Amazon's annual hardware event was this past week, and they showed off a few fancy new toys and redesigns to help further integrate Alexa into your life. The Echo lineup is getting revamped, and its digital assistant is smarter than ever.
Let's talk about what's new.
Amazon Echo 4th Gen
Amazon Echo is probably the most common way most people interact with Alexa, and it was definitely one of the first devices to kickstart the digital assistant craze. Now you'll see a new design for both the regular Echo and the Echo Dot that definitely seem a little more friendly at a glance, but should also sound better, too.
Instead of the blocky, squircle design of the older models, both new 4th generation Echo devices are spheres with a flat bass. Amazon says this has allowed them to put more speaker hardware inside for better sound, but it also means the regular Echo now includes an integrated Home Hub and an LED ring along the bottom for extra visibility.
The smaller version, the Echo Dot, keeps the same design and improves sound quality over its predecessor, and you're even keeping the LED light with the Dot.
The regular Echo is priced at $99, while the Echo Dot will run $49 or $59 if you opt for the Echo Dot with Clock.
Echo Show 10
If you're more of a visual person, the Echo Show 10 will be the device you're excited about. The new design literally looks like somebody slapped a tablet on a small HomePod, but there's a reason for that. The Echo Show 10 is now able to rotate around, which means it can readjust itself to face you when you're talking to Alexa. It's all done with a silent motor, too, so don't worry about excessive noise.
This also means you can use it as a mini security camera while you're away. Simply fire up the app on your smartphone and you can rotate the Echo Show 10 around to check out your whole room.
It still does all the other stuff you'd typically expect, too, like looking up recipes, playing videos, or scrolling through photos while it's idle. And like the regular Echo, this one includes an integrated smart hub, too.
The Echo Show 10 isn't cheap, however; Amazon's asking $249 when this ships.
Read more: Amazon
