One of the most powerful features of Amazon's Echo smart speakers is called Routines. Instead of just letting you do one thing at a time, Routines can tie multiple actions to a single voice command. They can even automate tasks without needing you to speak at all. Still, setting up Alexa Routines--and getting the most out of them--takes a bit of work and creativity. Here's everything you need to know about making your own: To begin creating Routines, open the Alexa app for Android or iOS, tap the menu button in the top-left corner, and select Routines.

Amazon's Echo Buttons are now useful for considerably more than playing party games. The company has enabled support for performing Alexa routines by tapping a button. You can turn on the lights without talking to your speaker, or let guests cue music without having to remember the specific commands. In that sense, it's a more flexible alternative to the Hue Tap -- so long as you live in Amazon's ecosystem, of course. You can enable the feature by creating routines in the latest Alexa app and then choosing an Echo Button as the trigger.

If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA TODAY's newsroom and any business incentives. Amazon's original Echo smart speaker was first made available for purchase on November 6, 2014. In the short time since, it's estimated that around 28 million Echo devices have found homes on American coffee tables and countertops. Alexa herself has ventured into all manner of products, from bathroom mirrors to sprinkler systems, so we keep a running list of everything that works with Amazon Echo and Alexa.

Amazon's Echo Buttons are somewhat bizarre devices that allow you to add a game show element to playing trivia with Alexa. Now, it looks like the online retail giant has larger plans for the device. "I think you'll see a lot more games come out this year that take advantage of the buttons," Steve Rabuchin, the vice president of Amazon Alexa, told TechCrunch this week at CES. The plan is to launch more of these gadgets in 2018. Specifically, Amazon discussed Alexa Gadgets back in December, which are its line of connected home products and developer tools that will allow third parties to take advantage of these new devices. The idea, Rabuchin told TechCrunch, is that Amazon builds the hardware, and then allows the larger developer community to expand and innovate upon it.

Amazon's Alexa is leading the AI assistant pack. Echo devices are dominating smart speaker sales, and that was before Amazon brought the devices to more than 80 nations around the world. To defend its crown, Amazon moved fast this year to outpace competitors like Google Assistant and Microsoft's Cortana. Apple's delayed HomePod is due out next year, while Samsung and Facebook are also reportedly planning to debut smart speakers. It can be challenging to keep up with all the features Alexa has added to stay ahead of some of the largest tech companies on the planet, so here's a rundown of everything Alexa learned to do this year.

When Amazon first debuted the Amazon Echo smart speaker, it was the first of its kind. A speaker that responds to verbal commands? I was intrigued, but also unsure if the technology would take off. Then I bought one and fell in love. I now have 3 Echo devices--an original Echo, An Echo Dot, and the Echo Show--in various rooms in my home.

Alexa has changed a lot in the last three years, but the Echo hasn't. The hefty monolithic cylinder still acts as most people's entrant into the Echo ecosystem. But today, Amazon announced a new, redesigned Echo that makes Alexa sound better, work better, and look better. The looks maybe matter most: The new Echo is considerably shorter than the last, like a mid-point between the Echo and the Dot. Amazon made six different shells for the thing, including a few wood-veneer options, to blend into your home a little better than a big black can of tennis balls.

Amazon's Echo has long let you play little voice-driven games. And at an event today, the company just released an oddball new accessory to go along with the just-announced new Echo speaker. It's called the Echo Button, and it's a tiny Bluetooth remote of sorts that lets you "buzz in" and add a deeper experience to these games. Amazon is positioning this as a simple little gadget intended as more of a "stocking stuffer" than anything else (it comes out this holiday season). If you've ever watched Jeopardy!, you know what we're talking about here -- the Echo can ask a question and you can then "buzz in" and answer before your teammates.