Amazon has released the Amazon Echo Show which is a new form factor device (compared to the Echo and Echo Dot) that includes a 7″ diagonal touch screen (of unstated resolution). The device has an additional microphone (8 in total) compared to the Echo and has many of the same features, but can support video and images as well. It can use an Alexa app for video conferencing (it has a 5MP camera) and applications such as image display for use as a photo frame. The Echo Show is based on an Intel Atom x5-Z8350 and it has stereo 2″ speakers ‘powered by Dolby’. The Show can play videos from YouTube and Amazon Prime ‘and others’.
The Show will ship at the end of June, is available in black or white and is available for pre-order at $229 in the US.
Analyst Comment
As I have been reporting here, I’m using Alexa a lot to listen to the radio, set alarms and perform currency and unit conversions. However, the default radio app became very unreliable over the last couple of days, so I have switched to a UK-specific app, supported by the BBC, radioplayer, which seems much more stable. (If you have a couple of minutes, the SNL sketch on Alexa for Seniors has raised a lot of laughs around here! https://youtu.be/YvT_gqs5ETk).
One of the disadvantages of the Echo is that it doesn’t have a stereo output, so it can’t use the nice speakers that I have on my PC and can’t produce stereo. I’m almost tempted to get an Echo Dot (which does have a stereo output) and donate the Echo to the family. Playing around with audio did get me to try enabling Cortana on my PC, but that can’t control the Spotify app, which is a shame, although having some of my audio from the PC, some voice controlled from the Echo and some from the radio is confusing, especially if the phone rings. I always seem to be trying to mute the wrong device!!
There were a lot of devices that were, broadly, like the Echo Show a few years ago, but none of them took off. Alexa is pretty good, but it remains to be seen if the apps beyond voice can get traction. (BR)
