Amazons New Echo Wants To Be Your Personal Style Assistant
Amazon just added a new device to its family of voice-enabled speakers the Echo Look, which includes a built-in camera for taking photos and recording video. The new device is available through Amazon's website on an invitation-only basis for 200. The company is pushing the Echo Look as a fashion tool that can help users choose their outfits. The depth-sensing camera is capable of taking full-length images and can blur the background of a photo to place more emphasis on clothing choices. Since it includes a microphone array and speaker just like Amazon's other Echos, owners will be able to capture a shot just by saying, "Alexa, take a photo." The Echo Look also includes LED lights that function as a flash when snapping images. Get the latest deals, reviews and recommendations from the editors of TIME sign up for The Goods newsletter here, Amazon's new Echo Look will work with an accompanying app tailored for personal fashion. Within the app, Echo Look owners will be able to create their own look books and get a 360-degree view of outfits recorded on video. Amazon also uses a combination of machine learning and expert input to provide a second opinion on clothing picks through a feature called Style Check. Submit two photos, one of each outfit, and the app will rate them based on their fit, color, styling, and current trends. Otherwise, the Look functions just like the standard Echo and Echo Dot. This means owners will be able to ask it for weather updates, news, and other information, and it's compatible with Amazon's existing Alexa app. The Look's launch marks the first time Amazon has added significant new hardware functionality to its Echo lineup since it debuted in 2014. It also provides some insight about Amazon's Echo strategy, suggesting that it may continue designing hardware for niche use cases. The company made a similar move with the Echo Dot, which was marketed as ideal for users who want Alexa in multiple rooms rather than buyers seeking a quality music speaker. Amazon is also rumored to be developing an Echo with a screen aimed at use in the kitchen.