More than just a speaker, the Amazon Echo is part voice assistant, part
home automation hub, you can
talk to and it’s fun to use. It controls other things in your house
and lets you search the Web (using Bing) for daily information.
The Echo is
controlled by voice commands beginning with the trigger words "Alexa"
or "Amazon." A ring of lights at the top of the black cylinder turns
blue, orange, or red as it listens, processes, responds, or sits idle. It talks
back in crystal clear sound using natural language.
You can
also instruct it to turn other electronics on and off if they're connected to
the same Wi-Fi network. Currently, only about a dozen products are compatible
with the Echo. Mainly plugs and light bulbs. It can recognize your voice
from far across the room, even while it's in the middle of telling you about
traffic conditions, or playing music or audiobooks.
If you
connect your Google calendar, you can command the Echo to give you a summary of
your week, set alarms, timers, and compose task lists. And, because the device
is linked to your Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) account,
you can tell the Echo to add things you've previously purchased to your
shopping cart. You can access a list of all the commands you've given it
through a dedicated mobile app. The more you use it, the smarter it get.
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