Well, it looks like Amazon had more than the Fire Phone up its sleeves this year after all. Today, Amazon pulled the curtain away and revealed the Amazon Echo, an always-on voice command device that lets you play music, ask questions and compile lists from anywhere in the room.
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The Echo simply plugs into a wall outlet and sits somewhere in a room. Its microphone technology makes it so that the Echo can hear commands from anywhere in the room. The device is always on and always connected to the cloud via Wi-Fi. To activate it, just address it by its name, Alexa, and either ask it a question or tell it to do something. Amazon's new gizmo will do the rest.
In terms of what the Echo can do, just think about any other voice command service that lives on a smartphone. Like Siri or Cortana, Echo can answer questions, set up to-do lists, set alarms and perform other tasks you'd expect it to be able to do. The difference between Echo and the smartphone-bound voice command programs is that Echo is always on, always ready to use and can be operated by anyone within earshot of the small tower.
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The Echo also contains an omni-directional speaker system able to fill a room with sound. The device can either play off of a set playlist on command or can be instructed to find a song on Amazon Prime Music. It also has access to the user's Amazon Music Library, TuneIn and iHeartRadio.
Amazon is releasing a mobile companion app to go with Echo that lets users manage things like their alarms, music and various lists that Echo compiles. The app will be free to download on Fire and Android devices, with a browser-based version for iOS and desktops. The Echo is Bluetooth-enabled as well, so users can stream music to Echo's speakers from their mobile devices.
The Echo isn't fully available yet, but consumers can now request an invitation to purchase an Echo. Buyers who request an invitation will be notified by email if they are selected as one of the lucky few who get to order early. The Echo is $199, but Prime members have access to a special, limited time offer of $99.
