It's a speaker. It's a music system. And much more. The Amazon Echo is a new cloud-connected gadget designed around your voice. Always on, you wake it by saying "Alexa", then asking it questions or giving it commands. Want to know the weather? Just ask. Want to add something to your shopping list? Done. In the mood for some Beatles? Say the words. With dual down-firing speakers, it produces surprisingly rich sound, and thanks to integrated Bluetooth, it also syncs with the Echo app, and lets you stream music from any source you want — although you probably won't have to use the feature very often, as it offers built-in support for your Amazon Music Library, Prime Music, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio.
To keep your house safe, you could go the traditional route and have an elaborate security system installed. Or could just grab a Cocoon Home Security Device. This single, simple device aims to protect your entire home by using Subsound technology to sense activity even in other rooms. It learns your normal activity schedules to reduce false alarms, and also adds in a pet-friendly motion detector, a loud siren designed to disorientate intruders, and a wide-angle, night vision-capable HD camera with high-quality microphone to let you check in on things remotely and record evidence if necessary. All with only one wire to plug in: the power cord.
