Don't buy this if: you don't already have an Echo device.Buy this if: you regularly have game night with friends and family.Amazon claims the Echo Buttons will be available on December 19e, but we do not know about any other forthcoming Alexa gadgets yet. The Buttons are also the first "Alexa gadgets," or devices that are meant to connect to an Echo device you already have and let you interact with Alexa in new ways. Amazon hasn't stated which Echo devices will support the Buttons, but it's likely that most full-featured Echo devices (like the Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show) will connect to the Buttons. The catch with Echo Buttons is that they must be connected via Bluetooth to an existing Echo device. Alexa already has a bunch of game skills, but we know of three so far that will support Echo Buttons: Beat the Intro from Musicplode, Dungeon Escape, and Sounds Fun with Mike Epps from Ground Control. While playing a game skill through Alexa, each player can press their Button to answer a question and move the game forward. (Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.)Įach Button has a glowing top that can shine in different colors so each player can have their own individual color in group games. Yes, when paired with an Echo or Echo Plusīoost sound quality of existing Echo speakersĪlexa speaker with a small screen (video chats and skills)Īlexa speaker with built-in smart home hubĪlexa camera to take outfit photos for suggested stylesĪlexa speaker with a large screen (video chats and skills) Yes, when paired with an Echo or Echo PlusĦ-inch down-firing woofer with 100W class D amplifierĭual 2" drives with passive bass radiatorĥMP, Intel RealSense SR300 for depth-sensing Turns any speaker into an Alexa-capable speakerĪlexa commands in any room in a tiny device that connects to Bluetooth speakers Voice-controlled calling with Alexa through your home phone connection Yes, turns any device into a smart one with Alexa integrationĬonnects to car speakers to put Alexa in your automobile With so many choices in Amazon's Echo family, deciding which is best for you can be hard. We've outlined the major differences and use cases for all Amazon Echo devices here to help you decide which to buy. In the relatively short time since the debut of the original Echo, Amazon has made a number of other Echo devices in the hopes that any users can find one that fits their needs. Using third-party skills, Alexa can play soothing sleep sounds at night, read stories to your children, tell you random food facts, and act as the host of a trivia game for you and your friends.Īlexa has a plethora of features ready for you to use no matter which device acts as its home in your home. For example, Alexa has native features that let it tell you weather and traffic forecasts, control smart home devices, and buy things from Amazon. Alexa skills are features that Alexa can leverage to do more than what its built-in features allow. Plenty of smart home device manufacturers have integrated Alexa into their products, and Alexa now has more than 25,000 skills made by third-party developers. ("Skills" is Amazon's word for apps, in this case.) Amazon has an advantage over all these competitors because it has had the time to develop many different Echo devices and expand Alexa to be a multifaceted assistant, thanks to third-party integrations and skills. After the Echo and Alexa came Google Home with the Google Assistant, the Harman Kardon Invoke with Microsoft's Cortana, and the forthcoming Homepod with Apple's Siri. Since its debut, users of all levels of tech prowess have embraced Echo and Alexa, finding practicality in a voice-controlled assistant and all the things it can do.īoth Alexa and the Echo have evolved since then to meet the needs of an ever-growing market. The Echo is a smart home speaker that houses Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant, an AI helper that helps you complete daily tasks using only your voice. This piece originally ran on November 23, 2017.Īmazon debuted the original Echo a few years ago, and it raised eyebrows in the tech industry. To help, we're resurfacing our 2017 guide to Amazon's Echo products and adding a few updates (like blurbs on the Alexa Smart Plug, the Echo Auto, the Echo Input, and the Echo Sub). That said, tomorrow is the annual shop-a-palooza known as Black Friday, and the deals have already started. Update: It's Thanksgiving in the US, and Ars staffers have taken the day off to experiment in the kitchen rather than on the page.
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