"- This is for me? - This is for all! ". Why Amazon Echo may become a bestseller Bashny.Net

In early November, the US, Amazon introduced "smart" speaker Echo. Voice Assistant runs on a network, it is worth $ 200 and claims to be the member of the family.



The demand for voice assistants have long raised more questions. Apple Siri presented three years ago, but has since advanced assistant did not become a mass phenomenon: often remember about this system in the context of such news. Google has in this regard is still worse: series of rollers on the official YouTube-channel leads to believe that in our country is very a lot of bad actors. The whole procedure of voice assistance frankly looks cumbersome: you have to get a smartphone, turn his microphone to his mouth, recite the keyword, and then ask a question about the weather or the length of the October Railway. Spends too much time - to make a traditional text query can be much faster, especially because the search box is located right on the main screen of Android-devices. And Amazon understands this.

After the monstrous failure of Fire Phone (minus $ 170 million), the company urgently needed a hit product. Judging by the fact that the video premiere Echo three days gained half a million hits, "smart" column really was able to interest the audience.



Scenario promo video primitive father comes home with a mysterious box, the daughter asks her whether designed a new gadget, but Dad says that Echo bought for the family. Then there are three and a half minute demonstration of the features of "smart" column. Echo sends queries to Wikipedia, plays music (even playlists from iTunes), add events to the calendar, to-do lists is, tells jokes and short working alarm clock.

All this looks very natural - as if the question "What is the height of Mount Everest?", Addressed to the plastic tube, - absolutely casual story. In this realistic, there are two explanations. First - with Echo communicate all the family members, they do not have to bend to the microphone and very clearly articulate the request. Second - to the column should be treated by a name that you can set yourself (for example, "Alex", as in the video) that is quite humanly, without robotic "okeygugl».

Amazon Echo (diameter - 82 mm, height - 232 mm) equipped with seven microphones, broadband emitter and Bass reflex subwoofer. In addition, the manufacturer promises omnidirectional sound with rich bass. Gadget quickly connects to your home Wi-Fi-network and then immediately begins to work. Out of the ordinary: Amazon says that eventually gets used to column manner of speech of each family member, and accurately recognize the command.

There is no battery (only the power cord is a comfortable length), but there is Bluetooth - with the help of Echo loads playlists from smartphones and tablets. The top panel are two buttons - one is responsible for the activation of the device, and the other - for the immediate shutdown of the microphone. The second key is designed for those people who stick with the webcam on the laptop and worry that all their conversations are broadcast on enemy server.

The main difference from the Echo mobile assistants - stationary. The material on Gizmodo intellectual author calls the column a great gadget for the kitchen or living room, there is often the whole family. Any question that requires a short reference to a search engine, is solved in a moment, probably, Echo can be called smart homes available attributes.

Of course, the first generation of the column, there are significant disadvantages. The main drawback - the lack of battery: in 2014 the house wearing a wire gadget too archaic. In addition, once listed among the declared functions Service in Amazon assumed that Echo owners have every evening to change the location of the device, and then drag it back in the morning in the kitchen or living room. Or do they want us to buy on the device in every room?

Second unpleasant (for us) point - language support: from Amazon no relations with Russia, therefore, if the Russian and appears in the list, very soon. The third complaint - price: for holders of premium subscription it will be only $ 100, but mere mortals will have to pay twice. $ 200 for a "smart" column is not willing to shell out all that many still prefer to use the text search smartphone. By the way, in the Amazon pricing Gizmodo says further: all the latest Soup Company (Fire, Voayge Reader, Fire TV) were expensive. Against this background is difficult to overestimate the importance of the strategic Echo: «smart» column or Amazon will get out of the crisis, or will be another step toward self-destruction.

American company managed co-produce original and useful gadget, which has no competitors. Then it all depends on Amazon: If the boss of the company to make a bet on the Echo and will actively promote this product (at least - to add new languages ​​and battery), voice assistants finally become practical and widespread.

Source: geektimes.ru/company/madrobots/blog/241168/