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Amazon Echo gets iOS app

It's still hard to get Amazon's new voice-activated, cloud-connected Echo wireless speaker, but the company's now released an iOS app for iPhone and iPad users.

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David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
See full bio
David Carnoy
The free Amazon Echo app for iOS is now live. David Carnoy/CNET

I recently reviewed the Echo , Amazon's new voice-activated, cloud-connected wireless speaker. As part of the review I noted that the Echo had launched with Android and Fire OS apps and that no iOS app was available. Well, that's not the case anymore, as an iOS Echo app has made its way into the App Store and is now available for download for free.

While you could always set up the speaker through a browser on an iPad or iPhone, the app is a good addition and arguably improves the Echo experience. I tested it briefly, setting up the speaker on a new Wi-Fi network through the app (on an iPhone), and it worked fine -- just like its Kindle iOS and Android counterparts.

Amazon Echo product photos

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The speaker itself is still being sold in very limited quantities. The Echo carries a list price of $199, but select Amazon Prime members will have a chance to buy it for $99 in its launch phase, which may go on for a few months. (There's no word as to when or if it'll be available internationally, but that price converts roughly to £125 in the UK, or a little over AU$230 in Australia).

Anybody who wants to buy one, however -- Prime or otherwise - needs to request an invite from Amazon. Or you can just spend a lot of money and buy one on eBay, like we did, though I would advise against that.