A new Echo Dot with a digital clock display was among the many products Amazon unveiled at its annual product announcement event Wednesday in Seattle.
In the presentation by Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices and Services, we learned that Amazon Echo users ask "Alexa, what time is it?" more than 1 billion times each year, a query so common that Amazon developers folded it into the functionality of this new $60 (£60) Echo Dot.
The white LED display works with several Alexa functions. The display is primarily a clock, but you can also use it to show countdowns for timers and see the outside temperature when you ask Alexa about the weather. It's available to preorder now.
As an alarm clock, it includes an automatic snooze option. When your alarm goes off, you'll be able to tap the top and start a nine-minute snooze. The new Echo Dot is available for preorder starting today for $59, and the current third-generation Echo Dot will continue to be available.
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Amazon Echo Studio and new Echo Dot are big on sound and time
The Echo Dot was refreshed last year, with a new fabric shell and improved sound to help it compete against the Google Home Mini. The small speaker is by far the best seller of the Echo lineup, accounting for over half of all Echo device sales, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Its $50 price tag -- which is often discounted -- has encouraged people to buy several to put all over their homes.
