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Here's what our readers think of the Amazon Echo
Amazon seems determined to inch its way into every aspect of our lives. The company already has a phone, a set-top box and an entire line of tablets. But what about when you're nowhere near any such devices? Earlier this week Amazon introduced Dash, allowing you to order household products with the touch of a button. However, last year Amazon also released the Echo, a wireless speaker that doubles as a voice-activated personal assistant named Alexa. Need to play music, search the web or -- wait for it -- order products from Amazon? Ask and Alexa will make it happen. If having a virtual servant didn't already make you feel posh, it should be noted that the Amazon Echo ($199, or $99 currently for Prime members) is still an invitation-only product, making units hard to come by. Thus, we turn to our readers to find out if Alexa is your go-to gal, or if this is a waiting list you're better off skipping.
Amazon's Echo wireless speaker will soon run custom apps
Amazon's voice-savvy Echo speaker is only handy for a few tasks right now, but it's about to become much more flexible. The online giant is now taking sign-ups for a beta developer kit that will let people create apps for the gadget. There aren't many details as to what coders can do with the Echo, but it won't be surprising if they'll let you ask new questions, play games or take control of apps on your mobile devices. Just be patient if you aren't a programmer -- there's no mention of when a regular developer kit will be available, and it'll likely take a while after that before you're using speaker-friendly software.
Amazon's Echo voice-controlled speaker delivers music, news and more
Last week it was a new streaming stick, and this week it's a speaker. Today, Amazon announced the Echo: a $199 speaker that caters to your Prime music, news and weather needs at the sound of your voice. Similar to "OK Google" command, a "wake word" gets the gadget to perk up before sorting those spoken cues like searches, setting alarms, relaying the forecast for tomorrow and more. It's kind of like having Siri, Google Now or Cortana stuffed into a diminutive household speaker. The audio accessory is connected to the retailer's cloud via WiFi, and it also allows for beaming Spotify or Rdio via Bluetooth. Thanks to a cylindrical design, the unit blasts out tunes and other bits in all directions so that everyone in the room can hear.
