Buy the Amazon Echo speaker at Staples … so you can buy more stuff from Amazon

By Caleb Denison August 3, 2015

Amazon Echo review wide light — Greg Mombert/Digital Trends

If you’ve been meaning to re-up on toner for your printer, or perhaps paper for the new cover sheets you now have to slap on all your TPS reports, then you might as well shove an Amazon Echo speaker in your shopping cart to make checkout a little less … depressing? First reported by SlashGear, Amazon is now hawking its Alexa-infused Bluetooth speaker through Staples’ online store, right along with its Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, and Fire TV streaming devices.

The move is the latest in a string of developments for the smart speaker, which leverages a voice-controlled personal assistant named Alexa to make summoning everything from streaming music to — what else? — buying stuff from Amazon just that much easier.

Amazon first released the Echo on a limited, invite-only basis in November 2014, presumably as part of a covert beta-testing effort meant to determine how people would react and interact with the cloud-based smart speaker. It took seven months, but Amazon ultimately began offering the Echo to the masses this past June.

During the time the speaker enjoyed “cool club” status, Amazon added features to the speaker that went beyond music playback and answers to questions based on Wikipedia articles , including hands-free shopping, audio-book reading, and sports score updates. Perhaps the most relevant addition to Alexa’s capabilities over this time period, however, was that of smart-home device control. As it happens, the Echo will play very nicely with Staples’ own Connect smart home hub. See? It’s all coming together.

In a rather surprising move, Amazon opened up Alexa’s API to software developers, making it possible for others to integrate the same cloud-based personal assistant in myriad devices.

There’s no indication the speaker will ever make it into Staples’ retail stores, so for now you’ll just have to imagine what it’s like to have Alexa living in your home, hanging on your every word and beaming them to the cloud; or you could just pick one up at Staples.com for $180 and find out for yourself.

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Amazon adds spatial audio to the Echo Studio smart speaker

Amazon Echo Studio.

Along with all of the new devices and services that Amazon announced at its September 28 event, the company said that its Echo Studio smart speaker will be getting an update with new spatial audio processing technology and frequency range extension. The update will initially hit the Echo Studio and Echo Show 15, but it will roll out to other compatible Echo devices in the future.

If you're scratching your head because the Echo Studio already supports Dolby Atmos and Sony's 360 Reality Audio (360RA) formats -- which are both technically under the spatial audio umbrella term -- here's what Amazon says is new with the update:
Our custom-built spatial audio processing technology is designed to enhance stereo sound, making music and movie soundtracks feel closer to the listener with greater width, clarity, and presence. It mirrors the performance of a hi-fi stereo system, so vocal performances are more present in the center, while the stereo-panned instruments are better defined on the side, creating a more immersive sound experience that reproduces the artist's intent. Additionally, frequency range extension technology delivers better performance, improved midrange clarity, and deeper bass.
Amazon has a full explainer for the new technology on its dedicated Amazon Science site, which provides more insight into what's going on, but be warned, it's very scientific and heavy on jargon. Not exactly light reading.

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I can’t buy this awesome modern gramophone, so of course I want it even more

Fennessy Donut i5 Gramophone in matcha (green).

Despite being someone who writes about audio products for a living, I am not a vinyl fan. I leave that anachronistic love affair to my colleagues, Caleb Denison and Derek Malcolm, both of whom will happily consume an entire afternoon on Teams discussing the finer points of turntable design, or any number of other topics related to getting the best sound out of a record. None of that excites me.

But what I do love is unusual turntable design, and I am completely besotted with the Fennessy Donut i5, a thoroughly modern interpretation of a gramophone. With its sleek lines and conversation-inspiring horn, it was love at first sight. But, sadly, I'm forced to admire it from afar. Fennessy is a China-based manufacturer that doesn't currently sell its products in the U.S., and from what I can tell, the Donut (such a great name) isn't carried by my usual go-to retailers for hard-to-get products, like Alibaba. But if I could buy it, it sells for 13,999 yuan (about $2,071).

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You’re about to pay more for Amazon Prime

Amazon worker packaging products.

Amazon announced in its quarterly earnings call today that the cost of Amazon Prime is going to increase for the first time since 2018. Starting February 18, 2022, for new sign-ups — and effective after March 25, 2022, for current members when their next renewal comes around — the monthly fee for the Prime will increase by $2 to $15. Yearly memberships will increase $20 to $139.

"Amazon also continues to invest heavily in Prime," the company said in its earnings release. "In the last few years, Amazon has added more product selection available with fast, free, unlimited Prime shipping; more exclusive deals and discounts; and more high-quality digital entertainment, including TV, movies, music, and books."