Amazon keeps rolling out new models of its Echo smart speaker year after year. What started in 2014 with the first generation became a phenomenon and amazed the nation. Amazon just rolled out a new version of the product with many different enhancements and upgrades.
Echo devices hook up with the voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant service Alexa, which can respond once you say “Alexa”. Users may change this wake word to “Amazon,” “Echo” or “Computer.” The features of the device include voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, and playing audiobooks. It can also provide weather, traffic and other real-time information. It also can control several smart devices, acting as a home automation hub.
The first-generation Amazon Echo consists of a 9.25 inch tall cylinder speaker with a seven-piece microphone array. The Echo hardware complement includes a Texas Instruments DM3725 ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 256MB of LPDDR1 RAM and 4GB of space for storing. Although the Echo is meant to be voice-controlled at the unit, a microphone-enabled remote almost like the one bundled with the Amazon Fire TV is out there for purchase.
With all that being said, Amazon just rolled out with its newest generation of Echos in October of this year. The newest version has significant differences from the previous one.
The most notable difference is the design. The previous generations used to be a large cylinder, but now it comes in a sphere shape. On the new Echos, you can get on with a digital clock on the side.
One of the biggest points about the previous Echo models was the 360-degree audio. The new Echo has a 3.0-inch woofer to provide rich depth to music, but this is now towards the top of the device. It sits over the two 0.8-inch tweeters which provide the higher range detail. The previous Echos only had one tweeter. By adding in two tweeters, the new Echo is more directional – there’s a front and a back to this speaker, rather than it offering that 360-degree sound.
There’s a big shift in the internal connectivity skills too. While both offer Alexa – and Alexa has all equivalent Skills across devices – the new Echo now gets the hardware to support functions that previously only the Echo Plus had. The addition of a Zigbee controller and Amazon Sidewalk mean that the new Echo can be a hub for a lot more things. You’ll now be ready to connect and setup devices directly from this Echo and control them using the Zigbee controller.
Amazon Sidewalk is now integrated into the new Echo and this provides longer range, low bandwidth connectivity for devices. It’s designed to extend the range, providing connectivity if your Wi-Fi goes down or to make connections right to the end of the garden for motion sensors. It will also work with Tile in the future too. The new Echo also supports Bluetooth meshing, again providing a hub for greater home connectivity.
Overall, the newest Alexa adds in a lot more technology for the same price as the previous generation. With added speakers and a refreshed design, what the new Echo really presents may be a breakthrough in smart home connectivity. With those additional controls, it has the potential to be the foundation for a lot more smart home devices in the future, while also sounding a little better too. It is well worth the $99.99.
