Amazon Echo (2017) review: The best Alexa device yet

If only every guest could slide into your life as smoothly as an Amazon Echo. 

Amazon’s smart speaker, home to its digital assistant, Alexa, found a place in my home years ago. The 9.25-inch-tall black cylinder sits on my hutch, answering questions about the weather, sports, news, adjusting the climate on the first and second floor of my home, setting alarms, checking my schedule and even playing games.

Over time, it’s woven its way into more and more of my daily activities. I don’t think my story is that different from millions of other people around the world who’ve welcomed home the Echo, the Echo Dot, and the Amazon Tap. So it’s not surprising Amazon now faces a heap of competition from the biggest tech guns on the planet: Apple, Google and, yes, Microsoft. Read more...