Amazon Amazon's Echo Buds were successful in offering an AirPods alternative to people who prefer Alexa to Siri. Hands-free access to the assistant worked well, the earbuds were affordable at $130 and the company offered a decent amount of customization. However, the first-gen model didn't sound great, battery life was short and Bose-powered Active Noise Reduction (ANR) wasn't as powerful as true active noise cancellation (ANC). Today, Amazon is introducing a redesigned second-gen version of the Echo Buds that are cheaper, smaller and address all the key flaws from the initial release. Gallery: Amazon Echo Buds (2021) | 12 Photos /12 /12 The main feature of the all-new Echo Buds is still hands-free access to Alexa. Just like the first version, you can ask the assistant to play music and podcasts, make calls, find a missing earbud and more — all without having to pick up your phone. In terms of podcasts, Amazon is refining things by allowing you to ask Alexa to play podcasts you follow, not just to recommend a show. The company is also added a time-based command last year that will allow you to prompt the assistant to play music for a set period. For example, if you want to take a short break you would say "Alexa, play (insert type of music here) for 15 minutes." When the audio stops, you know it's time to get back to whatever you were doing.