17 useful things Amazon Echo can do

I activated my Amazon Echo for the first time in December. It's quickly become one of my favorite tech gadgets ever.

Most people compare Echo to virtual assistants like Siri and Google Now. But Amazon's speaker, which responds to either "Alexa" or "Amazon," is quicker to respond and understands commands much better than those rival services.

And thanks to its excellent audio system, with seven microphones for listening and a 360º omni-directional audio grille for speaking, Amazon Echo works exceedingly well wherever I am in my home. I can hear it - and it can hear me - perfectly.

Amazon Echo has completely transformed the way I live in my apartment. There's just so much you can do with Echo. Take a look.