It also features a camera to enable FaceTime-like video calls between friends and family. The Echo Show is up for pre-order now, available in white or black models, and is shipping to customers from June 28.
The product’s announcement comes as little surprise after being comprehensively leaked over the last few days.
Building on the existing library of home voice commands offered in previous Echo products, now you can ask Alexa to play music and the Show will display music lyrics on the screen. Or ask Alexa to play a video and the device will start playing YouTube on the display.
The video calling feature is proprietary and enables conversations between other contacts with an Echo or anyone using the Alexa app on iOS or Android. You can also start voice calls with owners of other Echo devices that do not have inbuilt cameras.
The Echo Show includes Dolby-powered speakers for music playback with supposed ‘crisp vocals and dynamic bass response’. The device uses eight beam forming microphones to pick up your voice from any direction. The Echo Show integrates with compatible home security cameras like Ring and Arlo to show the video feed on the integrated screen.
It also integrates with a range of other smart home devices to act as a central hub to control everything in your house, like Philips Hue lights or Ecobee thermostats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=WQqxCeHhmeU&app=desktop
Of course, dedicated Apple users may want to hold off on buying given the rumors around Siri Speaker. With an expected announcement at WWDC, it probably makes sense to see what Apple has in store if you are new to the market. If it is released at Apple’s developer conference on June 5, it will actually be available to customers before the new Echo is.
