The release of Amazon's voice-controlled home speaker, Echo, last year in the U.S. has been everything but spectacular. Proving to be only a minor hit, its sales were estimated by UK Business Insider to be around 1.6 million to 3 million only. But experts refute the potential effect this type of artificial intelligence (AI) gadget on people in the future.
So what is all the commotion about Amazon Echo's probable release to markets outside the United States later this year, as BBC states? Let's find out.
Amazon Echo is not limited to letting you play music by voice prompt. It's actually the first of numerous kinds of future smart home devices that perform past simple tasks such as turning the lights on or playing music.
Utilizing Alexa, an AI assistant application, you can access info and services from the worldwide web as well as control personal organization apps. You will be able to book a taxi ride, order food like pizza, browse your diary, or check what the weather's like today; all simply by talking to Alexa.
It is comparable to Apple's Siri but as per its specification on the Amazon webpage, Alexa has advanced microphone and AI technology despite its lack of a screen. These improvements make it considerably more accurate in understanding and carrying out commands than other past devices can. Plus, it can hear you from anywhere within your house!
Features
The Amazon Echo speakers sport seven microphones and the company's gigantic cloud services. At the time of this article, the Echo is capable of the following:
- Create your shopping lists: Albeit it still is limited shopping via Amazon; now you can add things to your to-buy lists without even lifting your finger. This feat speeds up purchase time & increases the chance of buying the item as well as knowing which ones are unavailable at present. This also helps Echo to create a unique profile specific to which person is adding items to what list.
- Create to-do lists and reminders: A feature to help you remember tasks or events that you should not miss in the future like buying kitchen sponges or brooms.
- Question and answer: Similar to Google Now or Apple's Siri, Alexa can also answer questions by searching it on the internet and providing you the search results.
- News and weather info: Amazon Echo uses GPS to track your location so it can provide details regarding today's or next week's weather, or what is currently the hot topic in the news.
- Set up an alarm: If you don't want to wake up late on specific days, Amazon's Echo can help set an alarm for you.
Amazon is also releasing the Amazon Echo Dot, a smaller version of the original Echo with a cheaper price tag at only $49.99.
