Amazon
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 everyone can now focus on the specs for the official launch.
The Echo Show is equipped with eight microphones, beam-forming tech and noise cancellation like other Echos, meaning it can hear you from anywhere in the room. It's also got a front camera on top, a fairly meaty Dolby-equipped speaker below and of course, that 7-inch screen.
That gives it a number of new show-stopping features. For one, you can make voice or video calls to friends who have an Echo or Alexa app on another device. While you can already do that in numerous ways, it might be easiest on the Echo Show. You can contact folks just by yelling at Alexa -- a boon for the non-tech-savvy in your family.
The screen lets you do a number of other things that are impossible on a regular Echo. For instance, you can watch YouTube videos, check the weather visually, see music lyrics via Amazon Music, check shopping lists and more. Another new feature lets you connect the Echo Show to cameras from Ring and Arlo, then ask Alexa to show you a room or area. The images will pop up directly on the screen, giving users perhaps the friendliest way ever to monitor their security cams. As before, it can also control thermostats and lights from the likes of WeMo, Philips Hue, Ecobee and others.
The Echo Show costs $230 (there's no official word yet on availability elsewhere). While that's $100 more than the camera-equipped Echo Look, it's almost certainly cheaper than any touchscreen tablets out there that may work with Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana or Apple's Siri. Pre-orders start today, with shipping by June 28th in the limited countries where the existing Echo is available.