As expected, Amazon has revealed the Echo Show, a squared-off Echo device equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen. The company lost the element of surprise, as the device was unveiled via a series of leaks culminating in clear pictures of it from reputed spoiler Evleaks. That may be a good thing, however -- the device's design has already been widely panned, so reporters might be inclined to report more on the specs for the official launch.
Along with the 7-inch screen, the Echo Show has front camera on top and fairly meaty speaker below. It's equipped with Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, and one show-stopping new feature is the ability to make calls to friends who have the Echo or Alexa app on another device. While you can already do that in a large number of ways, it might be easiest on the Echo Show. It's already going to be sitting there on your counter, and lets you contact folks fairly easily just by yelling at Alexa -- a boon for the non-tech-savvy in your family.
Another new feature lets you connect the Echo Show to cameras from Ring and Arlo, then just ask Alexa to show you a room or area. The images will then pop up directly on the screen, giving users perhaps the friendliest way ever to monitor their security cams.
The Echo Show costs $230 (or £220 or €240 in the UK and Germany, respectively) -- a figure that might be a hard sell, considering that the new Echo Look is nearly $100 less. Pre-orders start today, with shipping by June 28th in the limited countries where the existing Echo is available.
Here is where to pre-order!
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