Amazon Echo - 10-inch-tall cylindrical device
- Is a smart home appliance that can also act as a portable speaker.
- Plays all your music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more
- Hears you from across the room with far-field voice recognition, even while music is playing
- Answers questions, reads audiobooks and the news, reports traffic and weather, gives info on local businesses,
- Provides sports scores and schedules, and more using the Alexa Voice Service
- Controls lights, switches, and thermostats with compatible WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, Insteon, Nest, and ecobee smart home devices
The Echo's beam-forming and noise cancellation technology enables it to hear your commands from the other side of the room, and this is where Alexa comes in.
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ALEXA:
Alexa is the Amazon Echo's pre-installed personal virtual assistant, which is capable of listening and responding to commands. Think of it as Amazon's answer to Siri.
Using Alexa on the Amazon Echo (just say "Alexa"), you can ask for a news update, create to-do lists, ask for facts and measurements, set timers and alarms, play music, and more.
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Amazon TAP:
Tap is a slightly smaller (6.5 inches tall and 2.6 inches wide) and more portable version of the Echo, which doesn't require plugging in to the mains. However, in order to conserve power, the Tap isn't always on like the Echo, meaning you can't say "Alexa" to activate it. Instead, you need to physically press the microphone button on the device.
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Amaxon Echo Dot:
Echo Dot is even smaller yet, but it's actually another plugged in device that does exactly the same as the full-sized Echo. The only difference is that it lacks the meaty speaker, so you'll need to hook it into your home stereo set-up if you want decent music playback.
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Arun Manglick
