New Editions To The Family Of Amazon's Personal Assistant 'Alexa'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It can stream KYW to wake you up in the morning, check your calendar, switch on the lights, order pizza, and a lot more -- all commanded by your voice.
Amazon's personal assistant, called Echo, has steadily gained smarts since it was released a little over a year ago. And it's no longer relegated to your home.
Amazon is out with two new devices in the Echo family. Tap is a portable Bluetooth speaker that also streams news and music over Wi-Fi or mobile hotspot. Tap the mic button on the $130 device and the assistant, Alexa, awaits your request.
The Dot is a about the size of a hockey puck. It's a $90 Wi-Fi-connected mic and speaker that can plug in to your existing home stereo for better sound.
You have to have the larger Echo (or a Fire TV) to use Dot (actually, you can only order it from Amazon by voice). The idea is to have Dots around the house so there's one within 25 feet, or its maximum listening range, of your command.