Amazon updated its Echo speaker lineup today, including a new $40 model with a semi-spherical design, the Echo Pop. Additionally, Echo Auto is coming to more countries. The Echo Pop is Amazon's newest entry-level Alexa-powered device. Its half-globe design uses a front-facing speaker with "full sound," although it sounds like it will be a better fit for small spaces like dorm rooms where you only need to hear it from one direction. It also carries over two features from the latest Echo Dot. First, it has Amazon's AZ2 Neural Edge processor for on-device machine learning tasks.

SHOPPING: Products featured in this Mail Best article are independently selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, DailyMail.com Would you like to streamline the entertainment, connectivity and safety options in your car without having to press any buttons for less than $15? Meet the new Alexa Echo Auto, which is on sale at an introductory price of $14.99 for a limited time. That's a $35 saving on the recommended listing price of $49.99 If you've always wanted to have Alexa in your car, then now you can for the lowest price ever.

Amazon is gearing up for its latest hardware event where it's expected to announce its latest smart home gear. Based on prior years, we could see new Echo speakers, Alexa updates, Eero routers, Ring cameras, and more. But looking at Amazon's smart home lineup right now, the question isn't whether Amazon will have new hardware to show off. It's whether Amazon can convince its current customers to buy them. Look at the current slate of Echos or Eeros, for example.

Hands-free news and entertainment has never been easier on-the-go thanks to the arrival of the first Amazon Echo device designed for use in the car. The Echo Auto launched back in June but if you've yet to trial it yourself, now might be the best time to invest as the device has gone into the Amazon End of Summer Sale, reduced from £49.99 down to £39.99. The Echo Auto allows drivers to play music, check the news and make calls without taking their hands off the wheel or eyes off the road. Add Alexa to your car with the new Echo Auto available on Amazon now for £39.99 Just like the rest of the Amazon Echo smart speaker range, the Echo Auto allows you to connect to Alexa. The device works through your phone's Alexa app and plays through your car's speakers via Bluetooth or an auxiliary input jack.

The first Amazon Echo device designed for use in a car has finally been launched in the UK and Ireland, after being first revealed by the tech giant back in 2018. Amazon Echo Auto allows drivers to play music, check the news, make calls and check their schedule without taking hands off the wheel or eyes off the road. The £49.99 device, which clips to car air vent mounts, is powered by Alexa, the company's digital assistant, just like the rest of the Echo smart speaker range. Drivers can use Alexa voice commands such as'Alexa, start my road trip playlist' to enjoy their journey safely without being distracted by their phone. The three-inch-long black box gets internet connectivity by connecting to a user's smartphone and the Alexa app, and using its existing data plan.

There's a reason a new product announced by Amazon 12 months ago never got released to the general public. The product has an unbelievably affordable price at $25 and was only offered initially by "invite-only," on a first-come, first-come basis. I did get my invite recently, forked over the big bucks, and tested the unit in my 2012 Hyundai. The tiny unit, which looks like the old iPod Nano, but with an Amazon smile splashed across the front, connects to the 12-volt car socket for power, and your smartphone's Bluetooth to bring the Internet to your car, thus bringing audio through your car stereo without hanging to hassle with wires. Amazon's Echo Auto brings Alexa into the car (Photo: Jefferson Graham) Look who's listening now: Hey, Siri, Google and Alexa – enough with the snooping The good: You can bring Amazon's personal assistant to the car, to play on-demand music, news and podcasts for you, read back your latest e-mail, find the nearest gas station, tell you what's on your calendar and help you locate the nearest Starbucks.

Dhananjay Motwani is thinking of an animal, and his 20 Questions opponent is, question by question, trying to figure out what it is. "Is it larger than a microwave oven?" "Yes." "No." "Is it a vegetarian?" "Yes." What's impressive here isn't that the questioner is a computer; that's old hat. It's that the machine and Motwani are chatting in his blue Hyundai Sonata, trundling along one of Silicon Valley's many freeways.

Jefferson Graham previews new products introduced by Amazon, including a talking microwave and clock on Talking Tech. In announcing 70 new products, the tech and delivery giant made clear it will bring Alexa to new gadgets ranging from cars to clocks and even microwaves. Here are some of the more unexpected devices Amazon announced. AmazonBasics' smart Microwave has a button to connect with a nearby Echo. At $59.99, the new microwave under the company's AmazonBasics brand is a potentially cheaper option compared with traditional, nonsmart enabled appliances.

Amazon Basics' $59.99 microwave connects to Echo speakers to bring in Alexa personal assistant (Photo: Jefferson Graham) That's a key takeaway from Alexa-driven products Amazon launched on Thursday, from an anticipated AmazonBasics Microwave to a small cassette-sized gadget, Echo Auto, that will let Alexa hang out with you in the car. Amazon's designs on smart home domination and beyond is nothing new, and is no different from Apple, Google, or Samsung. Each company wants to lure you into its own ecosystem--and keep you there. Jeff Bezos' crew appears to have momentum on its side. Amazon now claims more than 20,000 Alexa-compatible devices from more than 3,500 brands, up from some 4,000 devices and 1,200 brands in January. The company's latest product avalanche comes with refreshes to the Echo family of smart speakers, such as the $34 Echo Input.

Amazon caused a few gasps at its Alexa event Thursday when it revealed it had 70 things to announce. If that sounds like a lot to take in, fret not -- not all of those were hardware announcements. We've rounded up all of the Alexa-infused products Amazon showcased, including speakers, an in-car device and, um, a microwave? The revamped Echo Dot has a new look, with rounded edges, and packs more punch, with a 1.6-inch driver delivering 70 percent louder audio than the previous model. Amazon says the speaker has lower distortion and enhanced bass.