Following the sensational success of Amazon Echo smart speaker with built in Alexa VA (virtual assitant), Apple launched its own iteration of a smart speaker which is called the HomePod. The latter runs Apple’s virtual assistant Siri which is also found on iPhones and Mac computers. While the Amazon Echo was originally intended as a companion device for asking quick questions, the HomePod was designed as device that could fill up large living spaces with powerful audio.
With both companies also competing in the music streaming service category, the compact Echo speakers have fallen short in front of the stout HomePod which packs a punch sound output. In order to maintain a lead in the music streaming service, that Amazon currently has over Apple, the former plans to launch a beefier smart speaker claims a Bloomberg report.
According to the report the new Amazon Echo smart speaker is set to release by next year. In addition, the prototype that the company is currently testing features four or more number of internal tweeters. In comparison, Apple’s incorporates 7 tweeters which sort of form a beam of sound. In addition to the chunkier Echo speaker, the existing lineup is also set to receive minor updates this fall states the report.
Besides smart speakers, Amazon is also working on a ‘Alexa home robot’ that will follow the device owner around a house or a work space. Noteworthy, the Amazon branded robot stands about waist height and sports numerous cameras which will help it to easily navigate through different spaces.
Conclusively, it seems that Amazon is bidding big on the rapidly booming smart home and appliance industry. Also the existence of personal robot suggests that company is not holding back on any technological firepower. Although it is a bit exaggerating, Amazon branded robots could very well be cooking food for you except for just reading recipes aloud via Alexa.
What are your thoughts on Amazon’s leap into the future? do let us know in the comments below!
Amazon Echo devices do not support some essential music and video streaming platforms such as Apple Music and Youtube. But that is about to change soon! Even though Google and Amazon have not reached to an agreement regarding the Youtube fiasco, Apple Music owners will soon be able to stream their songs on Echo devices. Echo customers will be able to stream music from Apple Music starting December 17th.
Amazon’s Echo devices currently support other streaming apps such as Spotify, Saavn, Pandora and Amazon’s own Amazon Music. You can just log in to the Alexa App on your phone and ask Alexa to play music from Apple Music. It is not surprising for Apple to want Apple Music to be available to a broader audience since Amazon Music and other streaming websites have already drawn a lot of audience. Apple Music is also available on Google’s Play Store now. Even though the app was launched as an iOS exclusive back in the day. Apple have their own smart speaker called the HomePod. But it is in an entirely different category in terms of price when compared to the Echo devices.
In 2016, the Apple Music service was made available on Sonos smart speakers as well. It is also available in Microsoft’s app store for Windows 10 users. Apple is clearly looking to stay in the competition as a large portion of people have shifted to Amazon Music. This has happenned because a lot of people are heavily invested in Echo devices. Analysts believe that Amazon Music is currently in the third place behind Spotify and Apple Music. Amazon Music is currently free with Prime subscription in India and has two different types of subscription options in the United States. Amazon has also stated that since the launch of the Echo devices, people have been listening to more music in their homes than before. They also noted that people now stream tens of millions of hours of radio per month through the Alexa devices.
The new Amazon Echo Plus (2nd Gen) has been launched and it hosts a lot of improvements over the previous generation. The new improved Echo Plus is different both inside and out. With improved sound quality and some evident design changes, the Echo Plus looks promising, to say the least. Launched at a price of Rs 14,999, we take a look at what it packs inside.
Inside The Box
The Box houses the device itself, a quick start manual and warranty information. Apart from this, it houses the wall adapter which powers the Echo Plus. The wall adapter has a really long wire, ensuring that you can place the device at a spot of your convenience.
Design Changes
The new Echo Plus has a brand new design with a fabric mesh on the outside, giving it a really classy look. This is quite an improvement over the previous generation which had a plastic build. The redesigned Echo Plus actually looks like a device which is meant to be a part of your home, rather than the machine-like design of the previous generation.
The new Echo Plus is shorter but broader but is lighter than the previous version. The device has 4 control buttons on the top. Two of these let you control its volume while one is to disable your microphone and the other is to launch Alexa without having to call out to her. The Amazon logo has been moved to the bottom of the device. The Echo Plus has an LED rim which flashes blue when Alexa is listening to you or is saying something. The ring turns red when you deactivate the microphone. Near the bottom end of the device is the 3.5 mm aux port and the power port.
Audio Features
The Echo Plus claims better sound quality than the previous generation and is equipped with omnidirectional Dolby Audio. The device has a 0.8-inch tweeter and a 3-inch subwoofer. The tweeter is present in the lower half of the device, therefore improving the overall sound output. The improvement in sounds quality is quite evident and it has a pretty broad volume range. The Echo Plus is able to fill the room with good quality sound. Obviously, the sound quality will not match that of a dedicated speaker.
More than the output, the device can also hear you over the sound of whatever is playing. For example, even if you’ve got rock music blaring at full volume, Alexa responds to you and makes sure your command is executed. An interesting feature is the ability for it to connect to other Alexa enabled devices. So you can pair up your Echo Plus device with an Echo Spot or an Echo Dot and play your content across multiple rooms. Additionally, the device can also be connected to other speakers via the Aux port, which will result in better sound. Unfortunately, the device needs power at all times and is therefore not portable.
Home Control & Smart Capabilities
The highlight of the Echo Plus is the fact that it is a smart speaker. This means that the device has the ability to connect with and control smart appliances at your home as well as perform a variety of tasks with the help of Alexa.
The device can control switches, cameras, thermostats and bulbs among other smart devices. You can then control these devices just by using your voice. With Alexa’s increasing popularity, more and more manufacturers are producing devices which have Alexa integration.
Apart from connecting to smart devices, the speaker can perform multiple tasks, thanks to Alexa integration. You can ask the Echo Plus about the weather, a roundup of the latest news, to tell you a joke or even manage your calendar. It can also book a cab, order food and get you information from multiple sources. The device also has the feature to make calls through your mobile, but this is not available in India as of now.
The impressions from our initial use of the device prove that the Amazon Echo Plus (2nd Generation) is an obvious improvement over its predecessor. With a better and classier design, enhanced sound quality and integration of multiple features, it does stand out in its segment. The Echo Plus is available on Amazon for a price of Rs 14,999.
You can check out our video of the Amazon Echo Plus below:
Amazon had revealed a lineup of new Alexa-enabled devices last month. Finally, they have launched some of the devices in India. The Amazon Echo Plus 2nd Gen and Echo Dot 3rd Gen are now available in India. The Echo Dot will be in stock starting October 25 and is available in its white variant. The Grey and Black Variant will be available from October 25. Apart from being on sale, the devices are also already available at a discounted price on Amazon.
The Echo Plus is a hands free smart speaker and this is the second generation of the device. Connected to the Amazon assistant Alexa, it performs a variety of task which make your day to day functioning easier. The Echo Plus sports a new look over the previous generation and looks more premium. Weighing in at around 780 grams, the device is pretty compact and will fit in any corner of your house. The Echo Plus can connect to not only your smartphone but also all the other smart devices present in your home. This gives you the ability to control the lights, ACs, microwaves and any other device which is compatible with Alexa.
Essentially being a speaker, the Echo Plus has premium speakers powered by Dolby, which play ‘360 degree’ audio and claims to offer crisp vocals and a dynamic bass response. The device is integrated with 7 far-field microphones so that it can hear you with clarity even if you are on the other side of the room.
With Alexa integration, the device can play music, answer your questions, sort your calendar, make and sneer calls and send messages. It also performs advanced activities such as ordering a cab, ordering food and tell you jokes.
Echo Dot 3rd Gen
The Echo Dot on the other hand, can perform all the functions the Echo Plus can. The only difference is the fact that it is as the same suggest, really compact. The devices weighs in at around 300 grams. The Echo Dot has 4 far-field microphones to hear you through a noisy environment.
Both the devices have physical buttons for controlling them. The devices also feature a 3.5 mm audio jack to be used as a conventional speaker.
The smart speaker industry has been on the rise in India. After the entry of Amazon’s Echo line of speakers, Google recently launched the Home and Home Mini in India as well. Up until now, the Google Home Mini and Google Home were priced on par with the Echo Dot and Echo, respectively. Amazon, however, has announced a price cut for the two smart speakers, making them more affordable than Google’s offerings.
The Google Home Mini, which was launched at a price of Rs 4499 has received a price cut of Rs 400. The ultra-affordable smart speaker from Amazon is now priced at Rs 4099. The Amazon Echo, which is the mid-table offering from Amazon in India receives a Rs 1000 price cut. The second gen Echo is now priced at Rs 8999. Its main competitor, the Google Home is still priced at Rs 9999 in India.
Apart from the Echo and Echo Dot, the company has also launched the Echo Plus and Echo Spot in India. However, these two smart speakers will continue to retail at their launch prices. The Echo Spot is the only smart speaker in India which has a display. While an interesting prospect, the Echo Spot with its tiny round display does not have a lot of implementations which would be useful in countries like in India.
At the Amazon Hardware show, the company launched a refreshed version of the Amazon Echo of 2014. In India, it is available in a host of different finishes like wood and cloth. It is a smart speaker and does things at your (voice) command like book an Uber, place an order on Zomato or play your favourite playlist from Saavn. The device measures at 148.5 x 88 x 88 mm and weighs 821 grams. It features 2.5-inch woofer and 0.6-inch bass tweeter.
The Amazon Echo Dot is the smallest sibling of the Echo lineup and has all the functionalities that an Amazon Echo possesses but, with an inferior sound quality. The device measures at 83.5 x 83.5 x 32 mm and weighs 163 grams. A good thing about the Echo Dot is that it can be connected to other speakers for a better soundstage and still retain its core ‘smart’ features.
The Amazon Echo Dot is a great entry-level smart speaker for users just getting into the smart home game. Whether this price cut will help Amazon reduce competition from the likes of Google Home speakers is yet to be seen.
Amazon has added another Alexa-powered smart home speaker to its repertoire in India. After launching it in the US in September 2017, the company has now launched the Echo Spot in India. The smart speaker with a display is on sale in India for Rs 12999. However, it is available for Rs 10999 for now, as an introductory offer.
The Amazon Echo Spot is a mix of the Echo Dot and the Echo Spot. The Spot has a 2.5 inch circular display with a resolution of 480 x 480 px. The Echo Spot is like a smart alarm clock powered by Alexa which can also be connected to external speakers via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm headphone jack. This means that users can retail the smart functionality of an Echo Spot and add better sound quality to the system using their own speakers.
Other than a display, the Spot does what a smart speaker powered by Alexa would do. It can make calls, call an Ola, order food on Zomato, play music and more. However, thanks to its display and a camera, the Spot can also make video calls by just asking it do it. Users can also watch news from NDTV, Times Now, ESPN Cricinfo, Aaj Tak, and more.
The holiday season is a time when companies try to push their marquee products into the market to take advantage of an average consumer’s spending spree. Apple Inc however, has decided to evade this season and wait till early next year to launch its much awaited foray into the smart speaker industry. HomePod, the Siri powered smart speaker which was unveiled back in June will start shipping to the US, UK and Australia in only early 2018.
The smart speaker industry has become more competitive this year and launching a first smart speaker at the end of 2017 was already a but late from Apple. Amazon’s Echo lineup and Alphabet Inc’s Google Home speakers have been dominating the market and with a price tag of US $349, the HomePod already have a stiff competition from its own price tag.
Amazon Echo Dot Retails For US $49
Bob O’Donnell, founder of Technalysis Research, said, “Apple has forecast between $84 billion and $87 billion in revenue for the holiday – mostly driven by sales of its $999 iPhone X – so it’s unlikely that missing a few weeks of sales of its $349 speaker will affect its financial results.”
AI Assistants are more used in smart speakers than phones. Even if the majority of Echo or Google Home users own an iPhone, it is highly likely that they’re talking to Alexa or Google Assistant more than Siri.
Google Home Mini retails for US $49 as well
Another big responsibilty on the shoulders of the HomePod is Apple Music. The rival smart speakers play music from Spotify, even though Google and Amazon have their own music streaming services. The HomePod however, will not have this option and will drive more people to subscribe to Apple Music and the rise of rival Spotify.
It has been a long time but, tech companies have finally taken notice of the ever growing tech consumers in India. After finally launching the Echo smart speaker lineup in India a year after Amazon expanded it to global markets, the company is doing something India-specific with Alexa. Amazon’s AI Alexa, which powers the Echo smart speakers will learn to speak ‘Hinglish’. It is a popular way of speaking in India which is a mix of the Hindi and English languages.
Parag Gupta, Head of Product Management, Amazon India said:
We wanted our devices to talk, walk and feel Indian. Alexa is not a visiting American, she has a very Indian personality.
Tech giants like Google and Apple have also seen the potential of growth of its AI assistants and the advantages of training their assistants to understand the fluidity of language and culture in India. People will be more comfortable to interact with Siri or Google Assistant who sound more Indian than British or American. This doesn’t mean that Indians don’t understand British or American accents, it simply means that the more localised the Assistant sounds, the more intuitive and interactive Indian consumers will be with it.
Google took its first step towards such localisation of Google Assistant by introducing a Hinglish speaking version of the AI in instant messaging app, Allo. Apple also started hiring native Hindi/Hinglish speakers to refine the ‘Hinglish speaking experience’ of Siri. In the recently launched iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, a Siri user can in fact set its keyboard to Hinglish.
The Amazon Echo will soon be available to the public and it’ll be interesting to see how the experience of interacting with Alexa on a daily basis will be enhanced over the years.
Earlier in the month of September, it was reported that Amazon will be launching its Prime Music services and Amazon Echo Dot in India. Now, Amazon has launched three smart speakers from its global lineup in India at a starting price of Rs 4499. In order to purchase any of the devices, customers need to request an invitation on Amazon’s official listing for the three devices namely, the Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Plus. The company also announced that it will soon be launching its Prime Music service in India.
Bringing voice assistants to India is always tricky because of the diversity of accents from one part of the country to another. Amazon claims that Alexa has been customised for the Indian audience, which now supports local pronunciations and intonation. Alexa also supports local music titles, names and places. Amazon claims that it brought in Indian developers to optimise Alexa for the Indian consumers.
During the launch, the company said in a statement:
10,000 skills will be available for customers in India, including skills from Saavn, Times of India, ESPNcricinfo, Ola, Freshmenu, and more. Tens of millions of customers are already using Alexa, and today we’re excited to bring her to India with an all-new experience designed from the ground up for our customers in India,” said Dave Limp, senior vice president, Amazon Devices and Services. The combination of Alexa and Echo provides customers with hands-free access to music, weather, news, information, and more—just ask.
Echo Plus
Priced at Rs 14999, the Echo Plus is the most expensive of the three smart speakers released on Wednesday in India. It is about the same size as the original Echo from 2014 but, also acts as a smart home hub with second-generation far-field voice recognition and enhanced sound. The Echo Plus uses Zigbee as a low-power way to extend its wireless range and can control more than 100 smart home devices in the market via voice, without any apps required. The device measures 83.5 x 83.5 x 32 mm and weighs 163 grams. The Echo Plus will scan the room for smart devices and set it up automatically. There is a new Alexa feature which was demonstrated during the Amazon hardware show which was the series of tasks that can be triggered with a simple phrases. The Echo Plus, once set up and connected to all the smart devices in your home can open the blinders, start the coffee machine and tell the weather by just saying “Good Morning Alexa.”
Amazon Echo
At the Amazon Hardware show, the company also launched a new refreshed version of the Amazon Echo of 2014. In India, it is priced at Rs 9999 and will be available in a host of different finishes like wood and cloth. It is a smart speaker and does things at your (voice) command like book an Uber, place an order on Zomato or play your favourite playlist from Saavn. The device measures 148.5 x 88 x 88 mm and weighs 821 grams. It features 2.5-inch woofer and 0.6-inch bass tweeter.
Amazon Echo Dot
The Amazon Echo Dot is priced at Rs 4499 in India and is also the smallest sibling and has all the functionalities that an Echo possessed but, with a lower sound quality. The device measures 83.5 x 83.5 x 32 mm and weighs 163 grams. A good thing about the Echo Dot is that it can be connected to other speakers for a better soundstage and still retain its core ‘smart’ features.
