Future of connection
GIANT TOUCH SCREEN WITH COOLER AMBITIONS THAN THE SMART FRIDGE
Remember the internet fridge? Many tried to make it mainstream, enticed by the idea that a giant connected touchscreen in the kitchen could help busy families run their lives.
While smart fridges have been too quirky to truly take off, Amazon was clearly paying attention.
Its new $359 device, the Echo Show 15, looks like it was ripped from the door of a smart fridge and is designed to help multiple household members stay across what’s happening.
Its giant screen, measuring 15.6 inches, is designed to show off an array of widgets so users can add calendars, shopping lists, shortcuts to smart lights, weather forecasts, maps or even virtual sticky notes to the screen at once.
But having such a large display also opens this device up to do much more, like video calls, home security, and streaming video with greater comfort than you’d get from a laptop.
So, given its size, is this the smart speaker finally capable of ruling them all? The answer is perhaps, if you have the space and the right connections.
Out of box, this Amazon device looks like a picture frame … albeit a picture frame that weighs 2.2kg and is a little chunkier than usual.
The smart design means it won’t stand out on a wall beside art or photos and, to that end, it comes with a metal wall mount, screws and instructions in the box.
Mounting the Echo Show 15 on a wall is perhaps the smartest place for this device as it makes the screen accessible while taking up little room.
Plus, if you want it to stand on a table or desk, you’ll need to install an optional stand available in a package for $409.
Whichever method is best for you, it’s worth noting this display will work capably in portrait or landscape mode (though video, of course, is best shown in the latter).
Setting this Echo device up runs similarly to any other Amazon smart
speaker with one exception: its big screen now supports widgets.
Users can choose from 20 widgets right now, from meal suggestions to to-do lists, a large calendar, weather forecasts, access to other smart devices in the home or sticky notes.
These widgets can take up most of the screen on the device, alongside photos, when at rest and can be accessed as needed by swiping from the bottom of the screen.
For entertainment, users can stream video from multiple sources including Netflix, Prime Video, live TV from Stream Player, and Youtube, or can play songs from radio stations, Apple Music, Spotify or Amazon Music.
And, of course, Alexa can also be commanded to answer your trivia questions, find local businesses, and stream video from Ring security cameras, for example.
The camera on this device can also be used for video calls, to recognise you and deliver personalised content, or to tap into from afar for security purposes. Thankfully, there’s also a physical shutter if you don’t want to use it.
There are some downsides to this device, though. Users can’t resize widgets on the Echo Show’s display yet, nor can they pin them to the screen when something is only taking up half the display.
The speakers inside the frame are also underpowered, making others better suited to music streaming, and you will have to purchase a stand if you want to move it or tilt the screen.
Despite these niggles, the Amazon Echo Show 15 offers something genuinely different, compelling, and something that could act as the smart hub of your home. And you won’t have to upgrade your fridge.