If you thought there were a lot of Echo devices before today, we’re not sure what you’ll make of the copious number of additions to the range, announced today.
As well as the £89/$99 2nd-gen Echo, the firm has revealed the following devices:
- Amazon Echo Plus: An Echo with a smart home hub built-in
- Amazon Echo Spot: A mini Echo Show/alarm clock with a 2.5-inch touchscreen
- Amazon Echo Buttons: Light-up buttons designed for family trivia nights
- Amazon Echo Connect: A landline replacement enabling people to make free calls using their Echo devices.
Lets start with the Echo Plus. This £139/$149 device maintains the size and design of the first-gen Echo, but this time packs in a Zigbee smart home hub that’s compatible with over 100 products out of the box.
While the original Echo does this through Alexa skills, this expands upon the functionality and is compatible with more products.
For a limited time, the Echo Plus will come with a free Philips Hue light bulb.
Spot the difference
The Echo Spot combines the Echo Dot size with the Echo Show functionality. It features a 2.5-inch touchscreen that can display a clock face, weather, content from other apps and Alexa.
It looks like a replacement for the alarm clock which can also handle video calls. It’s available to pre-order in the US ahead of a December release. It’ll cost $129, but doesn’t appear to be UK-bound yet.
In better news Amazon has announced the larger Echo Show for the UK market, costing £199.
Moving down the list, the Echo Connect is a $35 landline replacement that folks can use to replace their home phones. With this in play, people will be able to use their Echo speakers to make voice calls. It’s coming to the UK next year.
Amazon also announced Alexa voice calling and messaging between folks with compatible devices is rolling out in the coming days.
Finally, Amazon Echo Buttons are designed for family games nights. The light-up buttons act like a buzzer for game shows, with the Echo recognizing who pressed it first. They’re £19/$19 for two
The new devices boost the tally of Echo devices to nine in total. It appears as if the original Echo will be discontinued as its no longer available from Amazon.co.uk.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.