Amazon today announced the Echo Show 5, the latest Echo device with a 5.5-inch display, more compact design, and privacy-focused voice controls for Alexa. Echo Show 5 is priced at $89.99 and is set to launch on June 26, 2019.
Amazon’s Echo Show devices have speakers and a touchscreen, aimed at letting customers watch the news via apps like NBC and Reuters, look at the weather, or make video calls. Echo Show 5 continues this idea, and Amazon even pointed out that you can use the device to listen to music via Apple Music, thanks to recent integration.
Like other Echo devices, Echo Show 5 can also act as a smart home hub so that you can say things like “Alexa, turn on the lights,” or use on-screen display controls to adjust brightness levels. Smart camera feeds can be viewed on the display, as well as thermostat levels and more. Echo Show 5 also supports two-way talk functionality with Ring doorbell cameras.
If you use the Echo Show 5 as an alarm clock, the device’s display will naturally brighten and show a sunrise animation before the alarm goes off. At that time, you can set a routine that displays the weather forecast for the day, the morning news, and more on the Echo Show 5 screen.
“Since we launched the first Echo Show device, customers have told us they love asking Alexa to show them things—whether it’s a recipe for banana bread, their shopping list, or music lyrics. With Echo Show 5, we’ve made it even easier and affordable for customers to add a smart display to every room of their house,” said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa.
“The compact form factor is perfect for a bedside table or desk, plus it has a camera shutter for added peace of mind, and new Alexa privacy features for even more control.”
When not in use, you can set personal photos to act as a home screen on the Echo Show 5, or connect to Facebook to play a slideshow of photos as a screensaver. Echo Show 5 can connect to family members who own an Echo Spot or Echo Show, have the Alexa mobile app, or use Skype. Within the same house, if you own multiple Alexa devices you can also use the drop-in feature to quickly speak to other Alexa speakers.
In terms of privacy, Amazon touched on a variety of security options in its announcement today. First, the company pointed out that Echo Show 5 includes a microphone/camera off button that electronically disconnects both the microphone and camera, along with a visual indicator that shows when audio or video is streaming to the cloud. The device also has a camera shutter so you can easily cover the camera.
Second, Amazon has introduced an easy way to delete your voice recordings on all of your Alexa devices: you can say, “Alexa, delete everything I said today.” Afterwards, the company will delete the respective recordings. In the near future, you’ll be able to delete your last request by saying, “Alexa, delete what I just said.”
The Echo Show 5 is available to pre-order today in Charcoal and Sandstone for $89.99. The device will then launch in June in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. India will see a launch in July, and Mexico will come at a later date.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Tags: Amazon, Amazon Echo
This article, “Amazon Reveals ‘Echo Show 5’ With New Design and Alexa Commands for Deleting Voice Recordings” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
