Amazon introduces Echo Show with a bigger screen

Amazon Introduces the All-New Echo Show—Better Sound. Bigger Screen.

SEATTLE — Today, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced the next generation of Echo Show: the all-new Echo Show has an immersive 10-inch HD display with crisp and bright visuals, a built-in smart home hub, and an upgraded speaker system that delivers powerful bass and stereo sound—and it’s still $229.99.

“Customers tell us they love the convenience of being able to ask Alexa to show them things,” said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “Today, we’re making the voice-first, visual Echo Show experience better in every way by adding even more experiences to delight our customers—a dynamic and vivid display makes watching live TV enjoyable, new speakers for music and music videos, two-way doorbell video calling, simple set-up and control of smart home devices, Skype calling to friends and family, and all-new visual features.”

New Design and Improved Audio

The all-new Echo Show is completely redesigned with a vibrant 10-inch HD display that shows colorful, fresh, and compelling visuals. So, when you ask Alexa to show you the weather, watch a video or pull up your shopping list, the experience is even more delightful. The screen is complemented by dual, side-firing 2” Neodymium drivers, a passive bass radiator, and Dolby processing to deliver expansive sound with deep, powerful lows, and crisp highs, perfect for listening to your favorite music. Just ask to play Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more—plus, with Amazon Music see the on-screen lyrics play along with the music.

New Entertainment Features

New integrations with Hulu and NBC will make live TV viewing and on-demand streaming available on Echo Show. Simply say, “Alexa, watch Good Morning America” to watch the news with your morning coffee, or “Alexa, tune to ESPN on Hulu” to catch up on your favorite sports team. Customers will also have access to music videos through a direct integration with Vevo. Simply say, “Alexa, play DJ Khaled music videos” and begin watching your favorite music videos on the high resolution display. In addition, you can use Echo Show with a Fire TV Recast to easily watch, record, and replay free over-the-air live TV programming available in your area.

The Perfect Sous-Chef for your Kitchen

Cooking with Alexa makes the all-new Echo Show even more useful in the kitchen. Simply ask Alexa for step-by-step cooking instructions from Kitchen Stories, Allrecipes, Epicurious, Food52, TheKitchn and SideChef. Once you have chosen a recipe, say “Alexa, let’s start cooking.” Alexa will then walk you step-by-step through your favorite recipe with visuals and videos; and there is no need to touch the screen with hands wet or dirty from cooking, you can use your voice to cue next steps in the recipe or set timers.

Video Doorbell and Built In Smart Home Hub

The all-new Echo Show will have a two-way talk feature that works with Ring and August doorbell cameras. When the doorbell rings or motion is detected by the security camera, just say “Alexa, answer the front door” to see and talk to whoever is there without having to open the door. Additionally, you can now have Alexa play a chime and make an announcement when someone rings your Ring and August doorbell cameras. You can also use Alexa Routines to play custom announcements when the front door camera detects movement or someone rings the doorbell.

With a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, Echo Show makes it simple to start your smart home. Just say, “Alexa, discover my devices” to automatically discover and setup compatible light bulbs, plugs and switches without the need for additional hubs or apps. Once set-up, ask Alexa to turn on the lights or use the touch-screen to turn devices on and off.

Even More Calling Options

The all-new Echo Show has a built-in, 5 MP camera that supports high-definition video calling and is great for hands-free calls to friends and family who have an Echo Spot, Echo Show, or the Alexa App. Use Drop In on supported Echo devices in the playroom, or check in on the living room to see if the dog is behaving.

Coming soon, customers can connect with even more friends and family around the world through support for Skype voice and video calling. Just say, “Alexa, call Jimmy on Skype” to reach Jimmy wherever he uses Skype.

“Skype calling with Alexa will allow customers to use their Echo devices to communicate hands-free with the hundreds of millions of Skype customers around the world,” said Gaurav Sareen, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft. “This new experience makes it even easier to connect with friends and family and we can’t wait for customers to try it out.”

Simple Shopping

Staying on top of your weekly shopping is easy with Echo Show. Simply ask, “Alexa, reorder coffee” and she will help you order your favorite blend. Need to build a list, just say “Alexa, add bananas to my list.” And, if you’ve got an important order on the way, Alexa will let you know when it’s arriving. Just ask, “Alexa, where’s my stuff.” For customers near a Whole Foods Market, as you think of items throughout the week, just ask Alexa to build your weekly order for pick-up or delivery.

Built-in Web Browser

Echo Show has a built-in web browser that can be opened by saying, “Alexa, open Silk” or “Alexa, open Firefox.” Once open, you can use the on-screen keyboard to type a URL and visit your favorite website. Like other browsers, you can bookmark your favorite websites for easy access.

Skills for the Screen

Tens of thousands of skills are available on the all-new Echo Show. Now, you can jump start travel planning and view destinations with Kayak, check your Capital One balance at a glance, play Who Wants to be a Millionaire, watch a real world sunset with EarthCam, turn any time into story time with Amazon Storytime and much more.

Amazon will also introduce visual Alexa Skill Blueprints for Echo Show, Echo Spot, and other Alexa devices with screens. With the Greeting Card Blueprint, you can create and share personalized greeting cards to celebrate birthdays, friendships, and other special occasions.

Pricing and Availability

Echo Show is still only $229.99. Echo Show will also have an accompanying stand that will allow you to tilt the Echo Show to adjust the viewing and camera angles for only $29.99. Both are available for pre-order starting today and will begin shipping next month.

The all-new Echo Show joins the all-new family of Echo devices announced today.