Well, you have to hand it to Amazon, they truly surprised everyone in a day where there are rarely surprises. The Amazon Echo was certainly not on anyone's radar and there's not really anything like it out there. Really, Amazon's R&D is certainly alive and active.
The whole idea behind the Amazon Echo is to have an always connected device in the home that gives you access to music, news, and other useful information. The device actually looks pretty good and appears like it could be useful in sundry circumstances.
The Amazon Echo is not yet available, though Amazon mentions it will inform customers exactly when it will be ready for the masses in "a few weeks." The retail price is set at $199 and $99 to Prime members for a limited time.
It does raise the question though, what problem does it solve that can't be done with a cell phone? Also, how will consumers respond to the Amazon Echo, will it be a smash hit? Or better yet, does Amazon expect these to be a smash hit? It's certainly new and different and time will ultimately tell if it goes the way of the Fire Phone, or it could be the next Kindle for Amazon.
I'll just throw my two cents in. As much as I want to like the Amazon Echo, there just seems to be something missing, I just can't put my finger on it. The bizarre thing is that I actually want one, though more at the Prime member price of $99 than at the $199 price point. I personally don't know what problem it solves, but I would love to be proven wrong. Maybe I just need to give it a try which is what I intend to do when I review it once it's out.
Feel free to share your thoughts below? Do you think it will be a hit? Will you buy one?
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