Amazon on Tuesday launched a new version of its popular Echo smart speaker with a display screen and better advertised sound quality. The Echo Show, as it’s called, will begin shipping on June 28 for $230.
The Echo Show’s screen allows users to watch YouTube videos, display photos, make video calls and more, according to Amazon’s page for the device. The Show is about $80 more expensive than the standard Echo, which doesn’t have a screen.
The idea for a smart digital display isn’t new: The Chumby attempted to perform similar functions nearly a decade ago, but ultimately the technology wasn’t quite there yet.
Amazon’s Echo speakers, powered by the company’s Alexa artificial intelligence software, have shown that they are capable enough to handle a wide variety of tasks, from simple queriers about the news and weather to ordering pizzas and hailing Ubers thanks to third-party apps.
Amazon also recently unveiled the Echo Look, a camera-equipped device meant to help users make daily outfit choices.
- What We Know So Far About the Deadly Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
- Beyoncé's Album of the Year Snub Fits Into the Grammys' Long History of Overlooking Black Women
- How the U.S. Shot Down the Alleged Chinese Spy Balloon
- Effective Altruism Has a Toxic Culture of Sexual Harassment and Abuse, Women Say
- Inside Bolsonaro's Surreal New Life as a Florida Man—and MAGA Darling
- 'Return to Office' Plans Spell Trouble for Working Moms
- 8 Ways to Read More Books—and Why You Should
- Why Aren't Movies Sexy Anymore?
- How Logan Paul's Crypto Empire Fell Apart