Amazon has Echo (Photo: Amazon)

Siri and Google Now should be trembling from Amazon’s Echo, because it’s going to be awesome.

It is a wonderful time we live in; technology is developing fast and our lives are made so much easier with clever innovations. For instance, take Echo, Amazon’s brand new voice control system. It is similar to Siri or Google Now, but it can be used a bit more freely. The cylinder-shaped beauty will cater to your needs in a hands-free manner; all you have to do is give command. You can buy Echo for USD 180 plus shipping on Amazon’s website. But before you click on that basket, let’s take a look at the specs.

Wouldn’t it just be incredible to play on a gambling app without having to tap on the screen of your device? You know you’d love it! Especially if you could somehow transmit the whole game onto a large screen and just control every move lying on the sofa… Hopefully, a feature like this will soon be available, let’s keep our fingers crossed until then. On Amazon’s website, you’ll find quotes from news outlets, like CNET, saying: “The Echo may be the closest thing we’ll have to a Star Trek computer at home.” Phrases like that tend to convince me, but let’s see the features of Echo first.

“All you have to do is ask”

This is the new catchphrase promoting the Echo. According to Amazon, the device itself is fitted with a total of seven microphones and beam-forming tech, which filters your voice. This means that even if music is playing in the room, the Echo will be able to distinguish your voice and do what you command. Once Echo gets a command, it’ll connect to Alexa, a service similar to Siri, which is based on a cloud system. Information will be gathered from the cloud. What’s more, you won’t even need speakers to play music anymore, because the Echo is, as Amazon’s specs say, “an expertly tuned speaker that can fill any room with immersive sound.”

Amazon says that in order to turn on the device, you’ll need to say “Amazon” or “Alexa.” Once the tech is awake, the possibilities are endless; you can add things to your shopping list, read a book, set alarms, ask for a weather forecast, check out something on Wikipedia… hopefully in the near-future, you’ll also be able to play by voice control on some gambling software, too. As long as we’re waiting for that, however, the Echo will make it possible for you to do basically anything, even if you’re just relaxing with a cup of tea on the couch. It is a bit like a downgraded butler, come to think of it…

Lights on!

Another simply wonderful feature of this smart machine is that by connecting with other appliances from Belkin WeMo and Philips Hue, you can control things like switches and air conditioning. How does it work? You sync the Echo with BelkingWeMo and Philips Hue switches and voilà! You can turn home appliances on and off with simple commands. How annoying is it when you go to bed, and forget to turn off the lights? You have to get out again, walk to the switch, then back…This way, however, your immediate environment is perfectly under control. All without having to stand up.

Belkin WeMo and Philips Hue switches (Photo: Amazon)

If you download the application, you will also be able to manage everything even if you’re not at home; you can add items to your grocery list, set the alarm… again, the things you can do are endless. This small device, only a bit heavier than a 1-kilogram dumbbell, will make your everyday life pleasant and easy as pie. Do you want to catch up on football scores? Forget surfing the Internet, just ask. Wondering about which way to head to your favorite casino? Again, just ask. So easy! This gadget is so monumentally cutting-edge, that it will probably set an example for future gambling industry innovations.We’re counting on it!