Amazon Could Launch Echo In UK On September 14

Amazon is reportedly gearing up to launch Echo in the U.K., with media reports pointing to Sept. 14 as the launch date.

According to a report, on Friday (Sept. 2), Amazon sent out invites to the media, alerting them to an event taking place in London on Sept. 14. While Amazon isn’t saying what it’s is for, the immediate speculation is that it will launch Echo in the U.K., something many people have been anxiously awaiting. According to the report, it would make sense, since Echo first launched in the U.S. in the beginning of last year, so it’s about time for the Echo to come to the U.K. Still, the report noted lots of Amazon events have been held between the launch of Echo in the U.S. and now, with the rumor mill always pointing to a U.K. launch of Echo, which hasn’t happened.

While Amazon is being tight-lipped about what’s going on at the event, Alexa, Echo’s voice assistant, drops hints when you ask her directly. According to a video posted by an Engadget editor, ask Alexa what’s going to happen on Sept. 14, and she replies, “I promised I wouldn’t tell, but a visit to London has always been on my bucket list.”

The invitation to the media event comes a few weeks after a blogger discovered that Microsoft’s Bing browser was catching a URL on Amazon’s U.K. website for preorders of Echo. There was a release date of Sept. 16.

The potential rollout of Echo in the U.K. comes at a time when Alexa is making a lot of inroads. According to an earlier report, the company is in talks with Lenovo, the world’s largest PC maker, to bring Alexa to PCs. The talks between the two are focused on potentially bringing Alexa to Lenovo PCs and other devices.