Over this past Christmas season, consumers purchased so many Echo speakers from Amazon that the online retailer ran out by December 20. Of course, the Echo is more than just an ordinary sound system: the hands-free device is powered by Alexa, Amazon’s artificial intelligence software. All a user has to do is say “Alexa” and they’ve got their speaker’s attention. Once the device hears this “wake word,” it can be commanded to play music or even order groceries from Amazon. Continue reading