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But... why? Presumably everyone who would even consider buying this already has a computer at home, which does that better anyway.

pickthenimp2 10y ago
hands free...one click answer on other end.
- vthallam 10y ago
  for that they have facetime or duo? I mean if 2 users using this are out, why use amazon app to make calls?
VLM 10y ago
HN isn't really a kid friendly community, but this would work pretty well for kids age maybe 3 to 10 who just want to listen to music, maybe video call grandma. Sort of a post-iPad reaction to the failure of tablets.
- cybernytrix 10y ago
  This looks like an iPad / tablet charging stand with speakers and better mic -- which there are plenty of in the market. You can get one of these for $20 (or $99 if Apple makes it!). Amazon is just hoping that the success of Echo will push this forward. This will be another Fire incident for Amazon.
  - j2bax 10y ago
    >This will be another Fire incident for Amazon. Disagree. This is entering a far less saturated somewhat new market. A very focused communication/consumption device where the tablet is trying to be a laptop.
lsaferite 10y ago
There is a large space between sitting at my computer and talking to my wife in the grocery store vs. sitting on the couch and talking to my wife in the grocery store.
- untog 10y ago
  Is it not a space filled by your cellphone?
  - HannibalChew 10y ago
    My use case is walking around the house, remembering we need something at the store, telling Alexa about it, and then looking at the Alexa app when I get to the store. I don't walk around the house with my phone in my hand.
  - robotresearcher 10y ago
    Yes, with a teeny bit of extra convenience. These things are a cellphone on the bookshelf that you don't have to hold or recharge. Also, bigger screen and better speaker.
  - mikeleeorg 10y ago
    For me, it is certainly filled by my cellphone. But I can see the method to their madness. An Amazon Echo isn't a needed device. It just makes certain actions easier (e.g. playing music, checking the weather, listening to the news, etc), all of which can be satisfied with a cellphone and computer too. But the key is, it makes these actions EASIER. For someone who's already indoctrinated to an Amazon Echo device, I can see the barrier for purchase being lower than someone who doesn't have one. For such a customer, the appeal again is that it makes even more actions EASIER. Being able to see your baby monitor, make a phone call, check the news, see who's at your front door (integration with doorbell video services coming up, I'll bet!), etc, are all achievable by other means. But this family of devices makes them all EASIER. I think that's the key here. And granted, these devices aren't going to appeal to everyone. But for those that already have the gateway drug/device that is an Amazon Echo, I can see them investing further into this ecosystem of devices.
hbosch 10y ago
This is the new "home phone".
- dexterdog 10y ago
  What's the point of a home phone when everybody in the home already has a personal phone? We don't call houses. We call people.
  - hbosch 10y ago
    When I talk to my mother or father, we both put each other on speakerphone. On my end, my wife and I can both talk at the sime time... on their end, they can also have multiple people talking at the same time. This is a 2-endpoint call with 2+n users. All Echos have better mics and better sound than my cellphone for this use.
  - ksenzee 10y ago
    I quite often call a house, or wish I could. We eat dinner with my mom most nights, and my grandma if she cares to come. "Whoever's there: dinner's ready!" is a message we have to send to their house, every day, and all we have to do it with is their two cell phones. I'm counting the days until we can call their Echo Dot instead.
  - sah2ed 10y ago
    You are forgetting an important demographic of many households who do not yet have personal phones but are perfectly capable of communicating verbally: small children. Amazon is betting on these children growing up with an Echo in the home which can be a nice way to catch up with your kids' activities while still at work or on your way home. Child: "Alexa, record a message for mom." Alexa: "Recording message." Child: "Mummy, don't be late. But you promised to undo my hair when you return from work. My head hurts."
    - umeshunni 10y ago
      Also, old people and seniors who have trouble using small cellphones. Ever tried using FaceTime or Skype with poor vision/ dexterity?

pickthenimp2 10y ago

hands free...one click answer on other end.

vthallam 10y ago
for that they have facetime or duo? I mean if 2 users using this are out, why use amazon app to make calls?

VLM 10y ago

HN isn't really a kid friendly community, but this would work pretty well for kids age maybe 3 to 10 who just want to listen to music, maybe video call grandma. Sort of a post-iPad reaction to the failure of tablets.

cybernytrix 10y ago
This looks like an iPad / tablet charging stand with speakers and better mic -- which there are plenty of in the market. You can get one of these for $20 (or $99 if Apple makes it!). Amazon is just hoping that the success of Echo will push this forward. This will be another Fire incident for Amazon.
- j2bax 10y ago
  >This will be another Fire incident for Amazon. Disagree. This is entering a far less saturated somewhat new market. A very focused communication/consumption device where the tablet is trying to be a laptop.

lsaferite 10y ago

There is a large space between sitting at my computer and talking to my wife in the grocery store vs. sitting on the couch and talking to my wife in the grocery store.

untog 10y ago
Is it not a space filled by your cellphone?
- HannibalChew 10y ago
  My use case is walking around the house, remembering we need something at the store, telling Alexa about it, and then looking at the Alexa app when I get to the store. I don't walk around the house with my phone in my hand.
- robotresearcher 10y ago
  Yes, with a teeny bit of extra convenience. These things are a cellphone on the bookshelf that you don't have to hold or recharge. Also, bigger screen and better speaker.
- mikeleeorg 10y ago
  For me, it is certainly filled by my cellphone. But I can see the method to their madness. An Amazon Echo isn't a needed device. It just makes certain actions easier (e.g. playing music, checking the weather, listening to the news, etc), all of which can be satisfied with a cellphone and computer too. But the key is, it makes these actions EASIER. For someone who's already indoctrinated to an Amazon Echo device, I can see the barrier for purchase being lower than someone who doesn't have one. For such a customer, the appeal again is that it makes even more actions EASIER. Being able to see your baby monitor, make a phone call, check the news, see who's at your front door (integration with doorbell video services coming up, I'll bet!), etc, are all achievable by other means. But this family of devices makes them all EASIER. I think that's the key here. And granted, these devices aren't going to appeal to everyone. But for those that already have the gateway drug/device that is an Amazon Echo, I can see them investing further into this ecosystem of devices.

hbosch 10y ago

This is the new "home phone".

dexterdog 10y ago
What's the point of a home phone when everybody in the home already has a personal phone? We don't call houses. We call people.
- hbosch 10y ago
  When I talk to my mother or father, we both put each other on speakerphone. On my end, my wife and I can both talk at the sime time... on their end, they can also have multiple people talking at the same time. This is a 2-endpoint call with 2+n users. All Echos have better mics and better sound than my cellphone for this use.
- ksenzee 10y ago
  I quite often call a house, or wish I could. We eat dinner with my mom most nights, and my grandma if she cares to come. "Whoever's there: dinner's ready!" is a message we have to send to their house, every day, and all we have to do it with is their two cell phones. I'm counting the days until we can call their Echo Dot instead.
- sah2ed 10y ago
  You are forgetting an important demographic of many households who do not yet have personal phones but are perfectly capable of communicating verbally: small children. Amazon is betting on these children growing up with an Echo in the home which can be a nice way to catch up with your kids' activities while still at work or on your way home. Child: "Alexa, record a message for mom." Alexa: "Recording message." Child: "Mummy, don't be late. But you promised to undo my hair when you return from work. My head hurts."
  - umeshunni 10y ago
    Also, old people and seniors who have trouble using small cellphones. Ever tried using FaceTime or Skype with poor vision/ dexterity?