Amazon Bets on Bigger Market for Voice-Enabled Echo
The Web retailer is betting that the voice-controlled gadgets will keep customers inside its retail and digital universe.
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Amazon.com Inc. is doubling down on Echo, a voice-controlled gadget that can stream music, control lights and order merchandise, seeking to wedge itself even deeper into consumers' digital lives.
Two new versions were unveiled Thursday. The $90 Echo Dot, which looks like a hockey puck, lets customers hook up their own speakers to access Amazon's online services. Amazon Tap, which sells for $130, is a portable battery-powered version of the Echo, which debuted in 2014 as an intelligent home assistant that can respond to utterances such as "re-order paper towels," "play Kanye" and "turn on the lights."