The Amazon Echo is a smart connected speaker that has certainly garnered its fair share of audience and fans since it was released in the US for more than two years ago. However, folks who are living cross the Atlantic in Europe have not been able to enjoy the benefits of the Amazon Echo, but it is time to banish such a thought from now on as the Amazon Echo has finally landed in the UK.
Better late than never, right? The Amazon Echo was launched in London today, and Amazon has confirmed that the standard Echo model as well as the Echo Dot will be sold in the UK and Germany soon. Both of them will arrive in a brand new white color. White colored devices are always nice to own, but they do have a tendency to turn yellow after a while, not to mention being extremely easy to stain or damaged seen.
With the arrival of the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Echo Dot, there will also be Amazon's fantastic AI (Artificial Intelligence) assistant known as Alexa. In order to cater to the UK market, Alexa now speaks up in an English accent. We do not know about the German market though, but at least it is nice to see a touch of localization made in such a manner.
Pre-orders for the Echo and Echo Dot will kick off from September 14 onward, where the new white variant of the Echo will retail for £150/€180 as it ships this September 28th. Those who are on the lookout for the Echo Dot will only be able to receive it this coming October 20th onward with an asking price of £50/$50/€60.
In the coming two days, Amazon UK will also be putting forward an attractive deal for the Amazon Echo for Prime, slashing its sticker price by £50 -- how cool is that if you have held your horses all this while? Of course, it does not hurt either if you would like to add another Amazon Echo to your home considering the relative bargain it is now priced at.
The Amazon Echo can be used right out of the box to hook up to your streaming music accounts. This will help to free up your smartphone, not to mention read back your collection of audiobooks as you give your eyes a rest, to conjure to-do lists so that you can organize your life better, or even check out the latest weather report to know whether it is time to bring the umbrella with you to work or not.
Will we see similar partnerships appear in Europe just like how it has been in the US? For instance, you can use Alexa to assist you in hailing a taxi through Uber, or even to keep tabs on your smart door lock. So far, we do know that the likes of Sky Sports, TuneIn, Just Eat, Skyscanner and Uber will be offering support for Alexa later this September.
As for those who are living Stateside, the Echo Dot will now retail for $50 a pop from its original $90 price point. That is an extremely generous price cut by any means, don't you think so? Perhaps the growing affordability of the Echo and Echo Dot are pointers that Amazon would like to ensure that Alexa has a place in every home. Will we see a shortage of the Echo in Europe just like how it was in the US?
