Amazon Echo, announced last year, first came out as a pretty mediocre personal assistant and Bluetooth Speaker. Since release, however, Amazon has continued to update the device, giving it more and more features. It can now do things like control your lights, and even your appliances, given that you are invested in Philips Hue or Belkin’s WeMo. Just yesterday, Amazon announced that users can now order pizza from Dominos using their voice and Alexa. Making it super convenient to pick up some pizza for the big game this Sunday.
Now, the Amazon Echo has added another feature to its arsenal. Perhaps a feature that many of us thought it should have had a while ago. But it’s the ability to stream Spotify music. Many may be wondering why you can’t just stream Spotify over Bluetooth, and you can. You always could. However, now you can stream using Spotify Connect. Which uses Bluetooth instead. Recently, Spotify has added Connect support to the PlayStation 4, SONOS and a few other systems. This provides a better experience as far as audio goes, and that’s something we can all appreciate. Spotify streaming on the Echo is only available for Spotify Premium members however, which will cost you $9.99/month, unless you are a student then it’ll be $4.99/month. Pretty comparable with other streaming services out there, Spotify has also added videos recently and Podcasts are coming soon.
The Amazon Echo is available from Amazon for just $179. While it is a bit pricey for a Bluetooth speaker, it does a whole lot more than just streaming music over Bluetooth. With the addition of IFTTT support, you can automate a ton of things through the Echo. Including the ability to have Alexa turn on your lights at a certain time, or when you get close to your home or office. Amazon is also offering the Echo up for five monthly payments of $36. This is to help more people pick up the Echo and make their smart home complete, or just get into the smart home. It’s also a great way to get users into buying more from Amazon. And that’s always Amazon’s reason for doing anything like the Echo of Fire Tablets.