgrade: local search powered by Yelp.
Specifically, the new feature will allow Amazon Echo users to ask for information on local businesses and restaurants and get details spoken back to them in the same way Echo delivers product and weather information.
The new partnership will also likely fuel rumors of a possible acquisition of Yelp by Amazon.
A pairing with Yelp would not only sharpen Amazon's local consumer focus, but it might also help the company solve that pesky problem of how to deal with fake reviews, an issue that Yelp seems to have handled with some success.