Amazon's planning to release a new portable version of its Internet-connected, voice-controlled Echo Bluetooth speaker, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The smaller and cheaper version of the Echo (codenamed "Fox") will "fit comfortably in the palm of a user’s hand, like a beer can" and sell for less than the normal-sized Echo's $180 price tag.
The report also states the portable Echo will charge using a docking station and voice commands will be limited to "push-button," meaning you will have to press a physical button on the device to activate voice commands. Apparently, Amazon's not going with full-blown voice-activated voice commands in order to save on battery life.
Though technically released in 2014 as an invite-to-buy device for Amazon Prime members, the Echo quickly became the must-have gadget of last year. It landed on Oprah's Favorite Things list and earned Mashable's pick for best tech product of 2015.
Alexa, play music. #Amazon #echo #AI A video posted by raymond (@sourlemons) on Feb 6, 2015 at 2:47pm PST
Originally limited in features, the Echo has quickly become a favorite device that acts as the hub for the smart home. Since its launch, Amazon has allowed developers to integrate the Echo's voice assistant, Alexa, and many devices and services -- including Yelp local search, WeMo-compatible devices, Philips Hue's smart lights, and the popular If This Then That (IFTTT) automation service -- now have Alexa support.
Alexa has been so well-received that Samsung has integrated it into its latest smart fridge.