pleasant to use, somewhat limited smart health innovation

Available since October 2018, the Echo Show returns with a second generation of all-purpose domestic assistant. With its screen, Amazon offers a whole range of multimedia in addition, but not only. Alexa is always there to help control your health home remotely. Two years after the launch of his oldest, what is this little smart health connected television that the Seattle firm wants to install in our homes.

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• Mark : Amazon

• Model: Echo Show (second generation)

• Category: Domestic assistant

• Dimensions: 246 x 174 x 107 mm

• Weight: 1755 g

• Screen: 10.1 inch HD LCD touch screen

• His : two 51 mm drivers with a passive radiator

• Camera: 5 Megapixel

• Processor : Intel Atom x5-Z8350

• Connections: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and micro USB port

• Compatibility: Fire OS, Android, iOS and web browsers

• Price: 229.99 euros

• Availability: available for sale in two different colors, black or white.

Amazon first in the war of domestic assistants with a screen. Here he is back on the charge with the second generation of his Echo Show. Bigger and more complete, is the choice of this device really necessary? We will find out together.

Amazon Echo Show Unboxing

The Echo Show is packaged in a glossy turquoise blue cardboard annotated with some of the device's features, and with a representation of the product. Inside, a light cardboard pocket with a handle adorns the enclosure. This can be used to transport it. The whole wishes to give a chic but nevertheless accessible tone. At the bottom of the box, the AC adapter with its 1m80 cable, and that's it. No accessories or wipe (or chamois) to clean the screen which is a bit of a shame. A very simple user manual for configuration is still provided.

Design and ergonomics of the Amazon Echo Show

The tablet / speaker is rather impressive, because of the whole rear block that houses the speakers. The screen is also larger than on the first generation Echo Show, going from 7 to 10 inches: a welcome enlargement. With her two kilos on the scales, it is quite heavy, and not so easy to handle. It is very likely that it is placed in a place suitable for receiving it and that it is not touched too much afterwards. In addition, it does not have a battery and must be permanently smart health connected to the mains to work. The presence of a nearby outlet is necessary.

In her black dress, the invoice is sober and the finish correct. The first generation plastic now gives way to canvas like on an enclosure, and this on the entire rear side. It gives a certain impression of robustness, even if it is obvious that it must not like shocks. On the top, 3 buttons: two for the volume and one to activate the microphone or the camera. The rest of the commands are done by voice or directly on the touch screen.

Activation of the Echo Show

Once plugged in, the tablet charges for about 1 minute, and the screen only displays the echo logo. Then Alexa welcomes you and the configuration starts. First connect it to Wi-Fi, and then connect it to an Amazon account. Next, the device prompts you to download the Alexa mobile app to synchronize your phone with the Echo Show. This step is not mandatory, but gives access to the parameters of the Echo Show from a smartphone. After that, the device installs the latest updates on its own and reboots twice. It took between 10 and 15 minutes during the Review.

Note, for those who wonder about the respect of their private life, the warning message during the installation. Amazon processes and stores audio, interactions, and other data in the cloud. So we know what to expect.

Using the Amazon Echo show

Like all Echo family devices, Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa is on board. Just call it, then announce an order, and you're good to go. Operation is really simple and speech recognition is good even in a relatively noisy atmosphere. She will not hear you if the music is too loud.

Having to call Alexa every time to use it can quickly get annoying. It’s like playing Jacques said against someone who never loses. Frustrating. Talking to an artificial intelligence takes a little time to adapt and you quickly believe that it is with a real person that you communicate. It is also possible to choose from a small list of three words which one will be used for activation.

Echo Show features

The list of his functions, also called skills, is not that big. But the possibilities they offer are interesting. For example, there is no problem making ehealth calls through the camera when the Echo Show is smart health connected to a mobile. She can also scan objects in order to then order them on Amazon. This option can however be deactivated to prevent unwanted expenses. And if he suddenly takes the urge to watch the adventures of Indiana Jones, a simple request to Alexa will put Harrison Ford's head on the screen. A Prime ehealth subscription is nevertheless necessary for the latter. And we will have to settle for it, because when we ask Alexa to launch Netflix, she responds with a simple "this is Prime ehealth". In addition, only BFMTV and France Info answer the call on the television side. We hope this will grow in the near future.

The Echo Show will please all apprentice cooks with its access to cooking recipes present on the internet. It is one of the most popular features today and one of the selling points of the range. Which makes the kitchen a prime place for the appliance. Budding singers will have a great time thanks to display of lyrics while playing songs. On this side, it is possible to connect the Amazon assistant to the main streaming music services (Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music …).

Varied but limited skills

Children will be delighted to hear Alexa's jokes. Unless they prefer the tales she tells or the games she offers. The skills star is undoubtedly the one who imitates farts noises. Laughter guaranteed.

The tablet is also intended to control all smart health connected devices in the health home. This includes lamps, sockets, alarms or surveillance cameras, for the nursery as well as the front door. We tested it with the Ring smart health connected doorbell and the result is conclusive. The Echo Show finally serves as a ZigBee hub for all smart health connected objects to simplify their communications. Everything becomes at your fingertips or your voice.

On the Accessibility side, note the effort made for visually impaired people with the VoiceView option which says everything you touch on the screen.

However, it is not always not possible to install YouTube app or any other Google app on Amazon’s device, which could put off a lot of potential buyers. The wizard is limited by the applications present and by the various subscriptions necessary to use a good number of them.

Image and sound of the Echo Show

This is certainly not the main reason for purchasing, but the quality of the picture and sound are always important factors. Here, the image is correct even in the dark parts. The screen is subject to reflections, but this is tolerable. Lateral vision quickly offers a slightly duller and more gray image. This is not the ideal angle of view, and yet the one that we find ourselves facing when used in a group. As for the sound, of satisfactory quality, powerful bass lovers will appreciate. The others will take comfort in the fact that the mids and highs manage to fare well on the medium volume game. On the other hand, at high volume, the bass takes precedence over the rest, and the sound saturates.

Against competition

Google Nest Hub

Launched to directly counter Amazon's Echo Show, the Google Nest Hub has the advantage of having all manufacturer applications directly integrated. This could tip the scales for a very large number of people. It does not have a camera, so no ehealth calls are possible. Sold for the sum of 129.99 euros, or 100 euros less, it has strong arguments to make.

Lenovo Smart Display

Another competitor, the Lenovo Smart Display. Available in an 8 or 10 inch version, it has the same functions as the Google Assistant, an additional front camera. Its main asset remains the ability to use it as a chromecast device. It is in the same price range as the Echo Show.

Conclusion

The Echo Show is the kind of device that is missing in our life without our knowing it. We’ve always done without it, but it’s hard to give it up when you have one. This is thanks to a host of skills that facilitate everyday life. On the technical side, the sound and image quality of Amazon’s health home assistant is satisfactory. With Alexa, she grows and learns all the time. Its use also evolves over time and needs. Offered at the price of 230 euros, the price may seem high, especially in the face of competition from Google. All the more so when the products of the internet giant automatically integrate the applications that have become essential today. These same applications that are inaccessible on Amazon products. It remains to be seen whether we can forgive them for this defect.

Good points

• Help with all types of daily tasks

• Simplicity and comfort of use

• Honorable sound quality

• health home control within earshot

Negative points

• Missing key applications

• Screen subject to reflections and no wipe in the box

• Price above the competition

Design and Ergonomics – 7

Ease of use – 9

Picture and sound quality – 7.5

Features – 6

Value for money – 6.5

7.2

Design and Ergonomics : A master key design that allows the device to wedge anywhere. It still takes up a little space and needs to be plugged in all the time.

Ease of use : Very easy to handle. Speech recognition works very well.

Sound and picture quality : The sound is good, especially for bass lovers. The image is sufficient in its daily use, provided it is sheltered from reflections.

Features : The presence of relatively numerous skills related to Alexa is interesting. The absence of Google applications is unfortunately deplorable.

Quality / Price ratio : The price doesn't seem outrageous, except when you compare it to the Google Nest Hub.

AB SMART HEALTH REVIEW