Amazon has revived the Echo Spot – an Alexa-powered bedside clock with a colorful display that shows the weather forecast, any song or podcast playing, the latest headlines and of course, the time.
Echo Spot can display the weather, forecast, or currently playing songs, audiobooks, and podcasts through the upgraded 1.73″ front-firing directional speaker
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Unlike the original Echo Spot, which launched in 2018 and was discontinued in most regions just two years later, there’s no built-in camera in the new iteration.
Amazon added a camera to enable video calling, but given that the Echo Spot was designed explicitly for the nightstand, customers were quick to call the addition “annoying.”
I like it, but the camera is a little creepy. an Amazon customer review from time read. until another summarizes: “It’s a bedside clock.. with a camera on it. How scary is that?”
Thankfully, Amazon decided to ditch the camera — and as a result, all video calling functionality — this time around. And that’s not the only change to this voice-controlled bedside gadget for the 2024 redesign.
Amazon has created a series of new watch faces, as well as color themes, including Orange, Purple, Magenta, Lime, Teal and Blue, to complement the decor in your home.
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The touchscreen on the front of the Echo Spot is no longer a full circle. Instead, it’s split in two with a semi-circular display at the top and the bottom half occupied by a louder speaker.
Amazon has equipped the new bedside smartwatch with a 1.73″ directional speaker that it says will deliver “clear vocals and deep bass.” With support for music streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and of course Amazon Music, you’ll be able to wake up listening to music, podcasts or audiobooks.
Since the Echo Spot is primarily designed for the nightstand, Amazon has equipped the smart home device with an ambient light sensor that changes the intensity of the backlight on the touch screen so that it does not shine in the early hours. This should make it easier to view and set alarms, check the current time, check track titles, or control other smart home kits with the touchscreen controls.
Six new color themes have been created for the new Echo Spot – Orange, Purple, Magenta, Lime, Teal and Blue – that can be mixed with a variety of new watch faces designed for the semi-circular display.
In addition to the time, many of these watch faces also include additional information, such as current weather conditions. For example, if you’re listening to music, the upgraded LCD screen will display track titles. To skip ahead, simply ask the AI voice assistant “Alexa…” or tap the screen.
On top of the new Echo Spot, there are buttons to adjust the volume and mute the far-field microphone array. If you’re concerned about privacy, Amazon has added the ability to review and delete everything Voice recordings made by your Alexa-enabled devices from the companion app on your iPhone or Android mobile phone.
If the chat assistant is falsely activated, you can send feedback on a specific video clip to ensure that Amazon’s AI is only invoked when you initiate a request with “Alexa…” in the future.
While there’s no camera built into the new Echo Spot for video calling, the AI-powered bedside clock can handle voice calls to another Echo device, or any smartphone or tablet with the Alexa app installed.
Alexa-compatible devices can be controlled with touchscreen buttons or voice commands on the Echo Spot
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If you have other Alexa-enabled devices in the house, you can use an Echo Spot to make a house-wide announcement from all of them, or voice “Log in” to a specific Echo to start an instant conversation. Amazon will send audio notifications for updates on your online orders and video doorbell alerts, like Ring.
Since the Echo Spot is equipped with the Alexa hands-free assistant, you’ll find all the usual features that Echo owners have grown accustomed to baked into this quirky bedside clock. This means you’ll be able to search for songs, podcasts and audiobooks, check the latest headlines, weather and traffic conditions, set a reminder or alarm, order a taxi or transport and general knowledge questions.
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Speaking about the launch of the redesigned Echo Spot, Amazon Devices International Vice President Eric Saarnio said: “Customers care about how they wake up in the morning and go to bed at night, and the all-new Echo Spot will transform the way they start and end their day.
“Thanks to customizable clock faces, custom designs, new alarm sounds and colorful visual animations, the Echo Spot is the ultimate smart alarm clock designed for any nightstand.”
As well as a fresh new design, Amazon has launched new colors including black, glacier white and ocean blue
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When the original Echo Spot made its debut six years ago, it cost £119 in the UK. Thankfully, Amazon has dropped the price significantly this time, with Brand new Echo Spot starting at £79.99. It is now available in a choice of either Black, Glacier White or Ocean Blue.
But even better, Amazon Prime members can get the new Echo Spot for just £49.99 in celebration of the upcoming Prime Day sale. If you haven’t signed up for Amazon Prime yet, you can take advantage of the 30-day free trial and buy the Echo Spot at a discounted price.
of Introductory offer of £49.99 available to Prime members only from 8 to 17 July 2024. After that, the redesigned watch will return to its RRP of £79.99. Only a limited amount of stock will be available at a discounted price, Amazon has warned, so you should add to your cart sooner rather than later.