Source: Amazon
One of the new Echo devices Amazon launched earlier this week turns the Echo Show into a mountable smart display. The Echo Show 15 sports a 15.6-inch 1080p HD touchscreen with a microphone with a mute button, a front-facing camera with a physical shutter, and side-firing speakers.
It comes in this black-framed option, and you can choose to mount it horizontally or vertically or place it on the stand. The mounting accessories will come with the device, while the counter stand will be sold separately. It looks like Amazon wants you to mount this device.
The Echo Show 15 now runs on the AZ2 processor, which brings computer vision processing capabilities. This upgrade means the device can process what the camera is seeing without sending anything to the cloud.
It also has Visual ID, a facial recognition feature that allows Alexa to offer personalized recommendations and display your calendars, to-do lists, and more based on the face captured. This feature is optional and turned off by default. You can choose to enroll your facial profile to use this feature. The profiles won't be sent to any other devices.
Source: Amazon
The Echo Show 15 brings customizable widgets to the interface. You can put things like a smart home widget that shows your frequently used devices, sticky notes, and a calendar. It's like a digital whiteboard for your home. Amazon allows developers to create their widgets, so you can expect to see more in the future.
Similar to the Echo Show 10, the Echo Show 15 gets the Alexa Guard watchdog. You can stream its camera directly to the Alexa app, and its mic will listen for alarms or glass shattering and then randomize smart lights for free.
Additional deterrence features like sounding an alarm or playing the sounds of dogs barking if a break-in is detected will be available for a fee. This feature also connects you to a 24-hour helpline.
Source: Amazon
Amazon is also bringing a new Custom Sounds feature for the Echo and Echo Show. It will roll out next year, and it lets you train Alexa to listen for sounds specific to your home. For example, you can teach Alexa to help someone with a hearing impairment by recognizing the sound of your doorbell and alerting the user via a flashing smart bulb or smartphone notification.
The Amazon Echo Show will be available later this year. Pre-orders are already up, but there's no date for availability yet. In Canada, it retails for $329.99.
Source: CNET