2019 looks like it's going to be the definitive year of smart speakers, or rather, to provide our home with that artificial intelligence that can make our lives so much easier thanks to the internet of things. And we say 2019 because it is the year in which it can settle in Spain, but the truth is that today we already have the 3 main intelligent systems on the market: Google Home, Apple's HomePod, and the latest: the Amazon Echo.
And precisely the latter is the one that we bring you today, a system, that of Alexa, which lands in our country with a large assortment of devices that will undoubtedly adapt to our needs. After the jump we give you all the details of the new range of speakers Echo which Amazon has launched in Spain, some surprising speakers at a most affordable price... Of course, I already anticipate that if you are thinking of getting a smart speaker, the Amazon Echo is one of the best options on the market, and the best of all is that Amazon has released with a promotional price.
Echo, Amazon's flagship
If there is a smart speaker par excellence that is the Amazon Echo, Amazon's flagship, the ultimate smart speaker. And you just have to try it to see that, in terms of "smart", it is light years away from the Cupertino speaker: Apple's HomePod.
You have to think that we are not always looking for a speaker that gives us an acoustic experience of 10, the most normal thing is that if we buy a smart speaker, we want precisely that: that the speaker solves whatever we need. And that's what any speaker in the Echo family does with Alexa, but the good thing about this Amazon Echo is that it also gives us provides a great sound quality.
A beautiful design, although it could be improved, covered with a beautiful fabric in various colors that transmits sound to perfection. 7 microphones, as with the other speakers in the Echo family, are the ones who are cconstantly waiting for us to say the word AlexaIt is at that moment when Amazon and specifically Alexa begins to process what we tell it to offer us the requested information. The already so characteristic luminous halo will indicate the status of our Amazon Echo at all times. And yes, you can deactivate the microphone whenever you want.
Echo Plus, the smart power
If the Amazon Echo is the flagship of the Bezos guys, the Echo Plus it's the update on that popular smart speaker. We approach him looking for that Plus that accompanies his name, looking for what makes him different from his younger brother ... There are differences, yes, but at the level of an average user there are not so many ...
And it is that at a sound level the Echo Plus obviously improves by having somewhat larger speakers, perfect to cover a medium room, and also perfect to join with other Amazon Echos to cover larger spaces. Of course, the most interesting thing about this Echo Plus is that it incorporates the Zigbee home automation controller which will allow you to control smart devices like the Philips Hue without the need for intermediate bridges (something that will make the purchase of other smart gadgets cheaper).
We have made it our main speaker in the living room to test it with the Amazon Fire Stick TV, although it must be said that at the moment we cannot control the Stick with Alexa, yes we can connect via Bluetooth with the Echo Plus. The result: a powerful speaker to watch our favorite movies and TV series without the need to deploy a large sound system in our room.
Do I recommend the Amazon Echo Plus? yes, always and when you are thinking of making your home a smart home, or at least satisfy your craving for smart gadgets. If not, I recommend opting for the normal Amazon Echo, there is not much difference in sound either ... Of course, in terms of speaker design, it must be said that we liked the Echo Plus more.
Echo Dot and Echo Spot, small surprises
If we talk about portability and productivity we have to talk about Echo Dot and Echo Spot, two different options but to which portability joins. The Echo Dot is the cheapest option of speakers with Alexa, it has a small speaker that testing it in a bedroom offers an acceptable sound. The best of this Echo Dot is that we can connect it to another speaker that we have at home with the sound output by minijack that it has, so we can take advantage of the Alexa technology in the Echo Dot and use the speaker we want to listen to music.
Much more interesting would be the Echo Spot, a speaker that also incorporates a small screen, and let me tell you that It is the Echo that has surprised me the most. Is perfect companion of our bedside table, or from our desk table. Visually we can configure a Watchface to have the time at hand, or receive in the form of video any information from Alexa skills (Those little Alexa applications with which to keep up to date with everything we want). The sound it offers is very similar to the Echo Dot, but the point of having a screen is to take this Alexa intelligence to a higher level.
And we don't want to forget about Echo Sub, the accessory of the Amazon Echo created by Amazon's own guys (worth the redundancy): a 100w power subwoofer that would add to that audiophile nuance that we could get with the Amazon Echo. As we have already said, a single Amazon Echo does not create a great sound sensation, but if we combine two together with an Echo Sub the experience can be quite rewarding. We were able to test them in a 2.1 configuration during the Amazon presentation and the truth is that it created a quite interesting sound atmosphere.
Alexa beyond Amazon's Echos
Yes, we know that many of you want to invite Alexa to come into your home, but you are reluctant to invest in speakers created by Amazon when many other options from reputable manufacturers. Amazon knows, what is Amazon not going to know ?, and that is why they wanted us to be able to get ourselves other manufacturers incorporating Alexa technology.
We have been able to test speakers from the renowned firms Harman or Sonos, in addition to other much more affordable firms such as Energy System or Hama, and the truth is that all of them work like a charm. And the best part is that Alexa's technology goes far beyond Amazon Echo speakers.We were even able to test them on the headphones that you see below from the Jabra or Bose brands, headphones that allow us to always be in contact with Amazon's virtual assistant. A very interesting operation that can shadow virtual assistants like Siri or Google Assistant without any problem.
We already tell you, If you want to try these new Amazon Echo with Alexa, or any of the devices compatible with Alexa, do not hesitate to take advantage of this offer launched from Amazon, it is undoubtedly the best time to fully immerse yourself in the technology of the Internet of Things.