Amazon Echo speakers set to launch in UK and Germany

Amazon has confirmed it is bringing its artificial intelligence-enhanced speakers to the UK and Germany.

The Echo devices are controlled by their owner's voice and can be used to answer questions, control other smart home kit and buy goods from the US retailer.

The tech is still fairly "clunky", according to the BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, but it points the way to how virtual assistants could play a role in our lives beyond the smartphone.

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