In a flurry of newly released and updated products comes Amazon’s new Echo Spot. The Echo Spot is the second Amazon Echo product released that comes with a screen that users can interact with. The Echo Spot comes with all the capabilities Alexa provides to users who own other Echo products, and more. Alexa is the virtual assistant that helps users to play music, check their schedule, and have fun. Alexa is always learning new commands, and can even learn specific commands associated with any of the thousands of Alexa skills. For example, users can say “Alexa, play Word of the Day Quiz” to open that skill and begin learning a new word everyday. With Alexa capabilities and a crystal clear screen, the Echo Spot gives variety to how users interact with Amazon’s Echo products.
Echo Spot Features
The Echo Spot utilizes Alexa and a screen to broaden the number of things users can do. Alexa still has her basic features like playing music, checking a schedule, and looking up information. The screen will also allow users to call anyone in their contacts, read recipes and lyrics on the screen, and see who is at the front door or if the baby is sleeping in the other room. While Echo devices can verbally give users a news briefing or describe the weather, users who like seeing information will find the Echo Spot very helpful. The Echo Spot can still engage in skills, although they may not all utilize the screen. Hopefully the release of the Echo Spot will encourage developers to design visual skills.
Echo Spot Vs Echo Show
It’s often helpful to compare two similar devices to see how pricing and capability impact potential sales (for example, echo vs echo dot). The other Echo product that has been on the market since June 28th, 2017 is the Echo Show. This device has allowed users to watch videos, video chat with friends (only if they have an Echo device), and display song lyrics for users to sing along to. The Echo Dot will have many of the same features, but will now allow users to call and video chat anyone in their contacts. Both devices have their strengths, and users will likely choose between the two based on screen size and price.
Echo Spot Potential Issues
While thousands of people have positively rated the screen-free Echo products, there have been numerous complaints about the Echo Show. Given that the Echo Spot will also have a screen and similar capabilities, users might experience similar frustrations. The main issue appears to be the newness of the device. Amazon has continually mentioned that Alexa learns over time, so with more users owning a variety of Echo products, imprecise wording can be used. Because the Echo Show has unique features (for example, playing a video, showing who is at the front door), it is likely that Alexa has not yet perfected her understanding of tasks as well as how to perform them. Another complaint has been the size of the screen. Because the Echo Spot has an even smaller screen (2.5” compared to the Echo Show’s 7”), some users might find it difficult to do things such as read recipes or view photos.
Echo Spot Price
The Echo Spot was announced September 27, 2017 and will be available for release on December 19, 2017, just in time for the holidays. The product is currently available for 
