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Amazon Echo Show (2018) review: Much-needed refinements
When Amazon unveiled the Echo Show last year, many people made fun of it for its bulky, awkward appearance. But it proved to be a pioneer in the smart display category, showing that adding a screen to a voice assistant was actually useful. So much so, that Google followed a few months later with its own line of Echo Show rivals, thanks to partners like Lenovo and JBL. Google's smart displays were better-looking and had a more intuitive interface, with desirable features like step-by-step recipes and YouTube integration.
Amazon's 2018 Echo Show finally gets it right
When the original Echo Show debuted last year, plenty of people (including us) made fun of its chunky and bulky design. Well, Amazon must've taken those comments to heart, because the new Echo Show is decidedly much better looking. While the older Echo Show might've reminded us of mall kiosks, the newer Show looks a bit more like a smaller, cuter TV.
The best audio gear to give as gifts
Maybe there's an audiophile on your list, or maybe you're shopping for someone who recently acquired a new phone and could use something better than the pack-in headphones. Either way, we have a slew of recommendations in the audio gear section of our holiday gift guide. On our list you'll find smart speakers from Google and Amazon alike, along with Sonos, whose new "One" speaker includes Alexa built in, with Google Assistant support coming soon. When it comes to headphones, our selections run the gamut from the affordable (Jabra's Move headset) to the high end (Bragi's Dash Pro wireless earbuds and these noise cancelling headphones from Sony), with a couple mid-range options in between. Rounding out the list, we have a soundbar, drum machine, synth app, the Amazon Echo Show and one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers. Find all that and many more items in our holiday gift guide, at the link below.
Lenovo made a basic Echo Show out of a tablet dock
Lenovo's collaboration with Amazon to make Alexa-powered devices began with the Smart Assistant speaker in January, but the PC maker is far from done with its smart-home ambitions. Today, the company unveiled the Home Assistant Pack, which is basically a $70 speaker dock that attaches to and props up tablets while boosting the audio capabilities. In short, stick this on the side of your tablet, and you'll give it more volume, better microphones and an Echo Show-like display for Alexa.
Amazon's Echo Show hides some meaty speakers
iFixit, the teardown kings, built their reputation by ripping open everything from gaming consoles to iPhones -- much to the chagrin of Apple. Their latest guide sees them taking apart the Amazon Echo Show. Having spent some time with the new Alexa-powered device, we decided we quite like it. But the child trapped inside our adult body that wants to pry open every new gadget and marvel at its insides is admittedly keen to see what lies beneath its bulky exterior.
Amazon Echo Show review: Seeing is believing
Siri may have ushered in the era of the digital assistant, but Amazon's Echo (with Alexa) really took that concept and put it in our homes. The Echo wasn't an immediate, breakout hit -- but having Alexa around to ask questions, manage smart-home devices, play music and much more has turned out to be a pretty great thing. It's a concept Google and Apple are now chasing (to varying degrees), but Amazon isn't standing still. The $230 Echo Show is the first Echo with a touchscreen, and since it was announced, we've been wondering how much a display will really add to the Alexa experience. It depends on what you want to do with it and where you put the Echo Show in your home. But after a week with Amazon's latest, I'm convinced that yet another touchscreen in your life actually makes the Alexa experience better in a lot of ways -- and that's not to mention the special tricks the Echo Show brings.
Amazon's touchscreen 'Echo Show' may launch today for $230
You really might be able to pre-order Amazon's touchscreen Echo sometime today, May 9th, if the leaked listing AFTVnews got its hands on is the real deal. Based on the screenshot (posted below the fold), the device is officially called the Amazon Echo Show, and it will set you back $230 in the US. The leaked listing didn't show prices in other regions, but it could cost you £220 or €240 if you're in the UK or Germany, respectively. That aligns with the price the Wall Street Journal was expecting and is almost $100 more than the newly launched Echo Look. The listing also says that pre-orders will begin shipping on June 28th, and each customer is limited to four units, likely to prevent resellers from hoarding.
