Amazon intros all new Echo and Echo Plus smart speakers

Besides the new Fire TV, Amazon at its Seattle event also introduced all new Alexa enabled Echo and Echo Plus smart speakers.

The all new Amazon Echo still flaunts the signature cylindrical shape, but is smaller than the 2014's Echo. It is equipped with 2.5-inch downward-firing woofer, Dolby Digital and uses Amazon's far-field microphone technology and noise cancellation to pick up voice commands accurately. It also include an auxilary jack for connecting external speaker.

The new Echo comes in variety of shell color and finishes including Charcoal, Sandstone, Heather Gray, Oak Veneer, Walnut Veneer and Silver. It is priced at $99.99 (Rs. 6,500) and is now available for pre-order in the U.S.

The Amazon Echo Plus on the other hand is a premium smart speaker that also functions as a smart home hub to make it easy to connect to compatible smart home appliances. It can automatically discover compatible lights, locks, plugs, switches, sprinklers and more without the need of additional hubs or apps, using a simple voice command "Alexa, discover my devices". Similar to other Echo speaker, you can also command Alexa to search the web, ask question stream music, call & message and more.

It is also equipped with 360-degree omni direction audio backed by Dolby processing, to deliver deeper bass and crisper high notes for enhanced audio experience. Similar to the new Echo, the Echo Plus is equipped with far-field technology for noise cancellation,  to detect the wake word from across the room even in the noisiest parts of your home.

It also comes with Amazon Routines that allows you to automate a series of customizable actions using a single voice command of your choice. For instance, you can say "Alexa, good night", and Alexa will turn off the lights, lock the door, and turn off the TV.

The Echo Plus has been priced at $149.99, and is now available for pre-order in the U.S, while shipping starts October. It comes bundled with Philips Hue smart light bulb. 

Via