- For more than two years, connected speakers have gradually brought artificial intelligence into our interiors.
- Amazon expands its range of Echo speakers with Echo Flex, a box to plug into a power outlet, sold for less than 30 euros, which includes the Alexa assistant.
- Compact and practical, Echo Flex can be combined with a night light or a motion detector but its audio quality remains passable.
We end up not finding ourselves too much among the appellations of the different products in the Amazon Echo range. "Dot", "Show", "Plus", "Studio" ... there are now a large number of connected speakers with the Alexa assistant for the web marketer. The arrival of the Echo Flex sows a little more trouble.
Like a CPL socket
Difference nonetheless: the Echo Flex is not a speaker per se. Once unpacked, the device, which resembles a PLC power outlet, plugs directly into the mains, without any cables.
There are two microphones, a first "Action" button, a second to mute the microphones, a mini-jack and two small holes used to broadcast the sound of the speaker housed in the device. Because despite everything, the Echo Flex acts as a mini speaker. Below, a USB port. A lot for a case that is ultimately very compact…
Alexa dries up on metro traffic forecasts
We find with Flex the fundamentals of the Amazon Echo family. The device is configured like its predecessors. Either two or three minutes past the nose in the Amazon Alexa application, which is enough for once connected, it is recognized, associated in Wifi, and operational. "Alexa, what's the weather?" »Generally remains the test question which validates the proper functioning of the assembly.
By gaining consciousness during these strike periods, we ask Alexa: "What are the traffic forecasts for tomorrow to go to the office by metro". The assistant marks a time, dries and recommends the use of the car ...
An extra assistant for the kitchen or bathroom
Immediate observation: the audio quality of Echo Flex is passable, on the level of the old transistor that Papy had carefully installed in his bathroom.
But it is there that we found the perfect location for our Echo Flex in test, between our towel ring (toilet) and the sink. Where you don't necessarily want to pull a wire, where listening to music religiously makes little sense; where we won't need Alexa to help us cook a recipe or do our homework. But it is indeed a few meters from the shower that we will need each morning to know the weather, traffic conditions, or listen to France Info or the podcast of 20 Minutes Minute papillon…
Two really smart accessories
Bathroom or kitchen? Echo Flex fulfills this mission perfectly: that of an extra assistant, easy to live with, economical (29.99 euros). And the small device (72 x 67 x 73 mm) goes even further. Its USB-A port allows you to charge a smartphone (up to 1.5 amps), but also to associate dedicated accessories.
First there is a night light which, equipped with its light detector, sets off on its own when night comes (practical in a corridor). Then there is a motion detector which, by being associated with a third party device (such as a light bulb, a connected socket, a siren), triggers an action. As you enter your bathroom with your eyes still full of sleep, Echo Flex can trigger the coffee machine in the kitchen before you go into the shower. The night light and the motion detector are sold for 14.99 euros each.
As for sound, if the 1.5 mm speaker (compared to 4.1 mm for the Echo Dot speaker) is nasal, it is still possible to connect a classic Bluetooth speaker to the Flex and start playback by voice of his favorite songs.
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- Artificial intelligence
- High-Tech
- Amazon