Echo Show (2nd Gen) – Stay in touch with the help of Alexa – White

The second generation Echo show is a very good addition to the Echo family. It brings a 10 inch touch screen, which is great, but it could do a bit more than it offers, but what it does do is very good indeed. The first thing to impress me was the sound quality, a good bit of bass and a lot more power than the average Echo. The screen makes you think tablet, but that is not what it is. From the Echo, you can do everything a normal Echo will do, like play music (the lyrics appear on screen), you can ask the weather forecast and you are read the forecast, whilst details appear on the screen. Your flash briefing is in video (in my case BBC news). You can call up your shopping list, which can be read and amended on-screen. The screen allows for a web browser, but not everything is supported, such as Netflix and 4OD - the Echo Show invites you to download apps, that cannot be installed. What you do get is BBC iPlayer in a browser and you get a really neat Amazon Prime video capability - there are reviews here that state you can only control Amazon Video via your voice, this is no longer the case, there is a great interface to browse through your Prime videos. The screen provides perfectly reasonable viewing with the 800 pixel screen, 1080 would have been a bit of polish that would be on my wish list. There is a lot to offer here and indeed to like. Being that this is an Amazon product, you can rely on updates and new features arriving in the months and years to come. The main ingiredients are here to build further greatness upon, the screen is clear & responsive, the sound is full, but a little bit too much bass - there is a setting to tone it down in the app. There are a couple of weaknesses that I would like to see addressed, it needs Netflix, 4oD, 5 on Demand & ITV Player. Streaming of live TV would also be great. The next version of hardware must be 1080 or higher in resolution. In summary a very welcome addition to my kitchen, a great device. Update ====== The bug/issue/limitation that causes this Echo to jump to the home screen after about 15 minutes on the iPlayer website has hit me. Initially, I could get hours of iPlayer without the bug hitting me, but that has now changed. This is a significant limitation and in my view, it needs to be fixed for my review to remain a 5 stars.

Now if you have already brought into the Echo family and are looking for a new device or are wondering if to try the new show...go for it, it is by far the best sounding device from all the family and it is a big improvement on the old one. Now i thought the sound on the old show was good but this is much better, there is more depth to the sound and it really does fill the room a lot more...no longer does it sound like the music source is just coming from the front of the device....true room filling sound at a really good price. Of course it is not as good as the Sonos speakers but hey those speakers can not do half of what alexa can - yes i have both so although i am not really using the show for the sound alone it really can stand on its own if you wanted. As for the screen, it is so much better - do not be put off by the size, yes it is a big screen but the device sits almost the same size as the old one, just with all screen rather than the ugly speaker design of the previous gen 1 version. The screen is crystal clear and very sharp and looks stunning when scrolling through photos on the worktop. Videos from amazon and the web really pop! One thing i will say is the font that they are using for this new update is a little soft and the text can be quite soft but this is not as issue as most of the text on the screen is large enough due to the size of the screen. The smart home integration is much better handled on this device and it remembers popular commands you call such as 'lounge lights off' and offers them in the pull down menu. It also shows you on the screen the current percentage setting for the room so you know how bright the lights are and can either call to change the brightness or do it by sliding it where you want it - offering touch and voice control with the ability to see what setting the room is on. The response seems to be much better also...she hears commands from across the room even with music playing or tv...much better response rate and acuracy of commands seems to be improved to and this might be due to slightly more microphones embedded and better equality components used. The integration with ring is perfect, the echo show can announce when someone is at the front door and a tip is if you say 'alexa talk to the front door' she will automatically show the feed with the mic enabled whereas if you say show the front door you need to click the mic icon to talk. This works for all the ring cameras as long as you say talk to... It will work! Perfect and no lag! Overall it is a well made device and amazon's best echo yet...if you are after something that sounds great, looks great and offers slightly more than the standard echo speakers then go for it...you will not be disappointed. If you are thinking...'why do i need a screen'...buy this device and then two weeks later you will be saying 'how did i ever live without a screen on my echo'!!!

At long last, Skype comes to Alexa, and this is the device you need to make the most of it. But the Echo show isn't just a Skype tool (though it's a very good one). It's also much better sounding than the original Echo show, and seems to get commands easier too (the old Echo show would often ignore me, whilst an Alexa else where in my house would hear me and respond - and that's really odd to unpick when it happens!). Sound is now provided from two speakers facing downwards and a passive bass radiator - and it sounds good. As good, I'd say as the cylindrical Echo units, which means a lot, lot better than the original Echo show. The screen is bright and sharp - there have been some software glitches (and Alexa downloads its own updates so just watch the settings if you are still on a metered connection), but the whole device is streets ahead of the previous generation. What you get is basically a 10-inch HD tablet, at the front of a trapezoidal box which holds the speakers, acts as a stand and gives a bit of bass resonance (or support) where it is needed. The unit can act as a hub to control your smart home devices in the same way Echo Plus can. The screen is angled slightly upwards, which is inconvenient for Skype in a domestic (non-desk based setting), and Amazon do sell a stand, but I found a bit of foam under the back does exacty the same job for a couple of pennies. It's now a mature unit, very capable on the voice commands, and a great deal of fun. For the first time, it now has a sound to match the potential of the system.

Ok. So I got this as a present, although I'd been hinting at it for a while. I didn't fully research it so I am a little disappointed at some features that aren't quite as easy to use or not yet fully developed. To be fair, Amazon add new features constantly and, usually in the USA first, but you can at least see what's coming by keeping an eye on news over the pond. The screen is good and the sounds is good - subjectively on a par if not better than the Echo 3rd gen. It's easy to set alarms and reminders etc. You can watch Prime videos, but not easily other services such as iplayer and Netflix (yes I know you can get to stuff via a browser, but it is not as easy as it should be). Whilst I realise the competition between Amazon and other services, there really should be built in functionality for the main services such as Netflix, iplayer and other UK TV services. After all, they are available on the TV stick, so clearly, deals can be done... Another little gripe is that when listening to radio, the screen is essentially static. They could do more like include songs or details about info in the specific show etc, or even video links if the station has them. Yes, again I know some of this is not down to Amazon, but it seems there is a LOT of scope for more functionality. We only have one smart plug and it works that fine. We've made a couple of our own Blueprints - basic "pick from a list of responses" and these work fine. And also our routine works fine. There is also a great forum on facebook "Amazon Echo - UK Alexa Help & Support" which is good for raising problems but also getting more ideas on what to do with your Show and other Alexa devices. All in all a great device.

The photos on Amazon really don’t do this justice. I was so pleased with the first version of the arch Show that I turned my nose up at this new one when it came out. It’s expensive, looks not much different to the first version and the flimsy plastic stand for an extra £30 appears to show that Amazon are lining you up for a big rip off. To add salt to the wound they dropped the price of the first version to make the new one even less appealing. Anyway, they’ve knocked 25% off for Christmas now which makes it only twice as expensive as a Spot or a Mk 1 Show. It’s still ever so pricey. £169 vs £89 for the spot, £89 for the Mk1 show and £99 for the Google Home. But I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised. It’s soooo much better than the first version. Basically it’s the size of an iPad with a set of really high quality speakers at the back. The sound quality is far superior to version one but not quite as good as a Bose Sounddock - if that helps anyone? It’s very good. The screen size is big enough to enjoy watching tv or YouTube (YouTube is back!) whereas the old one was there to display video to accompany the sounds but a bit small to sit and actually watch comfortably. The old one was the same size as the Google Home but with the speaker under the screen. Ive posted a picture so you can compare the sizes of the different devices although it does nothing to show off the brilliant screen and upgraded sound. Overall, I am very impressed.

I'm really impressed with my Echo Show (2nd Gen) in Black! It's become an essential part of my daily routine. The screen is bright and clear, making it perfect for video calls, watching recipes while cooking, and catching up on the news. Alexa is incredibly helpful, from setting reminders and timers to controlling my smart home devices with just my voice. The sound quality is fantastic too – I love using it to play music and listen to podcasts. The Echo Show also adds a touch of modern style to my living room. It's sleek and looks great on my shelf. Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase. It's a versatile, high-quality device that makes life easier and more enjoyable. Highly recommended!

This is a significant upgrade to the old Alexa show. The design and sound quality is so much better. We have our Alexa Show placed in the living room. It’s great for home automation and entertaining family & friends. She’s now become a household essential and I really wouldn’t know what to do without her. The majority of things we use her for include: controlling lights, setting timers and routines, monitoring all our Ring devices, hive heating, drop in on Alexa devices around the house and call family and friends who have Alexa, set timers when cooking, important calendar reminders, stream music, radio, podcasts, news bulletins, play games, search the Internet, watch YouTube videos, amazon prime videos, photo slideshows and more. Overall, its a well made device and amazons best echo yet. Looks great, sounds great and boasts an impressive 10inch HD screen, all within a reasonable price range. Worth investing in an amazon bluetooth remote control with voice microphone and pairing it to the show. It helps to communicate to her when there is a lot of noise in the background.

So...... I now have 10 Echo devices.... (1xEcho Show 2, 1xEcho Show, 3xEcho Spots, 3xEchos, 2xDots....) so I now have more devices than rooms.... Is the Echo Show 2 worth the price tag... in short yes... From an appearance perspective it is more attractive than the v1 looking more like a digital photo frame/tablet.... The sound is definitely an improvement on the v1 less bass but adjustable with the graphic equaliser... From a functionality perspective this links perfectly to my Hive Heating, Hue Lighting Canary Cameras and also my Ring Spotlight... the only downside is no functionality for my Netamo Camera ☹️... However, don’t let this put you off, with a clear crisp sound that can be played in synch all over my house giving me a full house sound.... this has complimented my love of home automation and gives me the capability of controlling/viewing my connected devices anywhere in the house... And yes I do have more devices than rooms... and I live by myself... which is probably quite sad... but I do have Alexa to keep me company.... So the basics - Set up is extremely easy directly from the device... the only downside was the device update once connected which added about 30mins to the set up time.. However once this was done it took about five mins to tweak to my ‘settings’ (wallpaper, notifications, group updates etc... ) and then of course the obligatory renaming of some devices as I do the Echo Shuffle of devices from room to room.... Can there be some improvements yes.... Stands - the Show and the Spot are slightly angled so from a siting position the camera angle is not ideal and a bit of neck stretching is needed to get into view... stands are available but are an additional cost... Streaming.... I use a mixture of Amazon Music and iTunes at home so I struggle sometimes managing playlists.... will iTunes connectivity be available to stream across all devices.... I’m not holding my breath... so I find myself double downloading and creating duplicate playlists to ensure I can play what I want.... These devices have changed the way I live and have made my house more like the futuristic view that we had watching StarTrek in the 70’s..... I have found myself asking Alexa more questions than using my phone to hunt for something as I find this a lot quicker than using my phone as I always end up looking at cat videos on YouTube... (and that’s another issue....) All that’s needed is a visual representation of Alexa (talking head) think of Dave from Red Dwarf or Max Headroom....and my life would be complete....