ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Echo Present 11 is one in all Amazon’s latest sensible shows, on sale now for $179.
- The 11-inch show comes with Alexa+ inbuilt, Omnisense presence sensors, and upgraded audio.
- Sadly, the Echo Present 11 does not have a bodily digicam privateness shutter, and the AI might nonetheless use some tuning.
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My husband is a cybersecurity developer, and far to his chagrin, our house is crammed with Amazon Echo gadgets. After testing all of the mainstream digital assistants in my home, I’ve discovered Alexa to be the very best dwelling automation system for efficient voice management. After testing the Echo Present 11 with Alexa+, I am extra satisfied of this than ever.
Let’s be sincere — the Amazon Alexa system has main drawbacks in comparison with Google House’s effectivity, House Assistant’s privateness and customization options, and Apple HomeKit’s safety and reliability. However Amazon has empowered its digital assistant with generative AI and created a well-rounded client interplay.
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This contributes to its standing as the preferred sensible dwelling assistant, whereas providing probably the most seamless, easy-to-set-up expertise for many customers. The Echo Present 11 is a good way to expertise Alexa+ to manage your sensible dwelling ecosystem and, past that, change into your own home’s command heart.
This Amazon Echo Present 11 encompasses a 1920×1200 decision to ship crisp photos when streaming on its 11-inch touchscreen, and functionas as a gateway to make use of Alexa+ with all of the related advantages reminiscent of calendar syncing, procuring lists, and particular person profiles.
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With its front-facing digicam, the Echo Present 11 can sort out video calls, although the show does not swivel to comply with you just like the older Echo Present 10 did. The digicam additionally does not have a bodily privateness cowl as on older fashions; as an alternative, it solely gives the choice to change it off electronically within the UI.
The upgraded speaker on the again of the Echo Present 11 blows the older Echo Dot out of the water, with booming bass and sharp vocals, even at loud volumes. The upgraded audio system options front-facing audio system, a woofer, and full-range drivers, delivering higher sound than on older Echo Reveals.
The Echo Present 11 additionally helps Omnisense, an upgraded presence sensor that mixes the show’s digicam, microphones, and different sensors to set off completely different display screen behaviors for extra context-aware routines. Admittedly, I felt a bit icky the primary time I approached the show and noticed a “Hello, Maria!” together with a immediate of what to do subsequent.
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Which brings me to the AI elephant within the room. The revamped Alexa+ comes with the Echo Present 11, so you do not want to join any further early-access packages to make use of it earlier than setting it up. The system will immediate you to simply accept utilizing Alexa+ throughout setup, which options generative AI for extra in-depth responses.
If you have not had an opportunity to make use of Alexa+, I actually advocate giving it a shot. Whereas it isn’t the best factor to come back to the sensible dwelling world, it’s fairly compelling — and it really works (more often than not). Consider it like having a countertop ChatGPT that may management your sensible lights and TVs, whereas additionally supplying you with entry to your calendar and lists.
Similar to ChatGPT, nevertheless, Alexa+ makes errors. And identical to ChatGPT’s early days, these errors occur typically. Alexa+ has been a breath of contemporary air in comparison with the earlier model, even when it takes a number of days to get used to its overly excited voice (although possibly all voices sound overexcited in comparison with the previous Alexa).
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Nonetheless, the gen AI units it aside. Prompting Alexa+ to make use of my children’ favourite made-up characters to create a narrative has been an enormous hit with my household. Alexa+ not solely generates the story but additionally reveals them a string of AI-generated photos to feed their creativeness, which is about as shut as you may get to blowing my children’ minds.
Be conscious that the accuracy of AI-generated content material cannot be relied on, as these bots can hallucinate and supply incorrect info. Alexa+ isn’t any exception — it makes a whole lot of errors, misses prompts, and sometimes says nonsense. Both means, it is a particular improve over the older model, and I am wanting ahead to seeing how Amazon improves it over time.
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For extra sensible functions, Alexa+ can deal with a number of instructions without delay, like “flip off the bedside lamp and the ground lamp and activate the evening gentle.” It could actually additionally generate content material and perceive context, so you’ll be able to ask it to generate a recipe, and even ask it to create a brand new routine, like “activate the pantry lights when somebody is detected within the kitchen.”
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
I like to recommend the Echo Present 11 for these on the lookout for a bigger sensible show with Alexa+ and sensible dwelling hub integrations. Due to its assist for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee, the Echo Present 11 is as a lot of a sensible dwelling hub as it’s a speaker and show. It is a multipurpose leisure hub for streaming video and music, working routines, catching up on the information, or discovering recipes.
That stated, you may skip the Echo Present 11 in the event you want a smaller, cheaper Echo Present that’s already obtainable, or in the event you at the moment use the previous swivel-screen mannequin. There are different techniques that supply stricter privateness options, together with Eufy and ones you’ll be able to tinker with like House Assistant.
