Amazon’s new Echo Connect brings landline phone calls to your Echo

A device that plugs into your standard phone jack (given that you still have one of those) and turns your Echo into a landline speakerphone.

At Amazon’s surprise press event on Wednesday, the company revealed a new addition to the Echo family: a call-centric device dubbed the Echo Connect.

On one side, the Connect plugs directly into your landline phone jack. On the other, it connects to your Echo device. This will allow you to call numbers, including 911, through your home phone number with a simple voice command to Alexa. It will be compatible with all current Echo devices, so if you already have one you won’t need to scramble to buy the new model — unless you want to, of course.

This approach of using separate hardware to manage phone calls looks surprisingly less elegant than Google’s software implementation on the Google Home, but also has a draw for those who still rely on a landline and want the security of knowing this is using that same system.

The Echo Connect is available for preorder now and will ship on December 13. Considering that it’s effectively an accessory for an Echo, the Connect will set you back just $35.

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