Amazon diversifies its Echo product base in Canada with a range of new models

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Canadians today are spoiled for choice when it comes to smart speakers and smart home technology. Just think that two years ago, we had to sneak in Amazon Echos and Google Homes across the border and run through hoops to enable some fascimile of functionality with these devices.

Today there are literally dozens of smart speaker devices to choose from and Amazon has just made choosing the right device more challenging thanks to its latest fall harvest of devices.

Occupying an entire floor of an old building in downtown Toronto, Amazon set off to demo a slew of new devices that are all coming to Canada and will be available as early as tomorrow.

Included in the mix are its new Amazon Echo Show, a 10-inch display that's powered by Alexa and that can push video and images to accompany various types of queries and content.

Designed for use in kitchens or as hubs in bedrooms, the Echo Show can play video from Amazon Prime or YouTube, it can play tunes from a range of streaming services, complete with album art. The smart display can serve as a futuristic intercom for calling other screen-enabled Echo devices and will also be able to parlay with Skype for video conferencing.

Not too far from the Echo Show was an even bigger display. Toshiba, Best Buy and Amazon have collaborated on a series of Fire TV HDTVS ranging from a 32-inch 1080p set to a 55-inch 4K HDR set that use Alexa to access over the air shows as well as a wide variety of streaming shows. These are coming to Best Buy shortly and the most expensive one will cost $600.

Speakers are still Alexa's domain and Amazon has refreshed the line from the lowly Echo Dot, the Echo Plus and now a new accessory Echo subwoofer which pairs with Echo and Echo Plus speakers to drive home some deep and resonant bass.

Smart home control is also very much on Amazon's mind these days. Not only has it integrated Home Hub, which serves as controller for various smart home devices, into the Echo Plus and the Echo Show.

This means that these devices can deftly manage multiple home automation devices including lights, thermostats, cameras and locks. Amazon now makes and sells its own smart plugs, which can turn dumb appliances (i.e. coffee makers, water heaters, toasters) into smart devices that can be controlled through voice or through various routines.

This event and the various Amazon devices it covered shows that in a few short years, the company has become a formidable hardware manufacturer that's ahead of the competition in a number of ways.

While Alexa or Amazon Echo never originated on a smartphone or a desktop, it has become the most mature and ubiqutious assistant technology transcending speakers and moving to smart displays and even smart TV models.

Add in all the advantages of Amazon's service and entertainment ecosystem and it becomes a one-stop shop for all smart home, entertainment, home automation and security that is easy to set up and use. Most of the products featured here today come to Canada starting tomorrow and can be purchased through Amazon.ca.