Amazon makes Alexa your smart home supervisor with Echo Plus

The Amazon Echo already plays nicely with plenty of smart home kit, but the new Echo Plus is meant to be an all-in-one home hub. Sure, this new version gets a few sound upgrades over the original Echo, but the real focus here is on connected kit, with all the wireless protocols and invisible handshakes you need to hook up a whole range of products from different companies. It even comes with a free Philips Hue smart light bulb to get you started. So just like a dealer giving you the first taste for free – the rest’ll cost ya. Still, that’s not a bad deal for £139 – a tenner cheaper than the original Echo. Pre-orders go live today, and should be arriving soon after on October 31.

Tom Morgan-Freelander Deputy Editor

About

A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews.  When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.

Areas of expertise

Smartphones/tablets/computing, cameras, home cinema, automotive, virtual reality, gaming