So, I'm playing with settings and stuff on all the Echos and dots and Stuff today and I ran across a setting listed item no one has talked about. The "PLUS" feature of the Echo Plus, seems to already be installed on my wife's Amazon Fire Tablet HD10 we bought a couple of weeks ago. There is a listing under Settings (scroll to the very bottom if you have one (doesn't show up on web page but is also in the iPhone app). click on "about" and look at the list, mine says "Host Name" followed by "Client Version", followed by "Bridge Version".
This is probably the Software bridge that will be installed in the new Echo Plus, since the physical ability to be a Bridge is probably already in these particular items.Of course I have to say I just got the iPhone 8 Friday night, so it's a "Latest" model thing too.
So my suggestion is to see if anyone else has the latest hardware like these, and does not have a bridge or hub, can they operate things that require a hub? I don't want to disconnect and do away with my bridges and hubs unless someone can tell me this works out... LOL... Ok I'm a bum and don't want to become the guinea pig for this test... Help me out folks.