Now you can try Amazon Echo and Alexa in your web browser

If you've heard about the Amazon Echo and have been wondering what it's like to use it before committing to buying one, there's now an online tool that lets you test it out as much as you want, right in your browser.

It's called Echosim, and all you need to use it is an Amazon account to log in.

Once you've logged in, you can use your mouse to click and hold the onscreen button while asking Alexa a question. You don't need to use the name Alexa, you can just ask it any question and, in most cases, get a great answer back

The voice and response times are identical to what you'd experience using the Amazon Echo, making this is perfect gateway drug for the real thing. That tech taste test is even more likely to lead to buying a real Amazon Echo once you remember that with Amazon Echo you don't need to be near your computer and there's no need to press a button, you just call out requests across the room to the device. Read more...