This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Meet Amazon’s Echo Devices
Alexa is a piece of software. You interface with Alexa via a piece of hardware, a freestanding controller that plugs into the nearest electrical outlet and connects to the Internet via your home’s Wi-Fi network.
Amazon currently sells five Alexa-controlled devices, and more are no doubt on the way. All these devices include wireless connectivity, feature built-in speakers, and operate in a similar fashion.
Amazon Echo
The original Alexa controller is the Amazon Echo. Amazon originally sold Echo as a kind of wireless speaker, and its height belies the full-range speaker enclosed within. That speaker is useful when you want to use Alexa to play streaming music from Pandora and Spotify and other streaming music services.
The Amazon Echo
Like all of Amazon’s Alexa-controlled devices, the Echo uses far-field voice recognition to hear your commands from across a room, even if it’s noisy or there’s music playing. The voice recognition works surprisingly well, better than you may be used to with other voice-controlled devices.
The Echo sells for around $180 and is available in both white and black versions. You can order direct from Amazon (www.amazon.com); it’s also available at select retailers. (When you order direct from Amazon it ships preprogrammed with your Amazon account details.)
Amazon Echo Dot
If you don’t need a full-range speaker, go with the Echo’s smaller sibling, the Echo Dot. The Echo Dot does everything the Echo does but is a lot less obtrusive on your living room or bedroom end table. And, because the Dot does include a speaker (just a smaller one), you can still hear Alexa speak and listen to music; it just won’t sound quite as good as with the larger Echo. (If you want better sound, you can connect the Dot to external speakers or headphones via Bluetooth or the included 3.5mm audio jack.)
The Echo Dot
You can also save a hunk of money with the Echo Dot, which sells for just $50. That’s right—you get all the Alexa functionality of the $180 Echo for less than a third of the price. Unless you really, really need that full-range speaker, that makes the Echo Dot a heck of a bargain. (It’s available in both black and white versions, like the original Echo.)
Amazon Echo Show
Amazon’s newest Echo is quite a bit different from the others. The Echo Show is an Echo device with a 7-inch touchscreen—or, looking at it another way, a 7-inch touchscreen with Alexa functionality included. It has the same capabilities as the normal Echo (including built-in speakers and microphone), but it adds a built-in display and camera that let you see Alexa’s answers and results, as well as engage in two-way audio and video calling with other Alexa users.
The Echo Show
The display can also play back videos, including content from YouTube, Amazon Video, and various news sources (as part of your Flash Briefing). It can also function as a digital picture frame, display lyrics to songs you’re playing from Amazon Music, and show live feeds from connected security cameras.
Obviously, the Echo Show is a bigger device than the normal Echo or Echo Dot, and isn’t near as unobtrusive as those devices. It’s also more expensive, selling for about $230.
Which Echo Is Right for You?
Which device you choose depends on your specific needs. If you want visual feedback, video playback, or the ability to monitor smart security cameras, your only choice is the Echo Show with its touchscreen display. If you want to use the device as a freestanding speaker, then definitely go with the better-sounding Echo. If you want to use the device as a smart home controller, however, and don’t care so much about the quality of the music playback, then save some bucks and go with the smaller and less-expensive Echo Dot.
Personally, I use the Echo Dot in my living room (and am considering adding a second one in my bedroom). Its smaller size fits better in my living room, and as I have an existing home audio system, I don’t need it to function as a speaker. Considering its low price, the Echo Dot is the right smart home controller for many similar users.
