Just in time for Halloween here comes the Amazon Echo Plus. You can order them from Amazon right now.
I have been on the sideline with these types of devices up to now. The idea of a smart home hub just hasn’t seemed possible with a house as dumb as mine. It’s an old house with no central air or sprinkler system or anything really that I thought would work with the device. I also feel a little silly talking to an appliance. Up to now I’ve been counted in the dumb hub crew.
Upon closer look…The Echo Plus comes with a Phillips Hue bulb, so I could have the ability to adjust at least one light remotely without buying anything else. That would come in handy when we are away to help create the illusion that someone is home. I guess you can program it to wake you up gradually with light too. That’s pretty cool. Normally these bulbs require purchasing a separate hub to use all their features. This is evidently not needed when you set them up with the Echo Plus. And you can get others that allow you to change colors too.
The feature that intrigues me the most is the sound quality while playing music. This sucker is powered by Dolby and promises crisp highs and deep bass and 360° of sound! Sounds similar to those Bose radios and I can attest to their quality. Also, you can get additional devices to add throughout the house and control them all from the Echo Plus.
There are a wide array of smart devices available now and more coming soon that are compatible with the Echo and Alexa (Amazon’s cloud based voice service). You can lock and unlock your doors, control electrical outlets, open the garage doors and of course those damn thermostats and sprinklers that I don’t have. The best part for me is that there is so much right now that I can do and would probably enjoy. All those other features and compatible devices I could add one at a time if I so desire.
I’m starting to convince myself here and since I already talk to myself…why not talk to Alexa?
Just in case you don’t want to pay up for the new Echo Plus like me, here are the devices available now through Amazon:
The still amazing Amazon Echo. Does not have the built in hub though.
The Echo Dot which you can use to add Alexa and music to every room of your house.
And let’s not forget the Echo Spot with the screen which lets you watch videos and make video calls.