There have been massive discounts on the Amazon since the commencement of the Spring Sale a week ago. The retailer is offering great deals on electronic items such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, wearables and their own smart product lineup, including Amazon Fire TV Sticks, and Echo smart speakers. Apart from single product discounts, the sale is now broadened to the Echo smart speaker bundles too. The user can save upto 43% while buying the smart devices in bundles. Below are more details:

Amazon Spring Festival: Full Overview of Deals

Echo smart speakers deals on Amazon Spring Sale: Decoded

There are multiple Echo smart speakers available with different use cases, and for varied requirements. The users can also choose the Echo smart speaker that matches the décor. These affordable speakers could be quite useful in day-to-day life. We are listing all the bundles below, and the interested users should grab them before they get out of stock or the price elevates.:

Amazon Echo Dot w/ Amazon Basics Smart Color Bulb( 4th Gen)

Price: $99.99 $64.99 at Amazon

Launched in 2022, the Echo Dot 4th Gen offers great value for money at this price. It offers good sound experience, and the 3.5mm support makes it compatible with almost any external speaker. The Echo Dot adorns the classic sphere design with LED light at the bottom. It can be your bundle of joy that supports music streaming, voice commands, etc. the deal could be more effective if you grab it with another smart device (bundle).

Amazon Echo Pop w/ Amazon Basics Smart Bulb

Price: $52.98 $22.99 at Amazon

Just looking to try the Alexa environment, then the Echo Pop could be the finest option that you start with. The product offers easy Alexa integration. A smart LED on the top makes the product lively. It is the cheapest smart speaker that can extend the smartness in your home. Along with the speaker, the Amazon has bundled a free Amazon basics Smart Bulb under the same price tag.

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) w/ Amazon Basics Smart Bulb or 4M Amazon Music Unlimited Free Subscription

Price: $49.99 $34.99 at Amazon

The latest Echo Dot is also available in a bundle with Amazon Basics Smart Bulb ($49.99). The new Echo Dot offers better integration and improved sound quality. Moreover, the LED display is much better which can show weather, alarms and song titles along with the time. It is available in two color options of Cloud Blue and Glacier White. It’s worth considering deal, as the user is getting either free Smart Bulb or 4 Months Amazon Music Unlimited.

Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) w/Smart Bulb:

Price: $149.99 $99.99 at Amazon

Amazon Echo Show 8 3rd Gen is retailing at the discounted price of $99.99. In addition, the user can grab Amazon basic Smart Bulb with bundle at the same price of $99. Along with the speaker, the Amazon Echo Show offers 8 inch display which can be quite useful for the selfies, video calls, intuitive viewing experience, etc. There’s over 33% discount on the Echo Show 8.

Along with the Amazon Echo deals, there are some good discounts on the Amazon Fire TV Sticks too.

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In a world where smart homes and virtual assistants are getting more mainstream day by day, one individual recently experienced an annoying and rather disarming series of events with their Amazon account. Locked out for nearly a week, their devices became unresponsive, leaving them with a house full of silence and unanswered questions. This article discusses their discomfort, uncovering the cause, addressing the problem, and highlighting the need for better customer service from tech giants like Amazon.

Their Amazon Account was locked for almost one whole week

The troubles began when a package arrived at the author’s home. The following day, their Echo Show mysteriously signed out, rendering their smart home devices useless. Suspecting a potential security breach, they reached out to customer service, only to receive a surprising accusation. An executive claimed that the author’s doorbell had recorded racist remarks from the delivery driver.

The author, armed with multiple cameras recording their property, reviewed the footage and found no evidence of such remarks. Instead, an automated response from their Eufy doorbell had been misheard. Despite presenting this evidence, their Amazon account remained locked, leaving their entire smart home system useless. The author questioned why Amazon chose to disable all services instead of opting for a more reasonable approach, such as sending an email or contacting the account owner. As a result of this experience, the author even thought about severing ties with Amazon Echo devices. It is still unclear if all of this was a misunderstanding or something else.

Days turned into a long weekend of frustration as the author waited for a response from Amazon. Finally, on Wednesday, their account was unlocked without any follow-up communication. The incident should serve as an example for Amazon to reassess their customer service protocols and adopt a more lenient approach in the future.

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Amazon Echo Buds 2nd Gen is now at its lowest price at Amazon US. The earbud which retails for around $100 is now available at a massively discounted price of $49.99 only. This is a limited-time offer.

Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)

Key Features:

• Small, lightweight, and comfortable fit
• Active Noise Cancellation and Pass-through mode
• Advanced chipset powers Alexa and ANC
• Dynamic driver for increased bass and treble fidelity
• Battery life: 5 hrs playback on a single charge and 15 hrs with a case
• Supports Alexa hands-free voice assistant
• IPX4 water-resistant

At $49.99, Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) is one of the best deals available for budget earbuds. So grab this super deal before it expires. 

For more information on such exciting deals and offers check out our deals hub.

* Please Note: When you buy something using the links in our articles, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

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The uncharted territory and black boxes that some tech devices are in are brought to the fore by a recent incident with Amazon’s Voice Assistant Alexa. A 10-year-old girl who asked Alexa for a challenge was advised by the voice assistant to partake in the penny challenge which entails touching a coin to the prongs of a half-inserted phone charger with the switch turned on. The dangerous “penny challenge” started circulating on TikTok in 2020. Amazon said it has fixed the error immediately it became aware of the incident and has now updated the voice assistant.

The report indicates that the young girl was with her mother when the incident happened and the mum immediately intervened by shouting “No, Alexa, no”, although she knew her daughter was knowledgeable enough not to take on the dangerous challenge. It is unclear how Alexa got to suggest a very dangerous endeavor and this brings to focus again on the need for greater scrutiny of these devices and their algorithms.

Amazon stated that it had updated Alexa to prevent the suggestion of dangerous activity in the future, but it remains to be seen how effective the new updates will be. The risk remains and the voice assistant should be put to fair usage. Amazon insists that customer trust is at the heart of its activities and operations, stressing that Alexa is designed to provide accurate, relevant, and helpful information always.

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Ahead of its September 28 scheduled event, Amazon may be lining up a few innovative devices for release. Among the products in the lineup are a new soundbar and new Echo Auto devices. The company is also currently working on several innovative offerings including a wall-mounted Echo that has a 15-inch display. The September 28 hardware event was mentioned in some online channels including Bloomberg.

The new 15-inch wall-mounted Amazon Echo, as expected, will be Alexa-enabled. It is codenamed Hoya and can also operate conventionally when mounted on a stand like the regular Echo products. The upcoming Echo device, as per the details available, will be a smart home hub capable of controlling the security architecture, lights, camera, and a host of other devices. It is also capable of displaying several notifications including weather, timers, photos, names, etc. It is designed with the capability to provide smart services like displaying recipes, cooking tips, and so on in the kitchen. Your favorite Netflix movies and other applications can also be covered with the upcoming Echo.

There are also some Amazon-branded TV models in the product lineup, as well as Amazon’s own soundbar, called Harmony. The Harmony Soundbar will have a front-facing camera to enable video calls from a compatible TV. Another Echo Auto product is also believed to be under development by Amazon. Codenamed Marion, the product will reportedly allow inductive charging of the device. Some of these devices are scheduled for a 2022 launch, alongside new Echo speakers, and wearable devices for kids and the elderly (fall detection enabled).

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Amazon has just announced that Amitabh Bachchan will be its first Indian celebrity who’s voice will be available on Alexa earlier today (19th August 2021). Now, Indian users can add the Indian superstar’s voice to their Echo smart displays and smart speakers by pressing the mic icon on the company’s shopping application.

The e-retailing tech giant has just released the voice of one of the most influential actors of Indian cinema for its Echo devices. Keep in mind, this feature is only available for the company’s Android app. To enable this feature, the company has launched this with an introductory price of 149 INR or about roughly 2 US Dollars per year. Furthermore, users can also simply give a command to the company’s voice assistant by saying “Alexa, introduce me to Amitabh Bachchan” to purchase this ‘voice pack’ and start interacting with him through the wake command “Amit Ji.”

Notably, the Amitabh Bachchan voice for Alexa will also arrive with select content that were handpicked by the Indian celebrity himself. Users will be able to listen to stories from his life, a selection of poems from his father, tongue twisters, motivational quotes, and more. Through the “Amit Ji” command, one can also ask to play songs, set alarms, and get weather updates among other features.

Echo devices will even support commands in Hindi as well while you can now also ask the superstar to wish you on your happy birthday by saying “Amit ji, it’s my birthday.” Amitabh Bachchan also stated that “Working with Amazon to introduce my voice on Alexa was a new experience in bringing together the magic of voice technology and artistic creativity. I am excited that my well-wishers can now interact with me via this new medium, and looking forward to hearing how they feel about this.”

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Amazon has filed a document with the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking permission to use radar technology to achieve sleep tracking in its products. When it becomes operational, Amazon’s move will also make it possible to use hand gestures to control Amazon’s Echo devices, as applied to Google Nest Hub and Pixel 4 smartphones.

Amazon hopes to join Google to engender a better understanding and assessment of sleep using a contactless technology like radar. There is a strong nexus between sleep hygiene, good health, and productivity. Therefore, it is important for a user to effectively determine his sleep trajectory for more excellent health and fitness awareness. For example, the Google Nest Hub Smart display provides a more robust sleep tracking mechanism than current contact methods prevalent in most devices.

The details of the FCC filing by Amazon on the new radar sleep-tracking sensor show that Amazon is claiming the technology can assist in a better understanding of sleep issues by users. The fine details of how the radar technology will work with Amazon devices were not reflected in the FCC document, fuelling speculation that we are still far from the premiering of the technology in an Amazon device. The soon-to-be-released Amazon Echo Show is also not indicated whether the device will come with the radar sensor technology.

With a focus on sleep health on the rise, different devices have been prevalent, including smart wearables and other gadgets, for a comprehensive sleep tracking mechanism. Sleep patterns could provide valuable insights into possible health conditions, and the data logged on sleep is a trove of useful information.

As these techniques continue to be deployed in new devices and data collected, there are still concerns about the privacy of users, which could be breached with unauthorized access to such data.

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(via)

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Apple currently trails Amazon and Google in the connected home market but the Cupertino-based company is apparently making efforts to change the narrative. A recent report by Bloomberg indicates that Apple is developing two smart home devices with loads of features that could outclass its present lineup of smart home gadgets.

The report says that a new Apple TV accessory with a mixture of features of Apple TV and a HomePod is under development by the US tech giant. The accessory comes with a built-in speaker and camera for video calls. The smart speaker bears a close semblance with Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub in terms of its basic functionality. Although the product is in early-stage development, the report lists gaming, video streaming, music playback, video calling, and Siri voice assistant capabilities among the device’s features.

The in-development Apple smart display with Siri Voice Assistant support will combine the features of an Apple iPod and HomePod to produce a smart home device with video chat functionality and rumor of a robotic arm for moving the display and tracking users. The new smart display device would not need to be connected to the Apple TV, as its in-built display will serve as the interface for the video chat and other features that would be available on the device.

The two smart home devices have a much broader functionality than the current Apple home lineup and could be targeted at retaining an ebbing customer base. There is no indication yet on the possible date of release of the two models, and Apple is yet to provide a definitive statement on the rumored development of the smart home gadgets.

Apple will also provide the long-awaited update for the Apple TV that could offer some critical fixes to the device, including improving the display refresh rate to 120Hz. The rumored update would be the first since 2017.

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Amazon has just announced that its virtual assistant, Alexa now supports a Live Translation feature, allowing users who speak different languages to communicate with each other. The complex process will involve the virtual assistant translating both sides of such a conversation.

At the moment, Alexa can translate English, Spanish, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Hindi, with the Live Translation feature. Amazon said the feature is supported on Echo devices with the location set to English U.S.

The Live Translation feature draws support from existing Amazon systems and features, including Alexa’s automatic-speech-recognition (ASR) and its text-to-speech systems.  These, in combination with Amazon Translate, as well as the whole gamut of Amazon’s machine learning models, designed and optimized for conversational-speech translation all combine seamlessly to produce the Live Translation feature, Amazon said in a recent statement.

The berthing of this translation feature opens up new vistas in real-time communication, providing exciting possibilities with the seeming demolition of the communication barrier. 

Similar to what obtains with most ASR systems, Amazon said that the live translation system incorporates both an acoustic model and a language model, both models combining to provide insights for the ASR system to decide between alternative interpretations of the same sequence of phonemes.

To provide users with a near-natural experience, Amazon adapted Alexa to a conversational speech by modifying its end-pointer to accommodate longer pauses for the Live Translation feature. Alexa uses the end-pointer to determine when a person has finished speaking. Alexa can also easily identify pauses in the middle and end of sentences.

Search engine giant Google also offers a similar feature called Interpreter Mode. It is yet to be seen how the two services square up side by side, but this certainly provides an additional option for live translation and inter-language communication. 

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How can we miss the Black Friday Deals on Amazon Echo devices this season? Here’s the guide to avail of up to a 50% discount on Amazon products ranging from Echo devices to Fire TV streaming devices. The shopping giant keeps evolving its product lineup by introducing new smart devices every year. There are significant discounts on the new 2020 Echo and Echo Dot speakers too.  These deals are available from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and other major retailers.

Must See: Black Friday Deals: Best smartphones on sale (Apple, Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus, Google) [US]

These little devices can bring smart home functionality to your homes and can help you in day to day routines. Alexa supported devices can link with other smart devices at your premises to give you an overall automated experience. Here we have concluded some best deals on Amazon Echo devices:

*Must Check: Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) and Amazon Echo Spot are available at the best prices. 

Black Friday Amazon Echo Devices

New Amazon Echo with Premium Sound (4th Gen) – It is the latest entrant to Amazon Echo Lineup and available for $69 $99. It carries a 2-inch woofer and two 0.8-inch tweeters.

Grab Now for ($69 $99.99)

New Echo Dot (4th Gen) – It features a 1.6-inch speaker with support for 3.5mm audio or Bluetooth Line in. It measures 100 x 100 x 89 mm in size and packs Alexa support. It is available in Charcoal, Glacier White, and Twilight Blue color.

Grab Now for ($28.99 $49)

Amazon Echo Flex – It is the cheapest Echo device available for the price of $9.99 this Black Friday. It brings Alexa functionality to any free plug socket. It carries a 0.6-inch speaker.

Grab Now $9.99 ($44.99 $24.99)

Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – A bit old, but can accomplish every task like the new Amazon Echo Dot. It houses a 1.6-inch speaker, measures 4.3 x 9.9 x 9.9cm in size, and weighs 300g.

Grab Now ($18.99 $49.99 )

Amazon Echo (3rd gen 2019) – A large-sized smart speaker with a 3-inch woofer and 0.8-inch tweeter provides a good listening experience. It measures 14.8 x 9.9 x 9.9cm in size and weighs 780 grams.

Grab Now ($99)

Amazon Echo Show 5 – A useful smart display device best suited for small rooms. It can be a bedside table-friendly gadget to control your whole house. The device can also be your work station’s attraction point. It carries a 5.5-inch display and measures  14.8 x 8.6 x 7.3cm in size.

Grab Now ( $89.99)

Amazon Echo Show 8 –  It is an 8-inch Echo device that features a 2 x 2.0-inch @ 10W speaker. The device measures 20.4 x 13.6 x 9.9cm in size and weighs 1037 grams. It is the best suitable Echo device for a larger room.

Grab Now ( $64.99 $129.99 )

Amazon Echo Plus – It is a super large speaker measures 14.8 x 9.9 x 9.9cm in size and weighs 780g. The smart speaker brings impressive audio and also features a temperature sensor.

Grab Now ($149.99)

Amazon Echo Spot –  A beautifully crafted Amazon Echo device featuring a round 2.5-inch display. It carries a 1.4-inch speaker and weighs 420 grams. It can be your bedside clock and video call manager. The camera on top makes it different from other devices.

Grab Now ($59 $129.99)

These are some best deals on Amazon Echo devices that you can grab from the Black Friday sale. You can check our full Black Friday Deals coverage to save maximum this festive season.

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Amazon has launched a number of new products including four new Echo models. The models include the Amazon Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Dot, and Echo Show 10. The new Echo is a combination of the previous Echo and Echo Plus models. However, the new Echo ditches the tower-shaped design of the previous models for a new spherical shape. Most of the surface of this sphere is a grille while the plastic underside has a glowing ring of LED.

The new Amazon Echo comes with an upgraded speaker system and packs a single 3-inch woofer and dual tweeters along with Dolby audio processing. The Echo senses the acoustics of your space and automatically tunes its audio for it.

Further, the new Echo also packs a built-in smart home hub which has support for Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Amazon Sidewalk. You will be able to connect your smart home devices directly to the Echo without requiring a dedicated hub.

The smart speaker is powered by Amazon’s new first-generation AZ1 Neural Edge processor, which is designed to speed up machine learning applications and also includes an all-neural speech recognition model that processes Alexa requests faster.

Amazon Echo Dot

The new Amazon Echo Dot is available in three different versions. All the versions pack a 1.6-inch full-range speaker and apart from the smaller size, it has the same design as the new Echo, just smaller. One of the Echo Dot versions come with an LED display that can show the time, temperature, timers, and alarms.

A version of the Echo Dot is dubbed Echo Dot Kids Edition and as the name implies, it is designed for kids. It is similar to the standard Echo Dot except that it comes in two color prints – Panda and Tiger and has several features design for children, such as setting animal alarm sounds, getting help with homework, and calling approved family and friends. The Kids Edition also comes with a 1-year Amazon Kids+ subscription that includes child-friendly Audible books, interactive games, and educational skills. The device also comes with a 2-year worry-free guarantee. Alexa will also let you create a special voice profile for your child and when it detects a child’s voice it will automatically switch to that profile.

Amazon Echo Show 10

The Amazon Echo Show 10 is a fourth-generation model with an improved design. The device packs a unique rotating display that automatically turns to face you when you speak to it. The display can also track your movements and keep the screen facing towards you during video calls, recipes, or watching videos.

The Echo Show 10 packs a 10.1-inch display and triple speaker assembly which is placed on a rotating body that can spin 360-degrees using a brushless motor. There is a 13MP camera on the front to keep track of your movement and moves the display to face your direction. This feature is only active when the user is performing an activity on the device that requires your attention. Also, when a voice command is given, the device will recognize the direction the voice command came from and turn the display in that direction.

You also get a built-in smart home hub for connecting your devices on the Echo Show 10. The smart display comes with support for Spotify, Hulu, Apple Music, Prime Video and Music, and more based on the region. Amazon has also announced that support for Netflix and Zoom is coming later this year.

As regards the pricing, the Echo is priced at $100 while the Echo Dot at $50.The Echo Dot with a clock is priced at $60 and the Echo Dot Kids Edition is also on offer for $60. The Amazon Echo Show 10 is priced at $250 and will be sold later on. The other products are up for pre-order and will ship later this year.

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Smart homes are turning out to be the new cool and most homeowners are already utilising smart gadgets which bring interconnectivity to the gadgets we use daily at home. The result is a band of connected gadgets that can be controlled right from a smartphone or other smart devices. Japanese watchmaker Citizen has ventured into the smart IoT gadgets business with the launch of its smart wall clock.

Citizen is known for its range of mechanical wristwatches and wall clocks. This new wall clock retains the design of the traditional mechanical wall clock but it is a smart wall clock. The watchmaker partnered with Amazon to bring Alexa support to the device. However, the wall clock will need to be paired to the Amazon Echo smart speakers in order to use the smart clock like a timer to control other gadgets. The clock helps manage your time and you can set multiple timers at the same time.

The clock comes with the usual protective glass at the front to protect the clock hands and to keep dust out. The 60 seconds markers are studded with 60 blue LED markers as there is no seconds hand. The blue LED lights up according to the minutes set but on the final minutes, all 60 blue LEDs light up for a 60 seconds countdown.

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The clock itself uses 4 C batteries which aren’t part of the package. You’ll need t get that yourself but the battery is said to last up to one year.

In terms of usability, the Amazon Alexa-enable smart clock is easy to use. You simply say: “Alexa, set a timer for 8 minutes”. The timer function requires a compatible Echo device and will automatically sync for Day Light Savings Time with Alexa. It comes with Bluetooth connectivity with which it is paired with an Echo device.

The clock comes in a metal frame and wooden frame variants. The silver-coated metal frame version is priced at $79.99 while the wooden frame version comes in at $89.99.

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(source)

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At an event in the United States, along with the all-new Echo Buds, Amazon has also introduces its new Echo smart speaker, a new Echo Dot with a clock and Echo Studio for an immersive studio quality sound.

All-new Echo (3rd Gen)

It comes with a new fabric design and offers an improved sound quality along with all-in-one access to Alexa. The company has included a new premium speakers with 2.5″ woofer and 0.6″ tweeter powered by Dolby. Thus, it can play 360-degree audio with crisp vocals and dynamic bass response.

Thanks to Alexa, you can also control music and can stream it from Amazon Prime Music, Apple Music, JioSaavn, etc. You can also use your voice to adjust equalizer settings. It can also be used to call or message family and friends having an Echo device or the Alexa app and use Alexa to make Skype calls.

The voice control can also be used to control smart home devices, including lights, plugs and more with compatible connected devices. The new Echo has built with multiple layers of privacy protections and controls, including a microphone off button that electronically disconnects the microphones.

The all-new Echo comes in a new Blue color as well as Black, Grey, and White for a price of $99 or ₹9,999. It is now available for pre-orders and will start shipping from 16th October.

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Echo Dot with clock

The Amazon Echo Dot now comes with an LED display that shows time, outdoor temperature or timers, whatever you choose. For audio output, there’s a 1.6″ speaker and you can operate it through voice commands.

The light sensor in the device can automatically adjust the display’s brightness during the daytime and night. Along with operating via voice commands, it can also control music the same way. It comes with support for Alexa skills and the company says that it is also designed to protect privacy.

As for the pricing, the new Echo Dot is priced $10 more than the standard model — $59. It is now available for pre-order and will start shipment from 16th October. In India, this Echo Dot with clock is priced at ₹5,499.

UP NEXT: Amazon Echo Buds is an AirPods competitor that comes with support for Alexa and ANC for $129.99

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U.S e-commerce giant Amazon has launched a good number of new Echo devices all integrating Alexa smart virtual assistant. The new devices include the Amazon Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Plus and Echo Auto. The four new gadgets all adopt affordable price tags and have as their main feature, the Alexa smart virtual assistant which is integrated with all four products. Among the lot, the Echo Auto is the entirely new product but the trio of Echo Plus, Echo Show and Echo Dot are upgraded versions of already existing Amazon smart home products.

The new Echo Dot is the third generation model of Amazon’s smart speaker integrated with Alexa. The design is similar to those of its predecessor. Just that this time around, Amazon utilises a new fabric design instead of plastic. The smart speaker is also available in three colours. The new speaker is also said to be louder and richer. Apart from these, the functionality remains similar to its predecessors. The smart speaker comes in at $49.99 and is presently on pre-order on Amazon.

The Echo Plus is also a next-gen model (2nd gen) and comes with similar upgrades with a new fabric design replacing the plastic one from last year. There is also an upgraded 3-inch speaker with more solid and deeper bass as well as clearer mids and highs. The device includes a built-in Zigbee hub for easily connecting to smart home devices that use the Zigbee protocol. The pricing is, however, the same $149.99 as the previous model. The Echo plus is also open for pre-orders on Amazon while shipping will commence on October 11.

The third product known as Echo Show comes with a significant upgrade over the previous model bearing the same moniker. There is a giant leap to a huge 10-inch HD display which is the largest you’ll get on any Echo device. The sound system is also upgraded as it now features two 2-inch drivers armed with a passive radiator and Dolby audio processing. The device equally features a built-in Zigbee hub for easily connecting to smart home devices that use the Zigbee protocol just like the Echo Plus.

In addition, the Echo Show packs a new 5MP front-facing camera for HD video calls. When Alexa gets support for Skype audio and video calls, users will be able to make Skype calls from the Echo Show. The device can also be used for browsing as it comes preinstalled with Amazon’s Silk browser. Despite the massive upgrade, the new Echo Show is priced at the same $229.99 as the previous model. Pre-orders are also being accepted on Amazon.

The new Echo Auto is an all-new smart Echo device for cars. The device comes with a $24.99 price tag which makes it the cheapest Echo device so far. The gadget lets users access Alexa inside their car. It taps power from a car’s 12V power outlet or using a USB port. The device also connects to the car using Bluetooth or an aux cable. There is also the option to connect using an FM transmitter adapter.

Echo Auto has a built-in 8-microphone stack designed for in-car acoustics, Echo Auto can hear you over music, A/C, and road noise. There is also a dashboard mount with which it is attached firmly to the car’s dashboard. With voice prompt, users can play music, check the news, open the garage door, find the nearest gas station, and more. It also enables you to make calls, set reminders, add items to your shopping and to-do lists, or manage your calendar. Unfortunately, Amazon indicates that Echo Auto will not be available now. Instead,  the product will be available by invitation only later this year.

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When Amazon released the Amazon Echo back in 2015, everyone was blown away. The speaker with a built-in smart assistant called Alexa performed a variety of functions. You could ask it questions, order items from Amazon’s website, set alarms and even control your other smart electronics with it. Other companies such as Google seeing how successful the Echo is launched their own version called Google Home with Google’s Assistant baked in.

But what if you do not want to buy Google’s Home and you don’t like Amazon’s Echo because it’s only available in black and white? Lenovo has got you covered. The PC manufacturer just launched its own smart home speaker before CES 2017, called the Lenovo Smart Assistant which comes in very cool colors and the best thing about it is that it has Amazon’s Alexa built-in.

Lenovo Smart Assistant Design

Lenovo’s Smart Assistant can be said to be a cross between the Echo and Google Home. The top half looks like an Echo and the lower half like the Google Home’s replaceable base. The top has just a single button but has a circular speaker grille similar to that of the Echo, although just one set of holes in the Lenovo.

The top part has a ‘floating design” from the rest of the body and has an aluminium frame around it. Just below it is the remaining part of the first half that has Lenovo’s branding hanging like a banner outside a castle. The lower half is the part that looks like the Google Home with its fabric design which we believe is covering the speaker(s). While the Google Home has a removable base, the Lenovo Smart Assistant isn’t and you are stuck with whatever color you purchase.

The underside of the speaker has a cut-out groove for the power cord and a reset button that can be activated using a sim ejector tool or office pin.

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Lenovo Smart Assistant Features

The Lenovo Smart Assistant equipped with eight 360° far-field microphones with noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation is designed to pick up users’ voice commands from up to 5 meters away. Lenovo says there is a special Harman Kardon Edition of the Smart Assistant for those who want premium audio quality when streaming music.

The Smart Assistant not only answers questions and takes commands but can also be used to control other Lenovo smart home devices as well as a number of existing 3rd part products.

Lenovo Smart Assistant Pricing and Availability

The Lenovo Smart Assistant will be available in May 2017 for $129.99 in White with either a Light Gray, Green, or Orange base and Black for $179.99 if you want the Harman Kardon Edition.

Note that our CES coverage can be read at CES 2017 Hub

(Sources: 1 and 2)

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