Amazon has introduced a slew-of Alexa-powered device at its annual hardware event in Seattle. On the same day of the global debut, Amazon launches its three of the newly introduced Echo devices – Echo, Echo Dot with Clock and Echo Studio in India. The next-generation Echo has the same audio architecture as Echo Plus, including a 3-inch woofer for better Audio experience and features an updated fabric design with four color options – Blue, Black, Grey, and White.
The upgraded Echo Dot now has a bright LED display that automatically adjusts based on the brightness of the room, so you can easily see the time or just ask to see the outdoor temperature, or to set a morning alarm or cooking timer. Plus, you can tap the top of the device to conveniently snooze an alarm.
The Echo Studio is powered by the Dolby ATMOS and comes with five built-in directional speakers and also a 5.25-inch woofer. According to the brand, the Echo Studio’s 330w peak power produces deep, rich bass by using the bass port at the bottom to maximize airflow and bass output from the woofer. Additionally, the Echo Studio has a 1-inch tweeter and three 2-inch midrange speakers that deliver dynamic midranges and crisp, high frequencies.
The Echo Studio has a 24-bit DAC and a power amplifier with 100 kHz of bandwidth for high-res, lossless music playback and automatically senses the acoustics of surroundings and fine-tunes audio playback to deliver the optimal audio experience. One or two Echo Studio devices can be paired with the Fire TV Stick 4K for audio playback with multi-channel sound and support for Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio 5.1, and stereo audio. Echo Studio also has a built-in Zigbee smart home hub which can be used to control compatible smart home devices.
Also Read: Control Mi LED Smart Bulb using Google Assistant: Step by Step Instructions
All three newly introduced devices – Echo, Echo Dot with Clock and Echo Studio are priced at ₹9,999, ₹5,499, and ₹22,999 respectively and will be available for pre-order on Amazon.in and select offline stores starting 26th September 2019. Customers who pre-order can avail of a smart bulb at no extra cost and a smart plug at ₹199 only. Shipping begins later this year.
Alongside a new lineup of Echo devices, Amazon also has announced various improvements to Alexa to provide customers more control over their experience. Alexa can now understand customers speaking to her completely in Hindi or Hinglish, in multiple contexts, and varied regional accents and dialects. Starting in October 2019, users will also be able to switch between English and Hindi when talking to Alexa. Check out more details here.
Customers can now ask Alexa to speak slower or speak faster, depending on your preference with seven different speeds – Standard speaking rate, Four faster speaking rates, and Two slower speaking rates. Simply say “Alexa, speak slower,” or “Alexa, speak faster” to adjust Alexa’s speech to the preferred pace on any Alexa-enabled device. To reset Alexa’s speaking rate, simply say, “Alexa, speak at your default rate. Other new features of Alexa are:
- Routine recommendations
- New voice-based features – Listen to your most recent voice request
- Whisper Mode – Allows you to whisper to Alexa, and she will whisper her response back to you (Rolling out later this year)
- Auto-Delete Voice Recordings – Delete voice recordings older than three or 18 months automatically on an ongoing basis (Available later this year)