The Amazon Echo is a smart device developed by Amazon to give voice responses to various queries. The Amazon Echo is a wireless speaker which has an in-built seven-piece microphone array. The device uses the wake word Alexa but you can change it to either Echo or Amazon. The Amazon Echo device is capable of voice communication and can perform voice interaction tasks such as streaming podcasts, music playback, providing real-time information, playing audiobooks and making to-do lists, among others. The Amazon Echo can also be used as a home automation device to control smart devices such as your home lighting.

The Amazon Echo has been developing in Amazon's Lab since 2010. Amazon has 126 offices located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Silicon Valley. During the early years, the Amazon Echo was only available to Amazon Prime members but become available all over the United States in 2015. The Alexa services crossed outside the United States into Canada in 2016.

The device works by actively listening to speech within its environment as it waits for the wake word to be spoken. The Amazon Echo also comes with a voice-activated and manual remote control that you can use alongside the wake word. To turn off the audio processing unit you may also do it manually by using the mute button on the system. For the Echo to work effectively, you need a low latency Wi-Fi Internet connection that allows for the least processing time. The device's voice recognition software uses the Amazon Common Voice and the Amazon web services platforms from IVONA, Yap, and Evi.

In this book you will learn some of the basic and unique ways to integrate Alexa into your daily life:

• Setting up Amazon Echo
• Native features
• Easter eggs
• Applications in daily life
• Connecting to smart home appliances