A new Amazon Echo is in the works and it may have an integrated touchscreen. That is if the recent spate of rumors proves true.
It looks like Amazon is not resting on its laurels especially when it comes to its smart speaker and digital assistant. The Amazon Echo has been killing it at the tills thanks to Alexa and her ten thousand skills but a source cited by CNET said that the e-commerce company is feeling Google breathing down its neck. The source indicated that Amazon is hard at work developing its smart devices even more after Google revealed a new feature of the Home smart speaker which helps it identify more than one user. Add to that reports that Apple is also looking at joining the smart speaker race with one that has an integrated camera similar to Amazon's latest product.
A day after unveiling the Amazon Echo Look, rumors of an Echo with built-in screen surfaced. This new feature will allow the Echo to be even more useful in smart homes. The screen can be used for video calls and online shopping, among other tasks. The new rumor does not mention touch support but a previous one dating back to November said that the new device, codenamed "Knight", will have the feature. It was also rumored then that the screen would measure seven inches. The new source did not mention anything about the size of the screen.
The Amazon Echo Look, which was introduced on Wednesday, is a smart speaker with an integrated camera. Users can ask Alexa to take photographs of them to see what they look like. In other words, the Echo Look is the smart alternative to a full-length mirror. The best feature of the Echo Look may be the Style Check which lets other people judge the users' wardrobe.
Tech Radar, citing the same source, reported that the possibly touchscreen-enabled Echo smart speaker may be unveiled as early as next month. However, the source also said that this can change anytime.
