https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/09/amazon-echo-review-smaller-cheaper-alexa-gadget-new-second-generation
Quoting:
"The new Amazon Echo is cheaper, smaller and has a less imposing stature, but is it still the best smart speaker going?
Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa has improved greatly since the Echo’s introduction to the UK at the end of last year, altered behind the scenes without users needing to do anything thanks the virtue of being a cloud-powered product. It has gained new skills, routines and other smart home control abilities. Its voice recognition and understanding has improved, and it is now a little more conversational, remembering certain topics that you’re talking about the way a human would.
But the outside of the speaker has not changed, until now. The new Amazon Echo for 2017 (find here) is just under 9cm shorter, standing 14.8cm tall and is covered in your choice of fabric, wood or metallic finish, standing in stark contrast to the monolithic black or white towering cylinder of the previous generation."
Details on link. Do read.
"Verdict
The new 2017 Amazon Echo is an absolute bargain at £80. Alexa is still the best voice assistant for smart home control, still hears you better than any other over noise and music, and is still getting better with feature updates and improvements behind the scene.
There are now better-sounding, more expensive smart speakers available such as the £199 Sonos One, and Google Assistant still beats Alexa on general knowledge, but at £80 the Echo undercuts the competition by some margin and sounds pretty good for the money."
