Russian internet giant Yandex disappointed tech enthusiasts on Monday by failing to unveil what many hoped would be a highly anticipated Russian-made smartphone. Speculation has been mounting for years that Yandex - which dominates internet services in Russia - will put forward its own mobile device to rival giants like Apple, Samsung and Huawei.
Excitement reached fever pitch when Yandex announced it would be holding a presentation at its glossy Moscow headquarters, with Russian media reports anticipating a smartphone launch that would be a major step for the company. But Yandex instead announced a new smart speaker that uses the voice of "Alisa" - a virtual assistant similar to Amazon's Alexa - that will cost around 40 euros.
Asked by disappointed journalists about the potential smartphone, Yandex representatives said only: "We are not commenting on this question." Yandex started in the 1990s as a search engine similar to Google but has since expanded into every corner of the Russian internet, developing maps, taxi and food order apps that Russians use every day. A Russian-designed smartphone - the YotaPhone - was launched in 2013 but has failed to catch on and tech observers have been waiting anxiously for Yandex to jump into the field.