INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Slowly but surely, Amazon been turning its Fire tablets into Echos
It started with push to talk Alexa function
Last year, the company added a hands-free mode for the voice assistant
Now, it adding Show Mode, which brings the same title card UI you get on the company screen-enabled smart speaker
Better still, Amazon introducing a Show Mode Charging Dock, a stand that effectively transforms the Fire into a makeshift Show
Place the tablet into a dock and it starts charging and automatically flips into Show mode, so you can do all of the standard Echo
activities from across the room.
The dock works with both the most recent Fire HD 8 and 10 (if I had to venture a guess, I&d say the 7
will probably be getting the functionality, as well)
If you already have one of the devices, the feature will be coming through an over-the-air update starting July 2
Once it in place, it will play nicely with other Echos in your home, using Amazon ESP (&Echo Spatial Perception&) feature
I&d have to imagine a new, less bulky version of the Show is in the works
In the meantime, this is a pretty compelling alternative — and a chance for Amazon to be a bit more competitive with the numerous
third-party devices Google unveiled back at CES
The tablet+dock package is ultimately a cheaper option than the Show $230 price tag (though that device is discounted to $160 at the
moment).
The docks themselves run $40 for the eight-inch and $55 for the 10 (both are discounted $5 for the time being)
If you don&t already have the tablets on-hand, you can pick up a bundle for $110 and $190, respectively
Picking up this configuration also gives you a lot more flexibility versus just going in on the Show
As for what the Show brings to the table Better built-in mics and speakers are the primary answer
Ultimately, however, I suspect Amazon isn&t really concerned about some of its devices cannibalizing others, so long as it gets more Amazon
products out in the world
