Amazon has launched the Echo Show which to is probably best described as Alexa powered Echo’s touch screen bigger brother.
The Echo Show comes with a front facing 7″ touchscreen display with integrated 5MP camera and Dual 2-inch stereo speakers directly placed under the touchscreen display. It has Amazon’s proprietary AI/personal assistant Alexa built-in powering the features included in the device. This means with Alexa on board, the Echo Show, you can ask her to show you the front door or monitor the baby’s room with compatible cameras from Ring and Arlo. You can also turn on lights, control thermostats and more with WeMo, Philips Hue, ecobee, and other compatible smart home devices.
To enable Alexa to hear you, the Echo Show comes with eight microphones along with beam-forming technology and noise cancellation. Amazon are even claiming that Echo Show will be able to hear you from any direction — even while music is playing. Again depending on where the device is placed would be the key to this.
Like the original Echo devices, you will be able to control the Echo Show through the Alexa App which is free to download from Google Play Store
For connectivity – i.e WiFi, Echo Show comes with Dual-band WiFi supporting 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks. Sadly though, if you have ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks, Echo Show cannot support these types of networks so you may need to look elsewhere for network support connectivity.
Under the Echo Show hood is an Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor which is based on Intel’s latest 14nm manufacturing process, this tightly integrated SoC is built for IoT use cases making it a perfect match for the Echo Show.
Echo Show is available for pre-order in the certain countries for about US$299.99 (AUD$407.21 approx.) and with Amazon in the beginning stages of setting up a base here in Australia, it will most likely become available here when they do launch. We’re keeping an eye on what devices Amazon is launching these days, as a full blown Australian launch of Alexa and these Echo products can’t hopefully be too far away.
eight microphones
Is it really? Normal Echoes are seven, six around the outside and one in the middle. How are these arranged?
Also it looks like audio calls comes to all echoes with the update to the new apk, and video if you have the required screen/camera. Could be useful for hands free adhoc calls and messaging between family members. Kinda like the voice version of IM.
Oh, and the price looks to be $229, not $299 – still too expensive for an ugly lump like this.
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With eight microphones, beam-forming technology, and noise cancellation, Echo Show hears you from any direction—even while music is playing
Yeah, I’ve read it, but you’re kind of missing the point. The original echos have the seven mics as defined, basically doing angular processing to from virtual beams to detect the direction of the wake word detection (which are then echoed on the light ring) and reject sound from other directions. Google Home has two microphones, using them in a similar angular way to form directional beams (but with less accuracy/sensitivity, natch). Now this Echo Show turns up with 8 mics, but it looks like they are arranged in a line. Obviously you can still do angular processing, and I… Read more »
You said ‘is it really?’ The answer is yes, it does have 8 microphones. How am I missing the point?
How it actually utilises that, in terms of beam forming will be found when they turn up in the while. My Echo Dot is pretty decent at picking up voice from a room or two away, it’s better than Google Home in that respect.