NEW DELHI: Amazon has launched Echo Spot in India at 10,499. The company launched the smart speaker in the US last September along with two other additions in its Echo range. Although the original price tag of the device is Rs 12,999, the discounted Rs 10,499 cost comes as part of a limited period offer.

Available on Amazon India website, the Echo Spot can be purchased directly without any invitations like it was the case with Amazon Echo, Echo Plus and Echo Dot range of speakers initially. The company is also giving OneAssist protection plan for two years if customer pays Rs 799 extra. In addition to this, the Echo Spot adjustable stand is also available at Rs 1,999.

The Spot is one of the first speakers to feature a display. It has a 2.5 inch screen to show video content, time and even make video calls using the front facing camera. Besides this the Echo Spot can be connected with external speakers via bluetooth.

There are some dedicated buttons to control the volume and if you want to turn off/on the mic and the camera. There are four microphones onboard as well.

The device supports streaming services and more including food ordering from Zomato or requesting a ride from Ola. Amazon Prime members get access to Amazon Prime music Prime video and voice shopping. You can get your hands on this device in Black and White colour variants.

Amazon has quietly given Amazon Music a full-scale launch in India, its subscription-based music streaming service that’s part of Amazon Prime membership. You can now access it via music.amazon.in, or download the Amazon Music app on Android or iOS. Previously, Amazon Music was restricted to the Amazon Echo smart speaker line-up.

At first start, Amazon Music will ask you to select your music preferences by language: Hindi, English, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Rajasthani. It’ll use that information to curate what it shows you at launch. If you’ve already been using Amazon Music on your Echo device, you’ll see your playlists and albums in the recently played section.

Since Amazon Music is part of Amazon Prime, it costs Rs. 999 for the full year. That’s Rs. 83.25 per month, which makes it more affordable than the big two: Apple Music at Rs. 120 per month, and Google Play Music at Rs. 99 per month. It’s different for students: Apple Music is the cheapest at Rs. 60 per month.

Of course a music streaming service is more than just the price. Both Apple and Google claim around 40-45 million songs in their catalogue, while Amazon India doesn’t advertise a figure. Internationally, Amazon has about 2 million songs with Prime Music (part of Amazon Prime), and 40 million songs with Music Unlimited (a standalone service worth $8 per month with Prime, $10 without).

For what it’s worth, we were able to find recently released albums, such as Black Panther The Album: Music From and Inspired By, Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest, and All at Once by Screaming Females. On the Bollywood side, new albums such as Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and the new single Sanu Ek Pal Chain from Raid are available, though we couldn’t find the soundtrack for Hichki, which is available on Apple Music.