Amazon’s ancient Echo obelisk has had its time. With Google’s Home assistant fresh off the shelves in the UK - and showing us how it’s really done - Echo is old news, and we’ve been left craving more. After all, the odd joke and such can be fun for all but two seconds, but where can Echo really go from here?
This is Amazon’s Echo Show - a natural evolution it says, for Alexa: the firm’s original AI assistant. You may have spotted that headline feature already: Alexa now has a touchscreen plonked on the front.
It might look like an old CRT monitor - and I’m not exactly sold by Echo’s new look - but Amazon’s Echo Show is much more than a facelift. Alexa will lob song lyrics on screen, for spur of the moment sing-a-longs, or she’ll do you a nice little infographic for tomorrow’s weather. Heck, she’ll even keep tabs on your baby, too.
Should your friends and family also have one, you can also use Echo Show for video calls thanks to the camera embedded above the screen. There’s also a stalker-ish ‘drop in’ function, that seemingly lets you observe the goings on of people in your friends’ list. It’s still early days though, and there’s not a lot of clarification of what these features actually entail.
As for pricing, Echo Show will launch in the US on 28 June for $230 - the same price as Google’s Home. Oh, and it’ll also come in white or black, just like its predecessor. Really eager to get one? Pre-orders are already live.
There’s no word yet on any official UK pricing or a firm release date, but given Echo took well over nine months to cross the Atlantic - we may be waiting some time. Granted, localisation shouldn’t be an issue anymore, so let’s be hopeful - perhaps Echo Show will show up in UK shops much sooner than anticipated.
Amazon Echo Show review: Early verdict
Amazon’s Echo show is a second stab at the Alexa formula. Echo may not have had long to make a lasting impression (in the UK at least), but it looks like Amazon is ditching that big black obelisk of old, in favour of an entirely different look. And what an interesting look it is.
Echo Show was inevitable. With Google’s impending Home dominance, it came as no surprise that the firm went back to the drawing board, in a mad rush to unsettle Google’s crown.
And for the most part, it looks like Amazon has all the hallmarks of success. The shopping giant is offering something that Google currently doesn’t, in the form of proper visual interaction. There won’t be as much reliance on robotic voices it seems, sticking solely to that big touchscreen on the front. I was disappointed with Echo, so here’s hoping lightning doesn’t strike twice.
Keep an eye out for my full Amazon Echo Show review, soon.
