Amazon Echo has joined the ranks of Apple’s Siri, Window’s Cortana and Google Now as a digital personal assistant to cater to our every need – or at least the simple needs like news, weather and music.
At a glance, it’s very comparable to the other virtual assistants but there’re a couple key features that will immediately distinguish itself from the competition.
First, Amazon Echo is designed for the home. Regardless of where you are in the room, you’ll be able to access music or news simply using a “wake word” prior to asking it your question.
Amazon Echo’s design is sleek. Its design is similar to the UE BOOM 360° speakers so audiophiles are sure to be pleased as punch and eager to put it’s 2.5 inch woofers to the test. Like the UE BOOM, the omni-directional audio is designed to provide a crisp, clear sound regardless of where you are in the room. But that’s where the similarities end.
So when you look at the features for Amazon Echo, here’s why you’ll love it.
As a Travel Companion – For the frequent business traveler, the Amazon Echo is compact enough to throw in your travel bag while you’re away on business or vacation. Plus…
It’s Perfect for Music – DJ your Amazon Music or iHeartRadio library or connect Amazon Echo via Bluetooth toSpotify or Pandora for some smooth sounds while you’re at home “maxing and relaxing” or are on the go at the aforementioned travel hotspot.
As an Information Resource – Amazon Echo’s “big brain” is leveraging Amazon Cloud Services and connecting to Wikipedia for answers to common questions. Amazon Echo is always on and continuously learning. Theirannouncement video highlights the types of questions you can ask including spelling, weather or even jokes.
Cloud technology is something that while far from its infancy isn’t something that we’ve seen the full potential for yet. It’ll be interesting to see how it’ll be leveraged for a device like Amazon Echo as well as other products.
Amazon undoubtedly has other features in the works so you can be sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s also worth noting that Amazon Echo also has a mobile app for Fire OS or Android to help you manage your music or to-do lists – super helpful and a great way to establish a “shared consciousness” within the Amazon ecosystem. (No pun intended.)
No exact release date for Amazon Echo was mentioned aside from “coming weeks” for $199 ($99 for Amazon Prime members). You can rest assured, with holidays just over the horizon, the Amazon Echo will be added to the wish list of every tech trailblazer.
