[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s top portal operator Naver said on April 30 it will release a budget artificial intelligence speaker later this week featuring a unique design based on popular emojis from the LINE mobile messenger.

The company said the Friends Mini will hit shelves om May 2. Weighing 258 grams, the speaker is capable of running for six hours on a single charge.

The speaker is capable of delivering weather news, stock market updates and traffic information, and can also recommend music or manage the user’s schedule just like similar products.

The devices can be activated by calling, “Hey, Clova,” Naver said. Clova is the voice recognition system developed by Naver.

Naver said that, starting in June, users of its speakers will be able to make purchases online simply through voice commands. The price tag for the new speakers is 99,000 (US$92).

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)