This week, Amazon unveiled the Echo Show – a new member of the Echo family that provides its personal assistant Alexa with another means of invading your home. While the Amazon Echo Show contains all of the standard features that the current range of Echo devices offer, it’s what’s new and different that has people most excited about the device.
The Amazon Echo Show’s biggest new feature is its 7″ built-in screen. It may not sound revolutionary, but it does open up a bunch of improvements to the overall user experience. We’ve provided a full list of all of the new features regarding the screen below so you can easily see what’s different with the Amazon Echo Show.
Amazon Echo Show’s New Features
- The Amazon Echo Show’s screen will be used to provide additional information to answer the user’s query. For example, if you ask Alexa what the weather will be like tomorrow, the screen will provide you with an hourly breakdown of the weather, or a 5-day forecast.
- As you may have guessed, the Amazon Echo Show will be able to play videos from news sources like CNN, as well as content from the likes of YouTube or Amazon Video.
- If you’ve got Amazon Prime, you’ll get even more out of the Amazon Echo Show. You can set images in your Prime Photos account to display on the screen like a digital photo frame. Alternatively, if you want to improve your karaoke while you’re cooking, the Amazon Echo Show will bring up lyrics to music you listen to on Amazon Music.
- Connect Wi-Fi enabled security cameras to your home network and the Amazon Echo Show’s screen can connect to and display these cameras live. It can also control your other smart home gadgets just as the other Echo devices can.
- Voice and video call family and friends who have an Echo or the Alexa app thanks to the 5-megapixel camera and 7″ display.
Of course, to factor in the 7″ screen, the Echo Show has changed form somewhat. Gone is the cylindrical, futuristic shape of the Echo. The Amazon Echo Show comes in at 187 x 187 x 90mm and weighs 1.17kg in a rectangular form factor. The screen takes up most of the face of the device, with the 5-megapixel camera sitting above and dual 2-inch stereo speakers powering the units audio capabilities.
The Echo Show is available to pre-order for $229.99 and will begin shipping in the USA on June 28.
