Well, you and I have been waiting for this… and the day has finally arrived! The Echo Spot is now available in Canada!
Amazon Echo Spot is Now Available to Canadians, eh?!
Echo Spot was released in the United States in December 2017, and I have to admit, I secretly was yearning for the device ever since I laid eyes on it! But, being the editor of Alexa in Canada, I didn’t think it was really right for me to get a Spot in the US, and then hack the system to get it to work up here. But, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t getting impatient!
But my patience has paid off and as of today, the Echo Spot is now available in Canada.
What’s the big deal about the Echo Spot in Canada anyway?
Well, a lot!
The biggest deal is that this is the first Echo device in Canada that has a screen built-in. We Canadians can now start to take advantage of skills that have both audio and video components (multi-modal skills, for us tech geeks). This means you can watch Amazon video on the device or use it with Alexa-compatible smart cameras to display things like your front door or your nursery.
You can also get visual cues and information about a wide variety of things, including weather, time, alarms, and calendars, to name just a few. You can even use it to make video calls to family and friends with an Echo Spot or the Alexa App.
Many people, myself included, are excited to use it as a smart alarm clock. (After all, the Echo Spot does kind of look like an alarm clock)
According to Amazon, “Echo Spot brings you everything you love about Alexa, in an all-new stylish and compact design that can show you things. Just ask to see the weather, get the news with a video flash briefing, set an alarm, see music albums from Prime Music, view your calendar, browse and listen to Audible audiobooks, and more. Personalize your Spot with a collection of clock faces to suit your style or set a photo background from Prime Photos.”
Echo Spot for your Entertainment
Echo Spot is great for listening to music! The display can show you album art, custom stations, and curated playlists with Prime Music. Echo Spot is also compatible with Spotify, Radioplayer, and Deezer in Canada. You can also listen to audiobooks from Audible, podcasts, radio stations, flash briefings, and more. And Echo Spot is Bluetooth-enabled so you can stream music from other devices as well!
Echo Spot for your Smart Home
You can use the Echo Spot to see a live camera feed from many places in your home, everywhere from your nursery to your front door. As with all other Echo devices, you can use the Echo Spot to control many other smart home devices, such as fans, lights, thermostats, locks, and more. And yes, this works in Canada!
Echo Spot for your Convenience
Because Echo Spot has a screen, you can visualize a lot of what is going on when Alexa talks to you as well. For news and information you can see and hear, just ask Alexa for your video flash briefings. You can start a timer in the kitchen and watch as it counts down, or easily see and manage your family’s calendar.
Get the Echo Spot on Amazon Now!
The Echo Spot is priced at $169.99, but you can save $50 when you buy 2 devices, for a limited time. You can pre-order right now and you will receive it on April 25, 2018.
