Amazon is updating a couple of its products in its Echo lineup: the Echo Show 8 and the Echo Show 5, with the latter getting a Kids Edition.
Amazon Updates Echo Show 8
The new massive feature on both Echo models is the camera, but the upgrade is more impressive on the bigger Echo Show 8 as it now has the same 13-megapixel sensor that you will normally find on the Echo Show 10, according to The Verge.
Instead of moving the screen around so it will face you, like what is usually done for Echo Show 10, the Echo Show 8 now as a wider, 110-degree field of view. With that type of range, it does the pan and zoom camera feature to keep the subjects centered in the frame.
In order to use that feature and the other new ones that come with the new software, Amazon said that there is a new octa-core processor installed inside the Echo Show 8.
The Echo Show 8 was released in 2019, and it is equipped with dual speakers and comes in either white or charcoal gray. The Echo Show 8 sells at the price of $129.99.
The other software update includes using the camera to detect if someone has walked into the room, and then adding that information into the routines, TechRadar reported.
Amazon emphasizes that this is an opt-in only feature to Echo Show, and it even requires users to manually punch in a code during setup to make sure that they really mean to turn it on.
Furthermore, the retail giant will also let all of the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5 devices turn on Alexa's security mode, so users can view the cameras from their phones wherever they are.
Finally, the Echo Show 8 is getting new augmented reality effects for Amazon's own video chat service, including reactions like filling the screen with likes or hearts, or setting custom virtual backgrounds to the user's liking.
Changes in Echo Show 5
As for the smaller Echo Show 5, the upgrades is minimal. The camera is doubling in resolution, from one megapixel, it jumped to two megapixels, according to Pocket Lint.
The devices does not have the horsepower to do what the Echo Show 8's camera can, do but the Echo Show 5 is getting a price drop, as it is now only $84.99. It also comes in white, charcoal, and a new blue option.
If you wish to spend $10 more, you can get the Echo Show 5 Kids with a print on the rear casing. The extra money that you spend on the gadget includes a one year subscription to Amazon Kids Plus, and a two-year warranty against any damage that your child may inflict on the device.
All three versions of the Echo Show is now available for order, but it could take a few weeks before it can get shipped out due to the global chip shortage that makes production of gadgets and electronic devices harder.
As for Amazon Echo Spot orb, it is not seeing any updates yet, and it may not even make a comeback as Amazon encourages people to opt for the Echo Show 5 instead.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster
