Starting Wednesday, Amazon's Echo will be available to the public for $179.99. The voice-activated smart home device — something like Siri for your living room — debuted seven months ago on an invitation-only basis, and people seemed to really like it:
After using Amazon Echo for a week I want so many things in my house to be voice controlled. Microwave. Stove. Lights.
About a week into owning an @amazonecho and I'm really digging it. Especially the shopping list ... oh, and trolling workmates in slack
I am in LOVE w/ my Amazon Echo got it yesterday & I can't stop using it! Greatest purchase ever!! Amazon makes my life so easy! #AmazonEcho
Based on the description alone — it's a voice-activated assistant — it's hard to make a case that the Echo is something that anyone needs.
But you might want to order groceries without calling, clicking, or leaving the house. Or put on a Pandora playlist without looking at a screen. Or hear your day's schedule read off in the soothing, slightly accented voice of a robot named Alexa.
For those situations, you now have the chance to try out Amazon's latest piece of hardware. You, too, could be this guy:
Of course, Amazon's track record isn't the greatest when it comes to new hardware, and all those happy Echo owners who bought the product during its invitation-only phase were likely Amazon fans to begin with. Putting it up for sale to anyone with the money to buy it will be the real test.