Glossy Shops loves Echo Show! (Short version for those on-the-go. Read below for detailed review): I love the new Echo Show because of its touch screen. Conseus with Glossy Shops editors is that it’s the best Echo because the screen brings it alive in a 3-dimensional way. We love a visual aspect to any tech gadget and Amazon delivers with Echo Show’s screen. This is the Echo’s next evolution as it lets users make video calls. Immediately when I learned this new Echo had a touch screen, I was GAME!
Pros:
– Price recently dropped.
– Purchase the bundle of two- This is great for sending one to another relative or friend.
– Amazing touch screen device. First touch screen in Echo’s lineup.
– Easy learning curve and simple to connect to the internet.
Cons:
– Not everyone likes Echo in their home or within earshot.
– Speaker quality sound is just OK. Not super outstanding, but also not bad.
– Alexa can be temperamental at times. People have reported outages.
This is my favorite in the Echo lineup. Touch screen and video chat really bring Echo Show to a new level. You may browse and order from Amazon.
Read our full review here:
What is Amazon’s Echo? In short, it’s a voice-activated speaker that works with many smart home devices to basically make your life easier. Alexa is the backbone of Echo. It’s Alexa that recognizes your voice and sets out to complete your tasks. Think of Alexa as a butler or assistant patiently waiting for your next task. Tired after an overly exhausting day at work and don’t feel like meal prep? Ask Alexa to order your favorite carryout. Planning your outfits for the next few days and unsure of the weather? Alexa will let you know an up-to-date weather report.
Echo. It is the word on the tip of many tongues and a product that weaves its way into conversation. Many have heard about Echo, but they don’t know exactly what it does. There is no denying we live in a tech world. Simply take a walk and you will see nearly every head starting down at a smartphone screen. I love my iPhone and laptop, but I also enjoy not being tied to them. I don’t want to be one of these glassy-eyed people I constantly see with their head bent and listlessly swiping a screen. There is a freedom in not being too attached to social media, email, and texts. I’d even wager some are addicted to their smartphones. It’s smart to utilize technology in the best way possible, but without it overpowering and dominating our lives. It’s important to find a happy medium where we benefit from knowledge that’s only a click or swipe away to appreciating the real world outside of a screen. And while it sounds great in theory, it’s a concept that’s often tough to execute. Technology is here to enhance our life, not take it over.
When Amazon unveiled Echo in 2015, it immediately set out to disrupt the tech industry, or at the very least, carve a niche for itself. When a retail behemoth such as Amazon introduces a new product, especially if it’s related to tech, consumers listen. So do pundits. Essentially, Amazon Echo is a wireless speaker. Echo is controlled by Alexa which is voice activated. Alexa is the speech-recognition technology built into Amazon’s Echo products. You speak into Echo and Alexa makes things happen. Using nothing but the sound of your voice, you can listen to music, search the Web, create to-do lists, shop online, get weather reports, and even control smart home products—all while your phone stays in your pocket. Need your kitchen lights turned on? Alexa can do that providing you have smart home devices. Alexa’s main objective is to tackle tasks and get things done such as play music and order carryout.
A new product is only worth its hype if it’s immediately appealing in an aesthetic way, helps solve daily problems or has useful features such as staying in touch with family members who live on the other side of the globe. Amazon’s Echo brought many of these features to the table and even some we didn’t realize we needed. Compared to new Apple products….Echo didn’t arrive with such dramatic fanfare.
There are several Echo devices from which to choose since its 2015 debut. Glossy Shops favorite in Amazon’s 2108 lineup is Echo Show. The main reason is simple; it has a screen and lets users make audio and visual calls. So far, it’s the only Echo with a touch screen. I personally love any sort of tech gadget with a screen. I regularly connect with elderly relatives via FaceTime and I knew instantly Echo Show was for me. Echo Show is everything we love about Alexa but with several added bonuses: play your favorite music with lyrics shown on the screen, eight microphones with noise cancellation, view security cameras- monitor the baby’s room, and as previously mentioned, make hands free video calls. The screen on Echo Show takes Alexa to another (better) level. This review is based on why I prefer Echo Show.
Alexa
With Echo Show’s new 7 inch touch screen, the visual capabilities bring Alexa even more to life. Amazon already had a home run with other Echos because of its voice recognition via Alexa. Alexa is the heart and soul of every Echo device. Alexa is a voice service to play music, provide news, local weather, send and receive messages, and so much more. If your home is connected to smart home devices, Alexa will turn on your lights or lower the thermostat before settling into a cozy nights sleep.
Video Calls
I’m an Apple fan. A Mac was the first computer I learned to use and I’ve continued using the brand most of my life. With its front facing camera, Echo Show enables you to easily call friends and family similar to Face Time. However, not all of my friends and family own a smartphone or iPad. Echo is not tied to an operating system per se. Out of the box anyone can use it providing they have an Internet connection and an Amazon account. My main use of Echo Show is to keep in touch with a dear relative that lives thousands of miles away. My great aunt Doria does not own a smartphone or a laptop, but she does have a wi-fi connection set up by her grandson. It’s pricey, but you can purchase two Echo Shows and send one to a family member. And that’s exactly what I did. Amazon’s Echo Show provides an amazing platform to connect with family when you can’t be with them in person. Wish Grandpa was with you to open gifts with the family on Christmas morning? Set up Echo Show in the family room and he can enjoy the festivities from afar. Of course nothing replaces having your great aunt be with you in the flesh, but let’s be realistic, that’s not always possible. Echo Show is an invaluable tool in my life as it enables me to keep in touch with my great aunt. Echo Show is technology with a purpose and it’s so much better talking to her compared to the telephone. My great aunt now feels like she is connected to her family in a three dimensional way. With a screen and dual 2.0” speakers it feels as if we are in the same room. She even likes to video chat when I’m cooking. I love seeing her sweet face on screen.
Amazon Videos and Movies
Along with video chat, you can also stream movies, shows, and videos with Echo Show. One of my favorite perks of Amazon Prime is their video streaming service. (I find choosing a series or movie somewhat disorganized on the site, but once I’m firmly set into a certain genre, Amazon makes excellent suggestions and I usually add most of them to my watchlist.) Some shows, series, and movies are free while others require a small fee. I’ve never scoffed at the rental or download fee. Frankly, it’s wonderful I can stream Amazon video from the comfort of my favorite chair or on the patio during summer months. Bliss. (Sometimes I wonder who actually goes to the theater anymore. It’s much more enjoyable at home. Cleaner, too.) With Echo Show’s 7 inch screen, it’s the perfect size for catching up on my favorite British series when I’m not near my TV. My taste in movies and series skew towards British adaptations. I can’t get enough Downton Abbey and I’ve watched each season more times than normal. I still find myself visiting Anna and Carson on the Echo Show. (Basically, they’ve carved a spot into my life.) After Downton ended I binged on everything British set in a certain time period. Even though Show’s screen is smaller than a television, it doesn’t really bother me. Especially since I can watch tv shows or call friends and relatives when I’m cooking or doing small tasks around the house. I also don’t have a television in my kitchen. The large rubber foot on the bottom keeps it from sliding around and that’s important since mine is usually sitting on a kitchen counter. Since the Echo Show has more depth than an iPad, it doesn’t feel as precious or if it falls over, the screen will shatter. When I’m cooking and baking, the kitchen counters are far from pristine.
Photo Booth on Echo Show
Oh, and for those who can’t put their smartphone camera’s down, Alexa even takes a selfie. You can use the camera on Echo Show to take different kinds of pictures using the photo booth. Photo booth offers three different camera modes:
Single Shot – Take a single photo
Four Shot – Take four sequential photos that are stitched into one photo
Sticker Mode – Choose from a variety of stickers for decoration on a single photo. Flower crowns and bunny faces, anyone? Sticker mode is for you.
Photos taken with Echo Show upload automatically to your Prime Photos account.On the screen, you can watch a slideshow of pictures from your photo storage. Also, Amazon Prime Photos offers features to make it easy to search and organize your personal photos and a collection of photos with Family Vault.
One evening this August I was in the kitchen preparing dinner for my new puppy. Alexa started ringing on the counter with a video call. You know how there are certain days after work when you don’t want to be bothered with calls, texts, or basically anything? That’s how I felt. I was exhausted and didn’t want any type of human interaction. But who I saw on the screen melted the stress away. It was one of the sweetest people in the world wanting to catch up. There in her housecoat was great-aunt Doria. It still blows my mind that I can video chat with someone in her 90’s. It’s also a testament to Echo that the Show is incredibly easy for someone with zero tech skills to learn and use. (Remember, she’s never used a laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc. Nada.) Granted, it does take an open mind to be that age and willing to learn to use a new product when you have never kept up with technology. The truth is, not every 90-something will be willing to learn and accept something new like Echo Show. I’m lucky aunt Doria had no reservations. There is no one else in the world I’d rather have weekly video chats with than my beloved great-aunt. She won’t be here forever. Unfortunately humans aren’t wired to live 200 years. I’m grateful. Very, very grateful for Echo Show. It’s definitely the best Echo on the market.
At first I wasn’t sure I’d immediately be bowled over when Amazon rolled out Echo Show. Echo Show is a subtle product you aren’t sure you need, and then later, you realize you can’t live without it. There is an ease about Echo Show compared to other products in its category. Echo Show also has a low learning curve; meaning you don’t have to be a computer genius to unlock all of its uses. At the end of the day, the reality is, that the power is in the hands of its users. I love this cool device just chilling in my kitchen. You need Amazon Echo Show in your life. It’s a game changer in the Echo lineup. I’m adamant about not being tethered to technology. I never want to be one of those people walking and looking down at my phone. Amazon Show enhances everyday life without infiltrating and taking over your attention and time.
Go for Echo Show today via this Amazon link. You will love it!
by sally
