Amazon Introduces A Prettier, Bassier Echo

Amazon has announced a new, redesigned Echo that makes Alexa sound better, work better, and look better. And it's only $99.

The looks maybe matter most: The new Echo is considerably shorter than the last, like a mid-point between the Echo and the Dot. Amazon made six different shells for the thing, including a few wood-veneer options, to blend into your home a little better than a big black can of tennis balls.

According to Wired, Amazon also improved the sound that emanates from the Echo's single 360-degree speaker. It now has a dedicated bass tweeter, and should sound much louder despite the smaller size. It also rigged up a multi-room audio system, so that if you buy multiple Echos and say "play Stevie Wonder everywhere," you'll get audio on all your Echos at once. In the demo today, with more than half a dozen Echos playing simultaneously, the audio didn't quite sound Sonos- or HomePod-level. But it sounded far better than the original Echo.

The cylindrical Echo might be the most powerful Echo, but the Dot’s the most popular. So Amazon updated that one too, combining the Echo Dot and Show into a small device called the Spot. The Spot seems to be Amazon’s idea of a bedside Echo, an alarm clock with massive features. It’s small and round, about the size of a softball, with a similarly round, 2.5-inch touchscreen that by default can show a watchface or the weather. You can video call on the round screen with picture-in-picture, and interact with Spot just like any other Echo device. It does anything the Show does, from watching videos to checking your security camera. Basically, the Echo Show is a brilliant device with a serious lack of industrial design; the Spot is much nicer to look at, and easier to hide. And it only costs $129.99.

Don't worry, though. Amazon didn't retire the old Echo. It just renamed it: It's now called the Echo Plus, and it costs $149. Basically, it's a new Echo with the improved sound and voice recognition, plus a smart-home hub.

At Amazon's product event today, Dave Limp, Amazon's head of devices, listed a few things the company has learned in the three-year history of the Alexa platform: People love music, for one thing, as well as audiobooks and podcasts. They also love setting timers and alarms, and controlling the lights with their voice. These are the things that have become daily habits for Alexa users. There are more than 5,000 people working on the Alexa service, Limp said, all across Amazon.