Amazon unveils new Echo Spot in product refresh
Echo speaker updated to compete with Apple’s upcoming HomePod

Amazon has released its new Echo Spot smart alarm clock as it refreshes its Alexa voice assistant products.
The Echo Spot “seems to be a crossover between the Echo Dot and Echo Show”, The Verge says. It sports a 2.5-inch display and a curvier design than other products in the range.
Users “can make video calls and be connected to external speakers via cable or Bluetooth”, the website says. The device can also “double as a nursery camera.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As well as the Spot, says Business Insider, Amazon has introduced a new variant of the Echo smart speaker called the Echo Plus.
Although it looks “identical to the original Echo” and comes with the same Alexa voice assistance functions, the new speaker “features a ZigBee hub to allow the easy connection and setup of smart home devices”, says the site.
Joining the Echo Plus is an updated version of the standard Echo that is expected to rival Apple’s HomePod smart speaker, says Tech Crunch.
The new Echo comes with “a more premium sound”, the site says, and “the second generation of Amazon’s far-field technology, the microphone array the company uses so Echo can play nicely with other devices.”
It’s available in “six different shells”, Tech Crunch says, so it “can be coordinated for various rooms in the home.”
Buyers can pick up the new Echo and Echo Plus from Amazon for £89.99 and £139.99 respectively. However, the Daily Express says the Echo Spot won’t launch in the UK until 2018.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
AI chatbots are leading some to psychosis
The explainer The technology may be fueling delusions
-
'Self-segregation by political affiliation is spreading'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
7 places across the country to experience the best of summer drinking
The Week Recommends Stops include a Basque-inspired spot and a bar where the menu overhauls twice a year
-
AI chatbots are leading some to psychosis
The explainer The technology may be fueling delusions
-
Amazon's robotaxi looks to be Waymo's biggest competitor
In the Spotlight The company recently opened a new robotaxi production plant in California
-
Unreal: A quantum leap in AI video
Feature Google's new Veo 3 is making it harder to distinguish between real videos and AI-generated ones
-
Will 2027 be the year of the AI apocalypse?
A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon
-
College grads are seeking their first jobs. Is AI in the way?
In The Spotlight Unemployment is rising for young professionals
-
Disney, Universal sue AI firm over 'plagiarism'
Speed Read The studios say that Midjourney copied characters from their most famous franchises
-
Learning loss: AI cheating upends education
Feature Teachers are questioning the future of education as students turn to AI for help with their assignments
-
AI: Will it soon take your job?
Feature AI developers warn that artificial intelligence could eliminate half of all entry-level jobs within five years