A month after the release of an SDK for its Echo voice-assistant speaker, Amazon has confirmed a partnership with SmartThings, a Samsung subsidiary, to pair the Echo with the SmartThings smart home control hub – the new version of which is due to be shortly released. For Amazon, this adds an established smart home platform to a product that has always screamed smart home controller. Voice is going to be absolutely key to living in a convincing smart home, and on that note, a system to enable voice control in every room is pretty necessary. This is where Amazon’s hardware comes in, as the Echo contains an array of directional microphones that appear to do a very good job at…