The Echo family or items have been introduced in recent years with new devices launched recently which means there is something for everyone. Let’s look at the recent offering from Alexa-enable Amazon devices.
Echo Original
It is 9.25-inch tall cylinder speaker which has a seven-piece microphone array. On uttering the word “Alexa”, it responds, and it is capable of voice interaction along with various other features such as controlling smart home devices which are compatible. It can also playback music from smart devices via Bluetooth. It can make to-do lists for you or even set the alarm. It can stream podcasts, play audiobooks and even read PDFs. It can also provide you information about weather forecasts as well as traffic conditions, all in real-time. It requires Wi-Fi connection in order to respond to your voice commands and to gather or fetch various content for you. It must always remain plugged in for power.
Echo Dot
It is 1.6-inch talk cylinder which has one tiny speaker. It is just the top the section of original echo, half of its price but equally smart. It supports always-on Alexa. It connects to the cloud in order to stream music as well as control smart home devices. It has its own audio setup via out jack or Bluetooth. This means that you can use Alexa with your existing speakers. Its tiny speaker won’t output much audio, and its only meant for Alex voice feedback requiring Wi-Fi.
Echo Plus
It is canister shaped Echo. Echo Plus has all the Alexa skills, and it is more capable smart home controller because of ZigBee. It has an in-built home hub which allows it to control other devices by the use of apps or skills which essentially helps in reducing the setup process. It can directly control Philips Hue lights without requiring you to deal with Alexa app. Each Echo Plus comes with its own Hue White Bulb for you to get started.
Echo Show
It is a touchscreen device which has in-built Alexa and can perform anything that regular, voice-only Echo can perform. It can set timers as well as play music, but it also has a built-in display which allows a new level of interaction. Its main feature is that it can display more information regarding your Alexa queries such as displaying weather report, recipe steps or can even act as a digital photo frame. It can also fetch your images which are stored on Prime Photos. It can also display lyrics whenever you are playing songs using Amazon Music.
Echo Spot
Echo Spot is kind of mix of both Echo Show and Echo Dot. It is a compact Echo which can be put aside bed for alarms. It comes with a 2.5-inch screen which can be utilized for simple tasks as well as skills such as music. It can also be utilized to make video calls, just like Echo Show. It essentially has all the functions of Echo Show however in a smaller form. It can easily get connected to Bluetooth speakers or even via line-out.
Echo Look
It is a Wi-Fi camera which is priced at $199. It provides all Alexa functionality along with hands-free photo and video. It is presented as cloud-connected fashion consultant which offers the ability to snap your pictures in different outfits. Alexa’s software will blur the background automatically, in each image such that your outfit will pop and then it utilizes machine learning which is guided by “fashion experts” to present recommendations about what outfit you should wear.
