What You Can Do With the Echo Show
Listen To Music
Watch Videos and View Photos
Make Video Phone Calls
You can use the Echo Show with the Alexa app to make phone calls to others that use Echo products or compatible smartphones. The Echo Show adds the bonus of two-way video calling with other Show owners. You can also use the device as a video intercom using the Drop-In feature.
Control Your Home
Use the Echo Show as your home assistant, since it comes integrated with a smart home hub. At its most basic, it serves as a bedside clock radio. It integrates with third-party control systems (additional purchases may be required), such as Wemo, Samsung Smart Things, Hue Personal Wireless Lighting, Ring, Arlo, Wink, and Ecobee that control lighting, thermostats, security systems, baby monitors, and turn your TV and audio system on and off. Many of these options can be set up with Alexa Skills.
Get Information
Ask Alexa any question you want (about the weather, sports scores, movie times, traffic, spelling, or word definitions), and an answer is spoken and displayed, if available. You can also use the Echo Show to find recipes, shop, order takeout and delivery, make restaurant reservations, buy movie tickets, get an Uber ride, and other tasks by tapping into options provided by the Alexa Skills feature. The second generation (2018) Echo Show is compact and lightweight. It measures 6.9 inches high, 9.7 inches wide, and 4.2 inches deep. It weighs 62 ounces. To provide support for everything it does, here’s the stuff on the inside that makes the magic work:
Onboard control buttons for Volume Up/Down and Mics/Camera On/Off. When you turn the microphones off, the camera turns off. Eight built-in microphones are located on top of the unit surrounding the onboard controls for voice recognition. The microphones are always on (unless manually turned off), even when music is playing, so you can give voice commands while listening to music. Built-in dual 2-inch stereo speakers for music playback, Alexa voice responses, and audio and video calling. For enhanced sound quality, the Echo Show features Dolby Audio processing. The Echo Show can send audio to Bluetooth speakers and headphones, but there is no physical connection provided for wired external powered speakers or headphones. Built-in Dual-band Wi-Fi for internet and network connectivity. However, there’s no wired Ethernet network/internet connection option provided. The 10-inch Echo Show touchscreen has a 1280 x 800-pixel resolution, which supports 720p video, providing easy-to-see detailed, colorful images. To turn the screen off, give a verbal command to Alexa.
For video phone calling and photo-taking, there is a built-in 5 MP photo and video camera. Compatible with an optional Alexa Voice Remote. Use this to communicate with the Echo Show when you don’t want to speak loudly. Hold the remote to your mouth and speak softly without disturbing others. Incorporates an Intel Atom mobile processor for fast voice recognition, content access, and touchscreen display navigation.
Released in 2019, the Echo Show 8 has an 8-inch 1280 x 800-pixel resolution display, a one-megapixel camera, and two 10W per channel speakers with a 3.5 mm audio output connector. The audio quality is on par with the 2018 Echo Show, and there’s a new Drop-In On All feature that starts a group video chat with everyone in your family who owns an Echo device. Another exclusive feature is built-in integration with the Food Network. Watch Food Network TV shows and have Alexa save your favorite recipes. Subscribe to the Food Network Kitchen service to participate in the on-demand cooking classes. This version comes with a 5.5-inch 960 x 480-pixel resolution screen, one 4-watt speaker (there’s also a 3.5 mm audio output connector to connect to an external powered speaker or audio system), and a one-megapixel camera. The Echo Show 5 doesn’t include Zigbee device control compatibility, which the standard Echo Show provides.
The Bottom Line
The device is so popular that it inspired rival products such as the Lenovo Smart Display.
