Amazon has announced its latest voice-activated smart home speaker, Echo Show.
Like previous Echo speakers, the device features the company’s Alexa digital assistant. Two major new additions are a 7-inch touchscreen and front-facing camera that allow for video calling.
Amazon is updating existing Echo speakers to support voice calling between devices. Echo owners will also be able to call anyone with the Amazon Alexa app installed on their smartphone.
The addition of a screen makes the Echo Show compatible with a greater variety of IoT devices, including Netgear’s lineup of Arlo smart home cameras. In that instance, users can ask Alexa to provide them a live feed of what the camera is capturing.
The new device will start shipping to U.S. customers on June 28. The speaker is available in black and white and costs $230 USD.
The Show is Amazon’s fourth Echo-branded speaker. The company launched its first one in 2014. Since then, several other large tech companies, including Microsoft and Google, have launched their own voice-enabled speakers.
No word yet on whether Amazon plans to bring the Echo Show, as well as its other Echo-branded speakers to Canada.
[source]Amazon[/source]
