The oddest Echo device we’ve ever seen, the Amazon Echo Connect is a gadget that lets your existing Amazon Echo make and answer calls from your landline. I mean, if you’re still using a landline, you might as well go all in and kit that dying breed of phone out with an Echo extension that enhances your current Echo speaker.

What is it?

At Amazon’s recent Alexa-themed event, the company announced a brand new Echo device that nobody was ever expecting. The Echo Connect is the first ever auxiliary device dedicated purely to the landline. The Echo Connect turns an existing Echo speaker into a speakerphone, allowing you to make landline phone calls straight from the Echo of your choice using just your voice.

While the Amazon Echo currently allows you to make calls to other Echo devices, you can’t make calls from your landline to other numbers using the Echo. Echo Connect does that, while still using your landline number – if you can even remember it.

How does it work?

The Echo Connect works by plugging the device into your landline’s phone jack, and connecting it to the Echo speaker of your choice. With the use of your existing phone number, the Connect lets you call numbers hands-free and even dial emergency numbers. Good for if there ever comes a time where you’ve injured yourself and you aren’t able to physically get to a phone.

When will it be released?

There’s currently no release date for the Echo Connect in the UK, but the device will be released on 13 December in the US.

How much will it cost?

The Echo Connect will cost $35 in the US, converting to roughly £25 in the UK. Until we get a release date, we’re unlikely to get a price tag either.