Amazon Alexa: Everything you need to know about the heart of the Echo
(Android Central)

You wouldn`t have the Amazon Echo (or Echo Dot, or Echo Show, or whatever) without Amazon Alexa. Here`s what you need to know about the two. Amazon Echo. Or Alexa. They`re one and the same, really. That is, an Amazon Echo without Alexa really isn`t any more than just a speaker. And Alexa without a speaker is just ... Well, nothing. Confused yet. I don`t blame you. Let`s explain the difference this way: Echo is hardware, Alexa is software Amazon Echo — and all of its permutations — is hardware. Alexa is software. She (and I have zero problem if you refer to Alexa as a she) is the brains behind the Echo, and all the things you can do with it. And because she`s software, she`s available on more than just Amazon`s own devices. Anyone can put Alexa on anything. You can make your own Alexa speaker for just a few bucks and a little bit of nerdy know-how. There are third-party Alexa speakers that look like Amazon`s own Echo Dot. There are third-party Alexa speake...