Amazon Just Announced the Touchscreen Echo Nobody Asked For (gizmodo.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Amazon just announced a new grandmaster Echo gadget with the company's voice-assistant technology built in. It's called the Echo Show. It's got a touchscreen. It's got wi-fi and Bluetooth. It costs $230. And it's even creepier than its siblings. At its core, the Echo Show is just a regular Echo with a 7-inch screen. That screen lets you watch YouTube videos and see the weather forecast after you've asked for it. The new gadget also lets you make calls, video calls, and send text messages to other people using Echos or to mobile devices with the Alexa app installed. Thanks to Alexa integration with gadgets from Arlo and Ring, you can also see what your nanny cam sees. But check this out: the Echo Show also has a 5-megapixel, front-facing camera. So now, instead of your Echo just listening to your commands, it can watch you as well. The Echo Show joins the screen-free Echo Look as the second Amazon Echo device to feature a camera. On a sidenote, Amazon said it will bring the voice-calling ability to all other Echo devices.

Comments

We're obviously not the target demographic

[93 Escort Wagon]

I suspect the people who think it's a great idea to have an always-on microphone in their house will not suddenly start objecting just because a camera is added to the device.

Re:We're obviously not the target demographic

[ckatko]

You're basically the only non-retard in this comment section that I can find.

"Omgawd guys, this product will totally fail for the following reasons... that equally apply to the original product... which is successful and makes more money in a year than I will accrue in my entire lifetime. I'm so smart."

Re:We're obviously not the target demographic

[Anonymous Coward]

Until the next incarnation, the Echo Chamber, where it subtly and steadily manipulates its responses such to reinforce what you already think.

They're after the kids

[swb]

My 12 year old son thinks talking computers are the bomb. He always asks if we can get an Echo or a Google Home whenever he sees the commercials. If he gets ahold of an iPhone, he will go to town asking Siri questions. It's his default method of looking things up.

(No, he doesn't have his own phone, and no I don't encourage and actively discourage it so much my wife thinks I'm an asshole about it).

I always explain that these things are always listening and it's like having a stranger in our house listening to everything we say. Totally not OK.

But I think their real goal isn't adults who were raised reading 1984 in school. It's kids, who think that talking to corporate electronic systems is normal and have no sense of electronic privacy.

Isn't this a Dash/Chumby with a touch screen?

[rjejr]

Sony Dash failed. Funnily enough it terminates in July 2017. Chumby never took off. Amazon sells a $49 tablet but they think a $230 device is a good idea? Vidcam was a smart idea about 20 years ago, not sure it's needed now. I'm not entirely opposed to the device, but even $199 would seem alot, you could just get a $200 Chormebook. Maybe this is just an early adopter tax and it will be $149 this holiday? I can imagine this selling over the holiday for $149 for gifts even if people didn't know why they were buying it besides "just b/c it's new tech at $149." But I don't see it taking off. OTOH, maybe it sells better than normal Echo so they ditch that and this becomes ubiquitous? Well once it hits $149 anyway.

Re:Seriously? Choose a better news source

[0100010001010011]

It just fits with Slashdot's history of technology predictions.

iPod: The MP3 player nobody asked for.

iPhone: The phone nobody asked for.

Amazon AWS: The server service nobody asked for.

Amazon Echo: The device nobody asked for.

Tesla: The electric car nobody asked for.