The invitation-only era is over
The era of experiments and trial phases is over. Amazon Echo, the famous hybrid between a wireless speaker and virtual assistant, has abandoned its invitation-only access and is now available to anyone who wants it. Amazon even decided to adjust its final price a bit to make it more attractive, and although living with Alexa presents some additional challenges, the general response has been very positive.
From doubts to developer opportunities
Searching for information on the Web used to require sitting in front of a computer until a few years ago. Today, the most common thing is to pick up a smartphone and ask the integrated virtual assistant (Siri, Cortana, or Google Now). Tomorrow, that option may also fade into the background. When Amazon introduced the Echo device in November, many expressed their doubts. The latest hardware projects had bitten the dust, and finances were not the best, but there was enough margin for one more experiment. Several of the privileged few who accessed the Echo with a special invitation recognized its potential, as long as they could set aside the flashes of frustration caused by interacting with Alexa.
Starting in February, things improved a bit. Amazon opened Echo's doors to interested developers, confirming the launch of a beta SDK. With its promotion to a final product, the Amazon Echo will become a much more interesting platform for software creators, an intention backed by a $100 million fund, a new preview for the SDK, and the free release of Alexa's voice services to external manufacturers, so it's very likely that Amazon Echo won't be the only device of its kind in the near future. Amazon's investments also give us an idea of the kind of plan prepared for Echo. In one case, it's a company that designs smart platforms for cars, and in the other, voice-controlled home security systems.
Price, availability, and language
The new official price for the Amazon Echo is $179.99, and its general availability will be activated on the upcoming July 14. I imagine the first barrier for international users will be language. Amazon gave no details about future support for other languages, and although it manages to withstand heavy accents, English is the priority here. Do I even want one? Honestly, I don't know. My relationship with Amazon's services is almost non-existent, and I imagine many users are in the same situation. At the same time, the Amazon Echo is still a first-generation product, and waiting a bit longer doesn't seem like a bad idea.
