Amazon Echo Coming to More Than 3000 Retail Locations in the US

On the surface, the Echo seems like an odd fit for retailers like Home Depot until you realize that Amazon is gunning to be a smart home hub. The Echo, a black cylinder studded with microphones that connects to the cloud, is built around its voice-recognition software (responding to the name Alexa), which works even when music is playing, according to Amazon. For instance, Echo will be available at The Home Depot and Sears.

Compatible home-automation products include Philips Hue lights as well as devices from Samsung SmartThings, WeMo, Insteon and Wink.

Amazon’s Echo has graduated from an interesting experiment to a product that now has mass distribution through brick-and-mortar retailers. Users can hence add to their shopping list on Evernote, email that list to someone, and add the list to their iPhones with their voice. Users can also check sports schedules and scores, although with a television likely to be in the vicinity, they might prefer watching games involving their “favorite teams” directly instead. Or ask, “Alexa, how tall is Mount Everest?” However, this isn’t the first Amazon-made product to hit store shelves. Items can be delivered to the users’ default address and collect payments from their default account on Amazon Prime.

It’s always on, so there’s no need to activate a feature or press a power button. Because the unit is Bluetooth-enabled, you can also stream tunes from other popular services, like Spotify and iTunes, from a wirelessly connected mobile device.

Additionally, you can use the Echo to run Yelp searches for local businesses or restaurants: maybe you want to find out if that new Asian fusion restaurant is open yet, or what time your local pharmacy closes. As far as price goes, the Echo will cost $179.99 in store, which is the same price that the device is sold for on the Amazon website.