Far-field voice recognition. Tucked under the light ring is an array of seven microphones that use beamforming technology and enhanced noise cancellation.

The 2nd generation Echo has improved wake-word performance to hear you ask a question from any direction — even in noisy environments or while playing music at loud volumes. When you want to use Echo, simply say the wake word, "Alexa," and Echo lights up and connects to the cloud, where the Alexa Voice Service recognizes and responds to your request instantly.

Alexa is always getting smarter - the more you use Echo, the more Alexa adapts to your speech patterns, vocabulary, and personal preferences. And because Amazon Echo is always connected, updates are delivered automatically.

Just in the last few months we've added Alexa calling and messaging, multiroom music, and reminders, along with skills from third-party developers.

Amazon - Echo (2nd generation). Echo is also an expertly tuned speaker that can fill any room with immersive sound.

It has seven microphones and beamforming technology so it can hear you from across the room-even while music is playing. When you want to use Echo, just say the wake word "Alexa" and Echo responds instantly.