Amazon 'Echo Buttons' Trivia Game Accessories Now Available to Pre-Order

[MacRumors]

Amazon has made its Echo Buttons, the company's "first Alexa gadgets", available to pre-order on its U.S. website. First announced in September, the $20 accessories come in packs of two and are designed to allow Amazon Echo owners to play family trivia games with the voice-activated smart speakers.

About 3 inches (76mm) wide and 1.5 inches (38mm) tall, the Echo Buttons each have a multi-color LED on top that lights up the push button. The devices are powered by two triple-A batteries and connect to Echo speakers via Bluetooth.

Amazon says the buttons will work with four Alexa skills when they ship on December 19 in time for the holidays, including name-that-song game "Beat the Intro" and "Fourth Down Football Trivia", with support for more sound effect and quiz games expected further down the line.

The Echo Buttons are compatible with all old and new Echo devices as well as the forthcoming Echo Spot, but they don't work with the Amazon Tap, Amazon Fire TV, or any other non-Echo device.

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Article Link: Amazon 'Echo Buttons' Trivia Game Accessories Now Available to Pre-Order

 

[RickInHouston]

Just bring on the Echo Spot! Can't come soon enough. No other product like it.

 

[star_nerdy]

Amazon has made its Echo Buttons, the company's "first Alexa gadgets", available to pre-order on its U.S. website. First announced in September, the $20 accessories come in packs of two and are designed to allow Amazon Echo owners to play family trivia games with the voice-activated smart speakers.

About 3 inches (76mm) wide and 1.5 inches (38mm) tall, the Echo Buttons each have a multi-color LED on top that lights up the push button. The devices are powered by two triple-A batteries and connect to Echo speakers via Bluetooth.

Amazon says the buttons will work with four Alexa skills when they ship on December 19 in time for the holidays, including name-that-song game "Beat the Intro" and "Fourth Down Football Trivia", with support for more sound effect and quiz games expected further down the line.

The Echo Buttons are compatible with all old and new Echo devices as well as the forthcoming Echo Spot, but they don't work with the Amazon Tap, Amazon Fire TV, or any other non-Echo device.

Note: This article includes affiliate links and MacRumors may benefit if you click on them

Article Link: Amazon 'Echo Buttons' Trivia Game Accessories Now Available to Pre-Order

This is so lame...and I love it! Lol

 

[samh004]

If these worked with the Sonos One (but from the article appears they don't) I'd be very interested! Oh well.

 

[Aston441]

Just bring on the Echo Spot! Can't come soon enough. No other product like it.

I am still surprised that Amazon is today's world's innovator in the electronic gadget space, especially after the Fire Phone flop.

At the moment they're putting the old guard (Apple, Google, Microsoft) to shame.

 

[Bawstun]

This is so lame...and I love it! Lol

Agree, really fun/nostalgic game and idea but made fresh again with new technology. Should be a success for families

 

[purplehaze0]

I’m sure we will see more of this kind of thing

 

[somethingelsefl]

So...there are about 5 different versions of Alexa (And even one for your car!), 1000s of skills, and now accessories.

I just can't help but see Apple's delay on it's ONE dedicated home assistant (Homepod) to be justifiable. I know Apple wants to "get it right" but honestly, there is very little wrong with Alexa or Google Home.

 

[samh004]

I am still surprised that Amazon is today's world's innovator in the electronic gadget space, especially after the Fire Phone flop.

At the moment they're putting the old guard (Apple, Google, Microsoft) to shame.

I wouldn't call Alexa and where they went with Alexa that innovative, seeing as they weren't even the first or second to come to market with that product (voice assistant) and only release a smart speaker 4 months ahead of the Apple TV gaining the Siri Remote, a similar product.

Their main difference, and this really comes is the same for Google and a few others too I'd imagine – to Apple – is that they have a different policy on the openness and privacy of their system, so hands down any other voice assistant is always going to beat Siri but you have to decide what you want: privacy or features.

Then all their different recipes, their links to other services, that's hardly innovative, IFTTT has been around since 2011. It's pretty much the same thing.

So...there are about 5 different versions of Alexa (And even one for your car!), 1000s of skills, and now accessories.

I just can't help but see Apple's delay on it's ONE dedicated home assistant (Homepod) to be justifiable. I know Apple wants to "get it right" but honestly, there is very little wrong with Alexa or Google Home.

Both will always beat Siri in terms of comprehension power too thanks to their lack of privacy, however I think their big difference is they want to make great sound. Look at the Sonos One reviews for an example, the speakers are far better than in the Amazon or Google products and I wouldn't be surprised if that is where they are having troubles.

If I was in the marker for one, I'd be happy they were making sure sound quality was right, but I'm buying a Sonos instead because I don't rate Siri, I wouldn't have used Siri anyway and sound quality at a good price is what I am after.

 

[npmacuser5]

I wouldn't call Alexa and where they went with Alexa that innovative, seeing as they weren't even the first or second to come to market with that product (voice assistant) and only release a smart speaker 4 months ahead of the Apple TV gaining the Siri Remote, a similar product.

Their main difference, and this really comes is the same for Google and a few others too I'd imagine – to Apple – is that they have a different policy on the openness and privacy of their system, so hands down any other voice assistant is always going to beat Siri but you have to decide what you want: privacy or features.

Then all their different recipes, their links to other services, that's hardly innovative, IFTTT has been around since 2011. It's pretty much the same thing.



Both will always beat Siri in terms of comprehension power too thanks to their lack of privacy, however I think their big difference is they want to make great sound. Look at the Sonos One reviews for an example, the speakers are far better than in the Amazon or Google products and I wouldn't be surprised if that is where they are having troubles.

If I was in the marker for one, I'd be happy they were making sure sound quality was right, but I'm buying a Sonos instead because I don't rate Siri, I wouldn't have used Siri anyway and sound quality at a good price is what I am after.

Not sure what you mean privacy. Nothing different then you typing the request into any search engine. Apple Safari has extensive tracking for example. If you do a search via Safari, click on anything in a webpage, you are tracked. Therefore, from this point forward only use your Apple device for playing music, Apple’s response to devices like Echo.

Internally Apple maybe better then the others at not selling or sharing your tracking information. Reality, we consumers are rarely in the Apple only environment while using their devices. Touch any app that goes to the web, your privacy just went out the window. At that point, No difference between voice and keyboard.