It’s not Rosie the Robot, but your first voice request to Amazon’s new Echo moves you one step closer to living like the Jetsons… Think of it as a plugged-in version of Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana.
This “smart” speaker in a 9¼ x 3¼-inch cylinder can order products, turn off lights, set a timer, look up and give you sports scores, read you a book from Audible and more. You might even get it to tell you terrible jokes… It won’t replace a high-end stereo, but its sound quality compares with any Bluetooth speaker, and it can fill a good-sized room in your home. Bottom line: Echo offers hands-free, at-home audio access to just about anything on the web, with better sound than a smartphone or tablet.
All in all, it can make your life easier. And maybe just a little more fun.