If you have ever held a phone up to your ear for more than 30 minutes, you can appreciate the value of a hands free speakerphone. The Echo Connect allows users to place and receive phone calls via the landline in the user’s home. To use the Echo Connect, users must first have an Echo or Echo Dot device from Amazon with the virtual assistant, Alexa. Users can use commands like, “Alexa, call Steve’s mobile phone”, “Alexa, answer the phone”, or “Alexa, hang up.” Alexa will also be able to place calls when given the digits of the number. Set up is very easy. Users just need to plug in the device, sync their mobile phone contacts with the device, and can then have Alexa call anyone in their contacts. While there are many fun things to say to Alexa, this is a more practical feature that will no doubt benefit many people.
Amazon Echo Free Calls
Currently, Alexa through Amazon Echo and Echo Dot can place “Echo to Echo” calls that are free. They act similar to an intercom between the devices so users can talk with friends or family members who have an Echo device. However, many people need to call others who don’t have an Echo or who are away from their home. With the Echo Connect, calling will be hands free and likely come with a better sound quality than traditional landlines. Amazon will not charge a monthly user fee, but users do need to have a contract with their phone company. Calls can be made internationally, but will likely come with higher fees charged by the phone company. One great safety feature is that users can tell Alexa to call 911 from anywhere Alexa can hear their voice. For users with multiple devices, this may be anywhere in the house. This is much more safe than finding your cell phone or running to the landline. Although Google Home added voice calling as well much earlier in the year, users cannot yet use the product to call 911. In the past couple of years, there have been police investigations as to whether or not Alexa had placed a 911 call in an emergency. Although not previously possible, police may now have to consider Alexa in some future investigations.
Echo Connect Price
The device is a small black box that will connect to the home’s landline. The Echo Connect is affordable at only $35, and will be released December 13, 2017. Pre-orders became available October 4th, 2017. Users just have to make sure that they already have a landline connection and contract set up with the local phone company. For users that do not yet have a landline service, they can likely expect to pay $15-$30 per month but it varies between locations. Financially, users that do not have a cell phone plan that allows unlimited calls may find it more beneficial to call people from their home land line using Echo Connect.
How Successful Will Echo Connect Be?
The Echo Connect very well may bring back some financial strain the phone companies have experienced as users have replaced their landlines with cell phones. Many users also now rely on sending and receiving text messages rather than sending and receiving calls. The product will likely benefit people who already own an Echo or an Echo Dot as well as have a landline. However, less than 50% of homes today are using their landline and just 6.5% have only a landline without a cell phone. Younger users like first time homebuyers are more likely to have an Echo product and no landline. Older users are more likely to have a landline but not an Echo product. No doubt the Echo Connect will need to be compelling enough to convince non-landline users to start a contract with their local phone company to make and receive calls.