Since the original Amazon Echo ($179.99 at Amazon.com) launched in 2014, Amazon has gradually built out its Alexa-powered product line, adding Alexa to existing devices and introducing a host of new ones. It added the cheaper, smaller Echo Dot, the touchscreen Echo Show ($229.99 at Amazon.com), the fashion assisting Echo Look ($199.99 at Amazon.com) and the grocery getting Dash Wand. It also added Alexa capabilities to its Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices, as well as Fire tablets.
Amazon took another great leap forward Wednesday, announcing several new Alexa-enabled devices.
If history tells us anything, these new devices will go quick. If you want to get your hands on one (or all) of them before the holidays, here’s how you can be among the first to preorder them.
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A new Echo
For the first time in nearly three years, Amazon updated the Echo. Starting at $100, this new version is cheaper than the original. But it’s also smaller and comes with a selection of six different finishes: charcoal fabric, heather gray fabric, oak, sandstone fabric, silver and walnut.
The new Echo also has improved sounds with Dolby processing. While smaller, it’s also louder and has a dedicated bass tweeter.
The new Echo is available for preorder today and will be released on Oct. 31. The fabric finishes will set you back $100, while oak, silver and walnut finishes will cost $120. If you buy three, Amazon will give you $50 off your order.
Echo Plus
If you’re still a fan of the original Echo, fear not. Amazon didn’t do away with it. Instead, it renamed it the Echo Plus and dropped the price from $180 to $150. Also new is improved speakers and audio with Dolby processing and a built-in smart home hub.
Preorders for the Echo Plus also begin today and it will also be released on Oct. 31. For a limited time, Amazon is throwing in a Philips Hue smart bulb.
Echo Spot
The Echo Spot is the new darling of Amazon’s Alexa speaker lineup. Effectively, it’s a smaller Echo Show or an Echo Dot with a circular display — the perfect middle ground between the two devices. And it’s priced appropriately at $130.
It has customizable clock faces and allows you to watch videos, place video calls or check in on your smart security ($199.99 at Amazon.com) cameras. It will function perfectly as a smart bedside alarm clock or desk accessory.
The Echo Spot comes in two colors, black or white, and is available for preorder in the US today. It will be released on Dec. 19.
Echo Connect
The first auxiliary device to work with the Echo speakers is called the Echo Connect. This device will plug into a standard phone jack on one end and to an Echo speaker on the other. It essentially gives your Echo phone calling abilities — not in the way Echo users can currently do peer-to-peer calling. Echo Connect effectively turns your Echo speaker into a landline phone that works with your existing phone service.
The Echo Connect will cost $34.99. Preorders start today and it will be released on Dec. 13.
Echo Buttons
The first Echo accessories — which Amazon is calling Alexa Gadgets — are the Echo Buttons. These connected buttons sort of work as simple gaming controllers for your Echo. They can be used as buzzers for trivia games or with games like Beat the Intro.
Echo Buttons will be sold in pairs of two for $20. A date for preorders was not given, but Amazon says they will be available in the US, UK and Germany ahead of the holidays. You can sign up to be notified when they’re available on the Alexa Gadgets landing page.
Fire TV
Finally, Amazon announced a brand new Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD, 60fps, HDR, Dolby Atmos audio and an Alexa Voice Remote. Amazon says this new Fire TV is 40 percent more powerful than the Fire TV Stick.
Preorders for the new Fire TV begin today, and it will only set you back $70. It will be officially released on Oct. 25.
For a limited time, Amazon is offering a bundle with the new Fire TV and the Echo Dot for $80. And those who activate their Fire TV by Nov. 15 will get two months of Hulu, a one-month trial of Showtime and a $10 credit to rent or buy movies and TV from Amazon Video. (Note: Showtime is a subsidiary of CBS, CNET’s parent company.)
