Amazon introduces smaller, cheaper versions of Echo
Amazon's Alexa is going small.
Amazon is planning on introducing two new products in the tradition of its Echo speaker: the Echo Dot and the Amazon Tap. They are scheduled to go on sale at the end of March, but can be pre-ordered now.
Echo Dot, the first of the two new products, is more or less a smaller version of the regular Echo. Amazon is also positioning it as a companion to its larger cousin -- currently, it is only available for purchase by using the voice-command function on a full-size Echo. Unlike the big Echo, the Dot is wireless, with a small speaker that could be used for listening to headlines or as an alarm clock.
The Amazon Tap is marketed as Echo鈥檚 younger, cooler sibling. It鈥檚 designed to be lightweight and portable, with an optional carrying sling so people can take it with them wherever they want to go, whenever they want to travel.
Another key feature of the Tap is its musical abilities: like the Echo, the Amazon Tap can access a full suite of music apps like Spotify, Pandora, and iHeart Radio, but it doesn鈥檛 need Wi-Fi. It can play music by using mobile hotspots. Another crucial difference is that because it is battery powered, the Amazon Tap doesn鈥檛 rest in standby mode like the Echo or Dot, waiting for its name to be spoken.
Since its debut last year, the Echo has been a hit with consumers and developers alike. The appeal lies in its simplicity. The speaker鈥檚 internal cloud computing system can be awoken, Ex-Machina style, by speaking her name, Alexa, and then giving her simple commands, like ordering take out or calling an Uber. That鈥檚 made Echo extremely popular with consumers, with over 20,000 five-star reviews for the product online. Some industry analysts have speculated that the Echo鈥檚 tremendous success may make it a new for Amazon going forward.
It鈥檚 also become popular with developers, who have been developing 鈥渟kills,鈥� or capabilities, for Alexa to follow. For example, developers at Campbell鈥檚 have created prompts that allow Alexa to respond with a when asked. On Tuesday, NBC News announced that it had created a skill that authorizes Alexa to and news updates about the 2016 elections. 聽聽
Alexa鈥檚 capabilities are very similar to the ones that Siri, Apple鈥檚 personal assistant for iOS devices, has. With the new HomeKit function, for example, Both Siri and Echo, for instance,have the power to manage smart-home capabilities like dimming the lights or adjusting music when prompted.
The key difference between them is that Echo needs to be connected to other apps and devices, like Spotify or Pandora. Siri needs some of those, too, but already has many of its own answer-giving abilities in-house.
Google Voice is a completely different function, and holds more similarity to free calling and messaging services like Skype or WhatsApp than Siri or Echo. Using Google Voice, users can set up one number that works across all of their phones. Users can also check their voicemail and send text messages from their Internet browsers.
