Pretty much out of nowhere today Amazon decided to roll out a whole range of new toys to the market. Some believe this might come as a result of their spat with Google over YouTube support for the Echo Show. Whatever the reason, who cares? We’ve got new Alexa voice-powered toys to talk about.
A Whole New Amazon Echo
Many predicted this as Amazon were flogging first generation Echos for about €100 over the past few weeks. Sure enough, Amazon has released the Amazon Echo Second Generation. The new Echo comes with a cool looking cloth finish and promises to ‘fill any room with immersive sound’.
In all honesty, not much else has changed. Now, don’t feel like Amazon rushed this launch or anything. If you already have an Echo you won’t really benefit anything by picking up this new generation device. If you don’t have an Echo, picking between the Echo and the Echo Dot might be a little harder now with the second generation device coming in around €100. That’s the same as a first generation refurb.
The moral of the story here is they’re all really similar. Get on over to Amazon and have a look for what suits you best. If you see that they don’t deliver to Ireland, Parcel Motel is your best friend.
Amazon Echo Plus
Considering people are still adopting the concept of Echo itself, you really don’t need to worry about the Echo Plus. Unless you have plenty of connected home devices already as one major bonus with the Echo Plus is the built-in smart hub.
Amazon realised they needed to add a little more incentive to move this idea and will include a Philips Hue smart bulb in the box with each other. That’s pretty cool.
Amazon Echo Spot
Raging. Absolutely raging. Up until this morning, I thought the coolest piece of bedroom tech I had my eye on was one of those Irish-made Easca mattresses. Then Amazon announced a load of new tech, including the Echo Spot; a modern take on the bedside alarm clock. I’ve been looking to buy an alarm clock for ages to remove my reliance on my phone.
Before I ever had a chance to consider how much was in my bank account, I realised this won’t be available until December and that date is for the US launch. We might even have to wait longer for it to launch in the UK just so we can smuggle one into Ireland.
The Echo Spot looks a little like a traditional clock but the face is screen and the Spot, of course, has access to Alexa’s voice-controlled services. You’ll even be able to use this to call friends and family.
So. Do any of these new toys from Amazon tickle your fancy? Have you already got an Echo or something similar? Let us know what you have and what you think of it in the comments below.
