Amazon Echo Show Reviews: New Touchscreen Improves Home Assistant

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Friday, June 30, 2017

The new Amazon Echo Show bucks the trend of home speakers by adding a touchscreen and camera to the popular home assistant. This change by Amazon has been met with approval from both fans and new users of the new model.

Fans and reviewers agree that Amazon's new design made the digital assistant even better at what it's meant to do, which is to answer questions, issue reminders and show relevant information with minimal interaction from users.

While the new Amazon Echo Show does have a touchscreen, the device remains anchored on the digital assistant Alexa, as described by The Verge. As such, the device displays information in a way that's been said to be restrained, as the new seven-inch touchscreen displays the bare minimum as it sits at the top of the speaker grill.

Amazon designed the Echo Show to use the screen as a way to answer questions, show videos, or the entries for a calendar reminder. Most if not all of the input is done through speaking to Alexa, making it more similar to a device that belongs to a car dashboard rather than a mobile gadget that runs its own Operating System.

That said, a few reviewers note that the new features of the Amazon Echo Show play out similarly to using a traditional tablet like an iPad or a Samsung tablet. The review by the New York Times said as much while making note of the new features made possible by the touchscreen

With the display, new uses for the Amazon Echo are now possible, including placing a video call to a friend or asking Alexa to show a video. The difference is instead of a handheld device, the Echo Show acts like a household appliance instead.

The Amazon Echo Show is now available for sale starting at $229. New features for Alexa, called Skills, are expected to take better advantage of the new screen in the coming weeks.