10 cool features of the Amazon Echo smart speaker that Google Home still doesn’t do well

With the rapid development of technology today, smart devices are no longer too unfamiliar to consumers. From smartphones, smart TVs, to smarthome, all have been integrating into our life in the most natural way. That is why smart speakers are becoming more and more popular and trusted by people in many countries, including Vietnam.

Referring to the most famous smart speaker brands today, it is impossible not to mention Amazon’s Echo line. With a variety of designs but always following the minimalist style, this line of devices always meets both aesthetic criteria and daily needs of customers. Here are some of the cool features that Amazon Echo has, showing why it is one of the top picks in the ever-enriching smart speaker market.

Any music plays, turning users into a “professional” DJ.

One of the most powerful functions of the Alexa virtual assistant (built into Amazon Echo) is the ability to play any type of music, or even sound effects, you want. With simple commands like “ Alexa, play jazz ” (play jazz), “ Alexa, play Walk Like an Egyptian ” (turn on the song Walk Like an Egyptian) or “ Alexa, play thunderstorm sounds ” (play the effect thunderstorm sound), you can sit back and enjoy the songs you love. Besides, you can also stream music from Spotify, Apple Music or Pandora, Tuneln and iHeartRadio (usually favor podcast programs).

Not only knows how to play music on demand, but also provides an extremely detailed sound control system. You can customize the amount of bass, mid-range and treble from -6 dB to 6 dB depending on your personal preference. You can perform this task in the Device Settings section of the Alexa app, or simply command her with her voice to finish.

Play music simultaneously on many different Echo

If you own more than 1 Echo, put them in different rooms. Then, group them on the Alexa app and play the music you want to listen to and all of these Echo’s will play it at once. Now, no matter what room you are in, whatever you do, the music will always accompany you.

“Change clothes” easily and quickly like changing a phone case

Maybe you do not know, the outer shell of the Echo speaker (called the shell) is completely removable and replaced by other models, just like the phone case. Currently, Amazon is offering five different options, the default is a light gray / dark fabric cover, and for an extra $ 20 you get an imitation oak or walnut cover. In addition, in a number of events, Amazon also released special cases with limited quantities such as red cases or Christmas-themed cases. As of now, Amazon has yet to license any third party to manufacture cover accessories for the Echo speakers.

Take control of your smart home

No matter which version of the Echo you are using, you can control some of the devices in your smart home through the Alexa app, and no need to use voice. Just visit the Smart Home> Devices section to display your entire list of devices. Here, you can adjust the brightness of the room light or the air conditioner (on a basic level).

In addition, you can also “assign tasks” to each Echo in charge of a separate group of lights in your apartment. That way, every time you give the Echo a command, it will only turn on and off the pre-installed bulbs.

Save more time with Alexa Routines

“Routines” is one of the extremely effective features of Alex and Echo speakers, allowing you to activate multiple devices at the same time with just one command. For example, you can say ” Alexa, I’m home ” to turn on the lights, turn on the TV (applicable only to Fire TV), and even pull up window blinds if you use smart shades.

Depending on how you install your commands, Alexa can perform many of the same tasks. This virtual assistant will update the weather, traffic, point through a number of headlines from Flash Briefing, and of course indispensable in the ability to play specific music.

Help you clean the house

A feature that sounds very attractive for the “lazy saints”, but requires you to spend an extra amount to invest in a Neato robot vacuum cleaner or any robot compatible with Alexa. And then everything becomes very simple, you just need to sit back and relax commands Amazon’s virtual assistant through the Echo to activate this robot. You can also conveniently set up a fixed daily home cleaning cycle.

Turn on the TV for you

If you own a Fire TV streamer device connected to your home TV, you can voice commands to the Echo speaker to access certain streaming apps (like Netflix, Hulu). This smart speaker can even search for movies, TV shows of certain genres according to the user’s command. In addition, thanks to the open source software tools provided by Amazon, some third parties like Dish have also started to be able to integrate Alexa for their devices.

Calling and texting is easy with just voice

Like many other smart speaker models, the Amazon Echo also allows users to easily make calls or text messages without touching their smartphone. All you need to do is sync the contacts in the Alexa app is done, Echo will help you make calls, answer the phone or leave messages for others. Whenever a call or text comes in, the Echo will emit a green light to alert you. If you own an Echo Show or an Echo Spot model, you can even make video calls very convenient.

Accurate voice recognition

Although receiving voice commands, but Alexa knows that the voice also has one voice and another, and of course it can distinguish them all. This is a very useful feature if your apartment has many people living together, it is also a plus for the security to avoid revealing your sensitive information (for example when confirming the bar voice math for example). If Alexa does not recognize your voice, this “girl” will absolutely not conduct online purchases at all.

However, it should be noted that Alexa (or even Google Assistant) can still be outdone if it encounters a competitor with the ability to fake a sublime voice.

Transform into an invisible guard while you’re away

With the Alexa Guard feature, your Echo will now always be listening for any movement around you after you leave the house. If it detects something unusual (eg fire alarm, broken glass door sound…), it will immediately send a notification to your phone so that you can provide a timely solution.

According to CNET