Things have been getting intense as tech firms such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) and many others fight for a position in the living room, particularly in the entertainment sector. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has also not been left behind. The company has a few gadgets and online features targeting the living room consumer and Amazon Echo is now among the top items on the list.
Amazon recently announced that US clients can gain access to its Echo smart assistant without the need for an invite. Sure the Echo is interesting but other audio control features such as Siri, Cortana and Google Now are becoming more refined. The Echo will retail at $179.99 and will give users access to utilities such as weather, recipes, and much more. Echo will notably place Amazon on a good position in the IoT market.
It operates via audio command just like its counterparts from Apple and Microsoft. It can thus respond to the user’s request through audio and execute orders such as playing music, acting as a Bluetooth speaker for the user, or even reading audio books. One of the most notable features is the ability to use Echo to make purchases on Amazon.com.
The device will even feature an application that users can use to connect to other devices through WIFI. Alternatively, users can control the device using a remote controller keeping noisy situations in mind. Amazon Echo has a lot of potential, and it is certainly at the center of the company’s IoT plan. There are plans to bring additional utilities on board to exploit the many opportunities that the product creates. As firms shift towards the IoT space, Amazon boasts of good leverage with the Echo device. However, the competition is stiff, and that calls for more creativity.
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) recently announced a cloud-based service called SDK and $100 million that the company has set aside to encourage developers to make apps for Echo.
