--- description: The device is a plug-in personal assistant who can be on-duty 24/7 title: Amazon Unveils Speaker You Can Control With Your Voice image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt90f5ed40ac2f400c/698765433c1639689944f910/deviceheroimg.png?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Amazon Unveils Siri-Like Speaker You Control With Your Voice  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 6, 2014 5:40 PM CUT  Amazon Echo Amazon EchoAmazon  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 6, 2014 5:40 PM CUT Amazon announced on Thursday its latest product, a voice-controlled smart speaker called [Amazon Echo](http://www.amazon.com/oc/echo/ref%5F=ods%5Fdp%5Fae "undefined"). The Siri-like personal assistant which plugs in to a wall outlet can be left powered-on 24/7 and responds to commands like “will it rain tomorrow?” or “play music by Bruno Mars,” according to Amazon. Amazon Echo connects to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and the cloud, enabling it to perform commands like stream music on Spotify, add an item to a shopping list, or search online for the most recent information about a question. The roughly 3 in. by 9 in. cylindrical device isn’t listening and responding to everything it hears, though: in order to activate the device, users must use a “wake word,” a name or term preceding the voice command. Amazon Echo retails at $199, but for a limited time only it will cost only $99 for Amazon Prime members. Customers must [request an invitation for more details](http://www.amazon.com/oc/echo/ref%5F=ods%5Fdp%5Fae "undefined"), including when the smart speaker will become available. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3562932/amazon-echo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3562932/amazon-echo/"},"headline":"Amazon Unveils Siri-Like Speaker You Control With Your Voice","datePublished":"2014-11-06T17:40:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:03:37.106Z","description":"A plug-in personal assistant on your service 24/7","url":"https://time.com/3562932/amazon-echo/","keywords":["Tech","Gadgets","Innovation","Technology","Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt90f5ed40ac2f400c/698765433c1639689944f910/deviceheroimg.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt90f5ed40ac2f400c/698765433c1639689944f910/deviceheroimg.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Amazon Echo","caption":"Amazon Echo","creditText":"Amazon","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3562932/amazon-echo/","name":"Amazon Unveils Siri-Like Speaker You Control With Your Voice"}}]}] ```