Months after it launched its Echo series in India, Amazon is bringing the video-enabled Alexa Echo Spot device to the country. While this is a good indicator that India seems to have an appetite for smart speakers, it is interesting that this launch comes weeks after rival Google Home’s launch.
The Echo Spot has a peculiar design and looks like an alarm clock, but is different from other Echo devices available here because of its small screen. The screen let’s users ask the Alexa smart assistant to play some types of video content and even lets them make video calls to others with the Alexa app on their phone. Yes, there is a camera on the front of the device.
Puneesh Kumar, Country Manager – India, Alexa Experience & Devices said though the Echo Spot has a screen the idea is to still keep voice as the primary mode of interaction. “It does everything that Alexa does, but becomes more engaging because of the display,” added Parag Gupta – Head of Sales and Marketing, Amazon Devices. Gupta said there are already 15,000 skills available for Alexa out of which “a lot” are relevant for India.
The round 2.5-inch does show contextual cards to show with most of your queries. For instance, if you ask for the weather there will be a weather card on show. If you ask for news, there will be a video depending on the source. And yes, the screen will help you shop on Amazon.in as well using voice commands and the screen to browse through the products.
The Alexa Echo Spot will become available in India from April 25, priced at Rs 12,999. But as an introductory offer, the price if just Rs 10,499. You can buy two Echo Spot for Rs 19,999 only. It will be available in black and white colour options. There is no news on when the Alexa Echo Show, which has a larger screen, will become available in India.
