Amazon Unveils Echo Show Capable of Video Calling

By Laura Stevens 

Amazon.com Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a new Echo speaker with a screen that will incorporate video-calling capabilities, keeping the online retailer one step ahead of technology rivals in seeking to control smart homes.

The Echo Show announcement, which confirmed a Wall Street Journal article on Monday, also allows users to make internet-based calls between devices and apps to start, setting the speaker up to be core to a home's communications.

Equipped with a 7-inch touch screen, the device will be able to visually summon answers to verbal questions, providing information like e-commerce search results in a more digestible fashion.

The new Echo, which has been in beta testing with employees for a few months, starts shipping to consumers on June 28.

The new device will be priced at $229.99. The current Echo speaker, which doesn't have a screen, usually sells for $179.99, although it is currently on sale for $149.99.

Amazon is in a broader race with a number of tech giants to create and install speakers using digital assistants to eventually run homes, cars and offices. Alphabet Inc.'s Google Home is the biggest competitor so far to Amazon and its Alexa digital assistant.

Write to Laura Stevens at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 09, 2017 16:05 ET (20:05 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.