Amazon Unveils Premium Voice-Controlled ‘Echo’ Speaker

While the Fire Phone might not be doing well in terms of sales, but that doesn't mean Amazon isn't ready to explore new hardware product categories. The company on Thursday surprised everyone by launching a voice-activated, cloud-controlled speaker for your living room.

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The Amazon Echo, which costs $199 (about Rs. 12,200), is a cylindrical speaker which partly acts as a digital voice assistant and a premium speaker set. The ecommerce giant announced its new product via Twitter.

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According to Amazon's official website, the speaker provides information, music, news, weather and can be completely controlled by the user's voice. It allows users to call out commands using a custom "wake world."

The company claims that the new device will continually add functionalities over the time. The device can also be controlled while you are away via its mobile app, which is available to download on Fire OS and Android mobile OS.

The high-end speaker can be used to control Amazon Music, Prime Music, iHeartRadio and TuneIN, but can also be linked via Bluetooth to play Spotify, iTunes or Pandora.

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The Amazon Echo is invite only for now, but Prime subscribers in the US can request an invitation and purchase the device at just $99 or Rs. 6,039

As of now, there's no word yet on a wider international launch. Amazon Echo's India launch remains highly doubtful.

Stay tuned to GizBot for more updates!