The Echo Show is Amazon’s fifth Alexa-enabled device, but the first with a touch screen and a camera, which imbues it with features not available on Amazon’s other hardware. From making video calls and checking your security cam feed, to singing along with lyrics and enhancing your shopping, here are some of the coolest things you can do with the Echo Show.
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Scan things and order them
You can use the Echo Show’s camera for more than video chats. Say, “Alexa, scan,” and hold up a bar code to the camera, and Alexa will recognize it and give you the option to order it through Amazon.
You can use the Echo Show’s 5-megapixel camera to make video calls to other Echo Show owners, or to anyone with the Alexa app on their smartphone. However, the person you want to call has to be in your contacts list. You can even “drop in” on other Echo Show owners, but some may find that creepy.
Credit: Tom’s Guide
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Watch videos hands-free
You can get your Echo Show to start playing movies, trailers and videos merely by asking Alexa. For example, you can say, “Alexa, play the Justice League trailer.” To narrow your query, Alexa will present several options on-screen, which you can then select by voice, or by tapping the display. At the moment, this skill is limited to YouTube and Amazon Video.
Credit: Tom’s Guide
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See your security camera feed
Alexa can be used to command a wide variety of smart-home devices, but the Echo Show’s display enables a new feature: watching a feed from your smart security camera. Despite its recent launch, the Show can show video from the Ring Doorbell, Netgear Arlo Pro, Nest Cam, Logitech Circle 2 and the August Home Doorbell Cam, among others.
Credit: Tom’s Guide
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Sing along with song lyrics
The Echo Show can be your personal karaoke machine. Ask Alexa to start playing a song, and as the tune cranks out of the Show’s stereo speakers, the lyrics will be displayed on its screen. However, this feature only appears to work with music from Amazon’s music services.
Credit: Amazon
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Use it as a digital photo frame
By default, the Echo Show displays random background photos. In the settings menu, though, you can change the background photos to ones you’ve uploaded to Prime Photos, or through the Alexa app on your smartphone.
Allrecipes has updated its cooking skill, so that it presents both an ingredients list and written directions on the Show’s screen, and reads them aloud, when you ask for a recipe. It’s also accompanied by ratings, so you know in advance if people like the concoction.
Michael A. Prospero is the reviews editor at Laptop Mag and Tom’s Guide. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest kitchen gadget.
