What's it's like to use Amazon's new Echo Frames and earbuds

SEATTLE – People are always going to get excited about smart glasses, even if they don't end up buying them. And the line Wednesday to check out the new Echo Frames from Amazon was massive. But there's a twist – no video in these specs. 

Unlike Google Glass and Snapchat's Spectacles, these smart glasses from Amazon are audio-only, which actually makes them more interesting. 

We tested them here at a press event staged by Amazon and found them less gimmicky than other brands we've tried in the past. This biggest plus was actually the absence of video, which had always gotten in the way, with faint images that were just plainly in the way.

Audio only means "Alexa, play music for me," "Alexa, how do I get to the Space Needle?" Alexa, what's the weather?" "Alexa, where's the nearest gas station?" and getting to hear the answers through a tinny speaker in the glass frames. 

So far, so good. But the answers were faint, in an Amazon showroom at company headquarters. I cranked it up all the way, and it wasn't much better. I could only imagine how much worse it would be out on a busy, noisy street.  

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Which brings us to the star of Amazon's 80-product launch event: Echo Buds. 

Amazon's answer to Apple's AirPods is less expensive ($120 versus $159) and a godsend for those who don't live in Apple's world but do want to interact with a personal assistant. (Google's Android has an 85% market share globally, according to market tracker IDC.)

You ask Alexa those same questions I posed via the Frames, and you can get the responses loud and clear. 

Better yet, unlike AirPods, they don't fall out of the ear easily, or at least they didn't for me when I shook my head violently back and forth in trying to force them to fall. 

The buds have noise-reducing technology from industry leader Bose built-in as well, and they're not exclusive to Alexa. They also work with Apple's Siri and the Google Assistant, a nice show of interplay among giants. 

I particularly liked asking for street directions with the Buds and getting two replies. First, Alexa sent the visual of the directions from Google Maps to the phone via way of the Alexa app. And the buds spoke them to my ears as well. 

Amazon notes that the Buds can also make calls and stream music and has battery life of five hours for music playback per charge. 

The Echo Buds will be available on Oct. 30, sooner than the $179 Echo Frames, which are sold via invitation only. At last year's Amazon event, the company announced Echo Auto, a $49 accessory to bring Alexa to the car, also under the "invite" approach.

It took a full 12 months for Echo Auto to leave "invite"-only status. The company just put it on sale to the public this week. 

In an interview on Wednesday, Dave Limp, Amazon's senior vice-president of devices, said he hopes the Frames will be out to the public sooner, within a few months. 

Beyond the Buds and Frames, Amazon also showed off a high-end version of the Echo speaker with quality sound rivaling that of speakers heard in stereo showrooms, a physical ring with an Alexa button on it, a new Dot with a built-in clock, and a tiny Echo speaker that works in conjunction with a nightlight. 

Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.