Amazon unveils Echo Show video streaming assistant

Amazon has revealed another variant of its Alexa voice-controlled personal assistant – the Echo Show.

Unlike other devices in the Echo range, which focus on streaming music and making phone calls through voice commands, the Echo Show features a built-in 7ins touchscreen to stream videos and view photographs.

Users can simply ask Alexa, the onboard voice assistant, to play a YouTube video or stream movies from Amazon Prime and the content will appear on the screen.

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Below the Echo Show's display sits a pair of "Dolby-tuned" speakers, The Guardian says, which are powerful enough to "fill a room" and more effective in this regard than other devices in the Echo range.

"Users can also place calls to other Echo or Alexa App users", adds the newspaper. There is also a "Drop In" feature that allows family and friends to join conversations.

While the voice-activated assistant is capable of connecting to devices such as the Philips Hue lighting system, ArsTechnica says it will also be compatible with "smart cameras from Ring and Arlo".

It means users can ask Alexa to "display a live feed from a particular room in the house, with the images popping up directly on the Echo Show's screen".

Amazon has been releasing new Echo products in quick succession over the past few months.

In April, the company invited a selection of its customers to buy its new Echo Look, a voice-activated camera that can take hands-free photographs.

Echo Look users can also upload photos of themselves in different outfits to the device's smartphone companion app, which will suggest the best clothes to wear or buy.

Prices for the Echo Show start at $229.99 (£178) and the device will be available in the US on 28 June. A UK release date and pricing will be announced at a later date.