Amazon announced a raft of new hardware devices this week, from new Echo speakers and fun arcade buttons that plug into them, to a dangling-dongle version of the Fire TV. The one unifying thread all these devices have? Alexa. As Amazon’s voice assistant proliferates into more products, Amazon’s smart home empire grows. But can Alexa find its feet outside the home? David tells us what he saw when he visited the company in Seattle this week. Before that however, we’ve got 280 bones to pick with Twitter.

Some notes: Meet the newest Echo speakers. Get a load of the funny-lookin’ Fire TV. Learn some Echo tips and tricks. Arielle charts the history of the ever-expanding tweet. That thumping sound you hear throughout the show is David furiously banging on the table. Recommendations this week: Evan Osnos on North Korea in The New Yorker, the More Perfect podcast, and get yourself a damn hard drive. Send the hosts feedback on their personal Twitter feeds. Arielle Pardes is @pardesoteric, David Pierce is @pierce, and Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab.

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