Echo smart speaker from amazon. Amazon Echo with Alexa voice assistant: detailed review. What is Amazon Echo

Large corporations are doing everything to ensure that smart speakers become the same household appliance as kettles, microwaves or stereo systems. Life figured out which gadgets are already on the market and which ones will go on sale very soon.

IT giants are once again trying to change the world. Users are being taught that they will soon no longer have to sit down at a computer or pick up a smartphone to order a taxi, book hotels, or buy airline tickets. It will be enough to voice your desire, and the smart speaker itself will cope with any mission.

On the one hand, this approach will save us a lot of time. On the other hand, there is a huge list of nuances, the main one of which is the underdevelopment and sometimes outright stupidity of voice assistants.

But, despite all the difficulties, Amazon, Apple and Google are not giving up and continue to develop smart speakers. Already in 2018, a fierce battle for buyers will unfold between these brands.

What is the essence of a smart speaker?

It's very simple: a smart speaker is a device that hears the user, analyzes his speech and tries to fulfill all the owner's requests. Essentially, the voice assistant from the smartphone is simply transferred to the body of the speaker, which also plays music if you ask for it.

In the long term, this is really convenient, because many people are not ready to communicate with the phone, but have nothing against talking with a separate gadget that is designed for this.

Bad news: in Russia they are still useless

The smart speaker industry has been around for several years now, but these devices have so far gained mass recognition only in the US and Britain. Unfortunately, Russian users who get inspired and want to test one of the gadgets in the near future will have to come to terms with a number of compromises:

1. Neither Amazon's Alexa nor Google Home's assistant speak Russian yet. Google promises to resolve the issue by the summer of 2018. Amazon is silent: it’s likely that they don’t even think about the fact that someone in the world really needs Russian language support.

As for the Apple HomePod (released in early 2018), Siri will probably support Russian, but there is no confirmed information yet.

2. In Russia, the vast majority of important functions that make smart speakers truly useful are not available.

For example, with Google Home you can call American numbers for free (!), and Amazon Echo is perfectly synchronized with overseas services and can act as a concierge (ordering goods from online stores, calling a taxi, and so on).

Of course, this is not yet possible for us.

3. High barrier to entry. In the US, basic versions of speakers cost pennies: for example, Google Home Mini is given away either for free (if you purchase a substantial amount), or for $10 (on sales), or for $30 (without discounts).

This will be more difficult for us: due to hellish markups, the same Home Mini is now sold for an incredible 5.5–6 thousand rubles. Apparently, we will have to wait for Yandex to mature and create a smart speaker for Alice.

What types of columns are there?

Price: from 30 to 150 dollars.

The three most popular smart speaker variants are Echo ($130), Echo 2 ($150) and Echo Dot ($29). Hidden inside each device is the Alexa assistant, which can play music, answer a specific set of questions, help with reservations and tickets, and also control a smart home.

Amazon is a market pioneer who immediately realized that smart speakers cannot be promoted alone. Therefore, the company began to negotiate with services and manufacturers on mutually beneficial cooperation. This has led to the fact that Amazon's Alexa is now even found in cars, coffee makers and microwaves.

To put it bluntly, Echo has four important disadvantages:

1. Language support. This has already been said, but Amazon is really unlikely to be ready to translate Alexa into Russian.

2. No flexible settings. Amazon Echo can only respond the way the speaker is programmed. Because of this factor, the answer “I don’t know” is indecently common.

3. The speakers produce mediocre sound, both in volume and quality. There are no wheezes, but you shouldn’t expect anything outstanding either.

4. Poor quality. Amazon didn’t bother with the design, body materials, or components. Let's say the most budget model (Echo Dot) understands speech only if you speak directly into the microphone. More expensive speakers do a better job of recognizing voices, but they also don't feel like a solid device. Everything is too plastic.

In general, there is no point in buying an Echo for Russia unless you are a collector. It's simply impractical: why spend money on something that you won't be able to use even at 50% of its potential?

Price: from 29 to 399 dollars.

The company from Mountain View also entered the smart speaker market and has already formed a model line: cheap Home Mini, standard Home, large and expensive Home Max.

There are really a lot of advantages:

1. Laconic, calm speaker design. Cases with a minimum of buttons (Amazon has plenty of them), pleasant colors. These gadgets are much easier to fit into the interior than the overly futuristic Echo.

2. Google Home Max is a powerful speaker for $400 that not only chats cheerfully with the owner, but also plays beautiful music. Amazon is sorely missing this model.

3. Google Assistant, of course, is still stupid, but it knows how to improvise. Instead of “I don’t know,” he will go online and find at least some answer to the request. In the process of self-learning, the accuracy of answers will inevitably increase.

4. Google Home understands context. For example, the Beatles song started playing. The user accesses the column: "Discover their latest album." Two of Us sounds - everything is as requested.

Minuses:

1. So far, Google does not allow third-party manufacturers to build the assistant into their devices. Expansion like Amazon's is not expected here.

2. Google Home is not yet as adapted to the smart home as Amazon Echo: there Alexa is integrated into every switch, and Google is still against such global penetration.

3. It’s scary to keep such a vacuum cleaner in your apartment to collect information. Google already knows almost everything about us, and now it will also eavesdrop on our conversations. Who knows where all this information will actually end up?

In general, a heavy blow for those people who cover up webcams on laptops. And not only for them.

Price:$349.

Apple was the latest to enter the arms race, but it is after the release of HomePod that smart speakers are sure to become trendy all over the world, and not just in English-speaking countries.

In Cupertino, they position their device not so much as an assistant, but as a cool tool for playing music. This explains both the high price and decent musical content: a 4-inch elongated subwoofer and seven speakers that form a sound beam.

Now about the advantages and disadvantages.

Pros:

1. Best design. HomePod is a stylish, bright and expensive thing. If Echo spoils the interior, and Google Home is simply built into it, then the Apple speaker really decorates the room.

2. Probably the best sound on the smart speaker market. Possibly on par with the Google Home Max, but this speaker isn't as pretty and costs $50 more.

3. Integration into the Apple ecosystem and AirPlay 2. The new protocol for sharing audio streams is still not properly supported in iOS 11.2, but with the release of HomePod everything will definitely be fixed. It will be possible to transfer audio between different rooms directly from your phone, and the system itself will understand which speakers to use.

Minuses:

1. HomePod has not yet been released, and it is not entirely clear when exactly it will be released.

2. In Russia, the price of the speaker will be about 30 thousand rubles. Maybe a little less.

3. Siri is a terrible assistant. Very, very close. And there is a feeling that Apple doesn’t quite understand how to boost his intelligence.

4. Apple will link HomePod to its own services. An elementary example is Spotify. Want to play music through it? You'll get by. Apple Music only. And this will be the case in more or less everything.

The conclusion is very simple: there is no ideal smart speaker yet. Especially for Russia. But the market is developing - there is hope that it will not slide into stagnation, unlike the smartwatch industry.

Amazon has been accumulating experience in creating its own devices for several years, so it is not at all surprising that setting up a smart Bluetooth speaker is extremely simple and takes just a few minutes: you connect the gadget to the network and download the Alexa application from the store (Amazon, iOS, Android) .

Echo then sets up its own wireless network so you can connect your mobile phone to the device for the first setup. Now all you have to do is enter the network password and use your Amazon account - that’s all, basically.

The cylindrical speaker itself offers few controls: there are “Action” and “Mute” buttons, and the volume is adjusted using the top ring, which is decorated with LED backlighting. Besides all this, there is only a “Reset” button on the bottom side of the case.

Alexa, play my favorite music

Amazon's voice assistant, called Alexa, works on the same principle as Apple's Siri and the new Google Assistant service, which is based on Google Now. The smart speaker listens to you all the time in the background, but begins to respond only after a code word - for Amazon it is “Alexa”.

The impressive capabilities of the assistant are demonstrated, for example, in the TV series “MR. Robot" is an excellent hidden advertisement (Product Placement), which encourages the desire to check how it all works in reality. The result, however, is ambiguous, and it is necessary to distinguish between two different things when evaluating Alexa: speech recognition itself and response to commands.

The assistant recognizes voices surprisingly well, even at long distances and at high levels of ambient noise. The weak point of the software is still dialects, the reaction to which, depending on the severity of Alexa, will be either silence or the phrase “I can’t understand the question correctly.” However, according to Amazon, Alexa will constantly “learn” and over time will be able to better respond to different language preferences of users.

Alexa speaks in a pleasant, warm voice that sounds quite natural for a machine. In this regard, Amazon's service is currently significantly ahead of such a competitor as Google Assistant, and is approximately on the same level as Apple's Siri.

The device's response to commands has yet to be improved. Positive examples include the launch of music and audiobooks from Prime Music and other sources such as Spotify and Audible. Volume control using your voice also works first-class. In addition, Alexa can set an alarm or set a reminder, read aloud the weather forecast for the coming days or calendar notes.

If you want, you can listen to a joke or even conveniently shop on Amazon. You can’t name a specific product, but you can indicate a group of products that interest you, and Echo will suggest some “bestseller.”

The fact that the voice assistant still has some room for improvement becomes quickly apparent if your interactions with it go beyond repetitive, simple tasks - a problem that all such systems share to one degree or another. For example, Alexa knows nothing about “Who is the Chancellor of Germany?”, but will correctly answer the question “Who is Angela Merkel?” And other questions like “What’s in the movies today?”, “Who’s playing in the movie...” or “Give me a recipe for...”, Alexa won’t be able to answer.

It is worth noting that the scope of functionality can be expanded using “skills”. For example, the “Chef” skill will help you with choosing food. In this case, you will have to strictly follow a certain syntax, for example, “Alexa, ask the Chef for the recipe of the day.” Good: if such a recipe is found, the smart speaker can read it out loud or send it to a smartphone. The collection of “skills” is still quite limited.

Currently, among others, there are such extensions as “MyTaxi”, “door alarm” and “phone book”. The selection will likely increase significantly quite soon if Amazon's Echo reaches serious adoption levels.

Mediocre Bluetooth speaker

Anyone who wants to use the Amazon Echo as a regular Bluetooth speaker will be somewhat disappointed. The sound here is not completely bad, but it cannot compete with “purely” wireless speakers in its price category. The sound is very warm and somewhat flat. High frequencies are prone to distortion, especially if the volume is close to maximum, and the bass is unnecessarily dominant.

Anyone who only needs voice control should take a closer look at the Amazon Echo Dot, which costs around 60 euros (4,150 rubles), which is about a third of the price of its older brother - then there will be enough money for a better-sounding Bluetooth speaker like, which costs about 8000 rubles.

Amazon Echo controls your home

One of the most interesting features of Amazon Echo is the ability to integrate with smart home systems. Among other things, voice commands can be used to control Philips Hue (v2) lights, Netatmo Energy thermostats and Honeywell evohome radiators. The corresponding “skills” for the Alexa application are already available for download. We cannot yet say whether the management of smart home systems works reliably enough - for this we need to conduct full-scale tests.

Amazon Echo cost

The Amazon Echo and a small version of the device called the Amazon Echo Dot are currently available by invitation only. Anyone who wants to receive it can make a corresponding request on the product page on Amazon. When the manufacturer will release the device for public sale remains in doubt. The timing will likely depend on the success of beta testing.

Amazon Echo currently costs about 180 euros (12,500 rubles). Amazon Echo Dot is priced at approximately 60 euros (4,150 rubles).

Chip Verdict: The first impression of the Amazon Echo is that you want something more. During testing, Amazon's smart speaker responded quickly to commands, and voice recognition worked correctly over long distances and in noisy environments. However, the European version is not yet particularly developed: at the time of the project's launch, only a few applications support working with Echo. In addition, the number of commands perceived by the system is still quite limited. However, don't forget that Amazon Echo is practically in beta testing.

Amazon Echo is a cloud-connected voice control device that can not only listen to your commands, but also give voice responses to them, and generally act as a professional assistant. The Echo concept is built around the voice of its owner. There is no need to carry the device with you at all times, since the seven built-in microphones are able to recognize your voice (thanks to noise reduction technology) even while playing music. Also, as you'd expect, the Echo is able to deliver great sound quality to whatever music you play.

The Amazon Echo device works in conjunction with the Alexa voice service located in the cloud, from which all information is obtained, answers to questions are sought, selected music is played, news is read, sports results are given, and the weather forecast is told. All you have to do is ask a question. Echo starts working instantly after you say the “activation” word, of which there are two to choose from - Alexa and Amazon.

Amazon Echo Design

Echo turned out smaller than expected. The shape is a black cylinder with a height of 235 mm and a width of 83.5 mm. Such dimensions seem ideal for easily finding a suitable place for the device in any room on any shelf. At the same time, it’s a pity that the white version of Echo is not yet available for purchase.

The bottom of the device is covered with mesh around the perimeter of the entire cylinder, while at the very bottom there is the Amazon logo in gray. The upper part hardly stands out from the background of the entire device, with the exception of the volume control ring at the very top, while you can also reduce or increase the sound either using your voice or using the remote control, which we will talk about in more detail below.

On the very top edge of the Amazon Echo there are two buttons: the first one turns off the microphone, the second one is a multitasking button. A special feature of the volume ring is the backlight, which turns on the moment you give any instructions to the device. It is located next to seven microphones. In this case, the ring will be illuminated exactly from the side on which the microphone that caught your voice is located, that is, the illumination will be in the direction of you. This may go unnoticed at first glance, but overall this behavior of the Echo humanizes the device.

Additionally, you can purchase a microphone-equipped remote control for $30, similar enough to the Fire TV remote control. The dimensions of the device are 139.7 mm * 76 mm * 25.3 mm (LWG). Agree that if you are in a noisy room, it will be much more convenient to press the microphone button on the remote control and calmly talk to Echo than to try to shout to the device. In addition, the remote control allows you to adjust the sound volume and music playback. It is also worth noting that the built-in 7 microphones do an excellent job with voice control tasks.

Setting up Amazon Echo

Setting up Echo is quite simple. Connect to the Echo network, download a special program for the device, and then follow the instructions of the program. The Echo app is available for both Android and iOS devices. In addition, you can work with the program through a web browser installed on your computer.

The application desktop for Echo is quite simple, it displays a list of recent questions and commands received by the device. The program's drop-down menu shows a list of available options, which is divided into three parts. The first part includes a "To Do List", a "Shopping List", an alarm clock and a timer. The second part contains musical settings. You can also connect to Echo via Bluetooth and use the device as a regular music speaker to play local music. The last, third, part includes help options (Help), settings (Settings), voice command training (Voice Training) and a set of commands that are worth trying (Things to Try).

Voice control and portability

After turning on your device and setting it up, you can start talking to Alexa. Her voice is less robotic compared to Siri, but it is still far from the voice of Scarlett Johansson, who voiced the operating system in the movie “Her.” While you can't change the voice, it's fair to say that it's quite pleasant to the ear.

Echo turns on instantly after recognizing Alex's "activation" word. Voice recognition works almost as soon as you take the device out of the box. In general, you should not have any difficulties with Alexa in terms of understanding what you say, although sometimes the device still does not understand the spoken words. At the same time, the Alexa service has the function of constantly improving voice commands given in your voice, so over time you, as they say, will definitely “get used to” each other. Or you can do it yourself through the Voice Training option in the Echo app.

In addition to the commands you saw in the introductory video and the Things To Try option, there are a number of other commands available to you, including adding an alarm, creating lists, managing music, getting weather and news, and the usual commands like “Repeat.” ), "Stop", and "Cancel".

It is worth noting that Alexa turned out to be less smart compared to Siri or Google Now. For example, Amazon's voice service unfortunately can't check your email and other messages, making it less useful. At the same time, Alexa can work with Google Calendar, but the service can only inform you about scheduled events, but the function of adding new dates, alas, is not available to you. The most useful function of Echo in this regard is the ability to create a so-called “to-do list”. At the same time, tasks can be added to the list both manually and using voice, while deleting can only be done manually. This limitation is somewhat inconvenient in cases where you verbally asked Echo to add the task “buy toothpaste” to the list, and a couple of seconds later you discovered an almost full tube under the sink.

Echo is not equipped with a rechargeable battery, so even despite its relatively small size, the device cannot be called portable. Of course, to move the device you'll simply need to unplug the power adapter and plug it into a different outlet, but given the lack of a battery and the presence of a remote control, it's a clear hint that Amazon is banking on desktop use for the Echo. This is unlikely to be to my taste. After all, I always have a smartphone at hand (currently Moto X), which, like Amazon’s new product, is capable of switching to active mode upon hearing the owner’s voice. Plus, the convenience of creating a “to-do list” is offset by the need to be in close proximity to the Echo: if, while in the kitchen, I remembered that I need to buy broccoli, then I need to keep this thought in my head until I get to the bedroom where the voice assistant is installed Amazon.

And at the same time, there is something about the Amazon Echo that makes it more attractive than a regular smartphone. For example, I never asked Siri to convert different units of measurement while in the kitchen, but Alexa did. And I never added items to my shopping list using Google Now, but I did with Alexa. However, this does not mean that Alexa is smarter than Siri or Google Now; on the contrary, both of these voice assistants are more advanced and offer solutions for a wider range of tasks. But, most likely, on a subconscious level, the fact that the main place of “registration” of Amazon Echo is your home makes Alexa your real home assistant.

Echo Sound Quality and Final Reviews

conclusions

“Far from being just a speaker, Amazon Echo is the first voice-activated device that's actually fun to use.”

• Excellent voice recognition
• Attractive design
• Excellent sound quality
• Interesting to use

Against

• No built-in battery
• Sound distortion at high volume
• No access to email and messages

Let's not forget that Amazon Echo is, first and foremost, an audio speaker. Overall, this quality device will not disappoint you. At the same time, compared to the popular Bose Sound Link Color audio speaker for $129, Amazon's new product loses in two things: sound distortion when transmitting lower bass. Of course, in general, the Echo provides you with quality sound, but considering its price of $180, we can confidently say that there are a sufficient number of models on the market that are cheaper and have better characteristics (better sound, built-in battery).

And yet, even without wanting to exaggerate the additional capabilities of the Amazon Echo, we cannot help but note that this is not just an audio speaker. Yes, on the one hand, Amazon's new product does not break new ground, and all its functions are available in a smartphone in your pocket or a smart watch on your wrist. But on the other hand, there's something about Alexa—or more accurately, Echo—that draws you to the device. So given how eagerly and consistently Amazon pushes out updates to Alexa, I wouldn't be at all surprised if, in a year, we're using the Echo in so many different ways that we forget that it can also play music.

Amazon Echo Dot Review | Introduction

Owners of respectable home audio systems can make them even better with the help of Amazon Echo Dot for $49. Those who just want to check out Amazon's Alexa smart voice assistant but don't want to spend $179 on an Echo can also count on this little hockey puck-shaped device. The Echo Dot is an amazingly versatile gadget, and now that Amazon has made it available for sale, it's becoming one of the best budget smart home devices.

Amazon Echo Dot Review | Design

Amazon Echo Dot looks like someone chopped off the head for $179. Externally, the “smart speaker” looks like a black hockey puck (83.82 x 83.82 x 38.1 mm) with a running light ring on the top edge, which acts both as a mode indicator and volume buttons.

Inside the light ring are two rows of perforated dots, underneath which is a loudspeaker. The top panel also has power buttons and a button to mute the built-in microphone. The bottom panel is a little sticky to the touch - this will not Amazon Echo Dot slide off the table. We reviewed a modification in glossy black plastic, but Dot is also available in a white version, which matches perfectly with ceramic tiles.

Amazon Echo Dot It weighs surprisingly little: just 250g, but since it must always be plugged in, it's not truly portable. The original Echo wasn't portable either (235 x 83 x 83mm and 763g), and if you want to take your Alexa smart assistant on the go, you'll need to buy the Amazon Tap portable Bluetooth speaker for $129.

Amazon Echo Dot Review | Settings

Fortunately, Amazon Echo Dot The second generation got rid of the most annoying limitation of the original version: you could only buy it with the participation of Alexa. This meant you had to first purchase an Amazon Echo, Tap, or Fire TV to order an Echo Dot by voice—and, of course, you couldn't do without an Amazon Prime account. Now anyone can buy Amazon Echo Dot for $49 at amazom.com. They even offer packs of 6 or 12 Dots, allowing you to save a few dollars on each device.

When will yours be delivered to you? Amazon Echo Dot, you need to plug it in and open the Alexa mobile app (in iTunes or Google Play). This app will guide you through step-by-step setup of your Echo Dot.

Inside Amazon Echo Dot There's a built-in speaker, but neither Amazon nor we would recommend using it. It's better to connect this smart home device to a high-quality speaker system - this can be done via Bluetooth or using a cable with 3.5 mm connectors.

Echo Dot will not work with Bluetooth speakers that require a PIN code to pair. The Amazon website provides list of recommended speaker models, which include Bose SoundLink Color, Jawbone Mini Jambox and UE Boom. We tested our "Point" paired with Bose SoundLink Color.

To connect two devices, Amazon recommends keeping them at least a meter apart. Turn up the volume on your stereo and Alexa can adjust it using voice commands. Amazon Echo Dot can only connect to one Bluetooth device at a time, this is done through the Alexa app. We easily connected and disconnected our Dot from the Bose system using the voice commands “connect” and “disconnect”.

Amazon Echo Dot Review | Using the Alexa voice assistant

Amazon Echo Dot can do everything the same as the older Amazon Echo. The built-in smart assistant can play music, read audiobooks, report news and weather forecasts, update sports results, set alarms, find movie times in TV guides, control lights and thermostat, report traffic, buy groceries, create to-do lists and much more another - without any additional settings. However, only the Echo Dot can stream music to a Bluetooth speaker.

Using simple voice commands Amazon Echo Dot changed the settings on our Nest thermostat. Alexa was telling us it was going to rain and that the Mets had lost. We easily set the alarm to go off in five seconds, and it did right on time. We listened to Alexa read the audiobook of The Magicians to us.

It turned out that Amazon Echo Dot It takes half a second longer for Echo to respond to voice commands before it's ready to listen to the next command. Because of this, I personally had to repeat commands several times, which was annoying. But in general, Alexa began to perform any task immediately after receiving a voice command.

To make Alexa even smarter and even more useful, you can use Amazon Skills. It allows third-party developers to connect to Alexa, turning her into a fortune teller, a gaming console, a therapist, or a pizza delivery service. Can be connected Amazon Echo Dot to the IFTTT service and set up “recipes” to automate various processes, for example, setting up lighting in a smart home based on your geographic location.