Amazon amplifies its Alexa line of voice-controlled devices

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Amazon.com is introducing two devices designed to amplify the role its voice-controlled assistant Alexa plays in people's homes and lives.

In doing so, Amazon hopes to outmaneuver rivals Google and Apple in their battle to build hubs in "smart" homes that are being furnished with appliances, electronics and other accoutrements that connect to the Internet.

Alexa is competing against other voice-controlled services such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana and Google's search engine that are built into the operating systems of smartphones and other devices that do more than the Echo.

The device's limited range raised the prospect that it might be a passing fancy or little more than a cute party trick for consumers who could afford to indulge in a curiosity like the Echo.

[...] it offers an option for people to plug into other sound systems to provide better audio than the speaker built into the Echo.