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

Posted by msmash on from the things-Amazon-does dept.

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.

3 of 95 comments (clear)

  1. Wrong product name, wrong size by klingens · · Score: 5, Interesting

    We need a TV sized Echo with display so we can call it Telescreen.

    Everyone needs one, at least all party members.

  2. Re:They're after the kids by Bodhammer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Marty DiBergi: (quoting a review) "This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry."

    Nigel Tufnel: That's just nitpicking, innit?
    -Spinal Tap

    --
    "I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
  3. Re:They're after the kids by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Apple's Siri is much better than Amazon Echo for this. It listens and processes audio locally to detect you saying "Hey Siri". Only after that does it start recording. I just verified this by putting my iPhone 6S Plus into airplane mode and saying "Hey Siri". That got me a "Siri not available" popup.

    I'm perfectly fine with my voice being sent to Apple after I've asked them to process my commands, so long as it never goes to them before I've explicitly asked my phone to start listening to me.

    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?