Amazon Echo UK release date: New speaker to make your house talk to you on sale now ahead of launch

Amazon's robot assistant to control your house has gone on sale in the UK.

The Alexa speaker – as well as the smaller Echo Dot – is now available for pre-orders. It will actually arrive with people who ordered it "this autumn", though it didn't say exactly when in autumn that would be.

It will cost £149.99 in the UK. It will cost the same amount in euros in Germany, where it has also gone on sale – though pre-orders there will be limited only to people selected for the closed tests.

Initially, Prime customers will be able to get £50 or the same in euros knocked off the price, as a "thank you" to those customers.

Amazon will also sell the Echo Dot in the UK, on the same schedule. That smaller version of the Echo – which doesn't include the speaker but has to be plugged into one – will go on sale for £49.99 and the same price in euros.