Overview

Amazon Alexa, also known simply as Alexa, is a virtual assistant technology largely based on a Polish speech synthesizer named Ivona, bought by Amazon in 2013. It was first used in the Amazon Echo smart speaker and the Echo Dot, Echo Studio and Amazon Tap speakers developed by Amazon Lab126.

What is an Amazon Alexa used for?

It is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic, sports, and other real-time information, such as news. Alexa can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation system.

Do you need anything to use Alexa?

You need an Amazon account to use Alexa, but you don't need Amazon Prime(Opens in a new window). Sign in on the app.

What is the difference between Alexa and Echo?

Many people use the names Amazon Alexa and Amazon Echo interchangeably but there is a difference between the two. The short answer to this is: Alexa is just the AI service and not the product. On the other hand, Amazon echo is the physical device that is used to interact with Alexa.