70 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2019REVIEWS
Amazon Echo Frames:
Hands-on first impressions
Alexa is moving out of the house to become a mobile digital assistant. BY MICHAEL BROWNN
o company has managed to
make smart glasses that the
average person would want to
buy. Amazon’s Echo Frames
could change that by making its Alexa
digital assistant accessible from anywhere
your smartphone has internet access. I
checked them out at Amazon’s recent
Devices event in Seattle and came away
impressed.
The $180 Echo Frames (go.pcworld.com/
ecfr) are one of two devices that Amazon
announced as “Day 1 Editions.” If you want to
buy a pair (or the Echo Loop smart ring, which
I didn’t get a chance to play with), you’ll needto request an invitation. Like the Echo Buds
(go.pcworld.com/ecbd) that were also
announced yesterday, Frames depend on
your smartphone to reach the internet. The
factor that all three of these new mobile
devices have in common is that they eliminate
the need for you to pull your smartphone out
of your pocket or purse to summon Alexa.
That handily blunts one of the key advantages
that Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri have
had over Alexa.
The Frames look like ordinary—if not
especially fashionable—eyeglasses with very
slightly thicker, spring-loaded arms. The
springs relieve stress on the Frames when youIMAGE: MICHAEL BROWN