INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Google gave us a hardware blitzkrieg at CES
Among other things, the company announced a new smart display category, aimed at taking on the Echo Show through sheer, brute force
The new Show Mode Dock isn&t a direct response, but it a clever one.
Two years ago, Amazon introduced Alexa for the Fire tablet line
Last year, the feature went hands-free
In June, all of those additions finally paid off with the addition of Show Mode for the Fire HD 8 and 10, along with the dock, which
effectively turns the tablets into an Echo Show
It a perfect bit of stream-crossing synergy for the company
When I met with Amazon prior to release, I asked if the company was afraid of cannibalizing the Show
Hardware has always been secondary to its strategy
The more Alexa devices in the world, the better
That really the bottom line here.
For consumers, the form factor makes sense
You can pick up the 8- and 10-inch bundle for $110 and $190, respectively, putting it considerably below the Show $230 MSRP (though Amazon
sale prices do tend to fluctuate a fair bit)
That cost is getting you not only a smart display, but a Fire tablet that can be unhooked and used in all of the standard tablet ways
In fact, the more I talk about it, the less compelling the Show becomes
It was never a particularly attractive piece of hardware for one that meant to be displayed in your home at all times
In fact, it got a bit of an unintentional retro RadioShack vibe
It also unnecessarily big and bulky — that part of what made the much smaller Spot that much more appealing.
Given the new product
category and some of the deep discounts it been getting in recent months, I wouldn&t be too surprised to see a new Show on the way in the
In the meantime, however, the device does have a few things going for it versus the tablet/dock combo
Chief among them are better mics and speakers
Of course, you can always connect the tablet to a Bluetooth speaker (through the app, not over voice yet) to address the latter issue
But for now, if you&re looking for a screen-enabled device that can also double as a small entertainment hub, the Show is probably still a
It worth pointing out, too, that neither the Fire Tablet nor the dock are what anyone would classify as premium devices
Amazon efforts to compete on the high end of the tablet market evaporated years ago
The new Fires have decent screens, but otherwise mostly fit the bill of content delivery devices
It a strategy that has worked quite well for Amazon, as much of the rest of the tablet category has dried up.
There isn&t a lot to the
It a small bit of plastic with a kickstand that swivels out
There a plastic tablet case with two metal pads on the back that snap onto the dock with magnets
A small micro-USB module plugs into the tablet port, connecting the two, for data transfer and power, so it can charge while docked
The key to the whole thing is the addition of Show Mode to the tablet, bringing the same UI you get on the smart display
You can enable it manually on the device by swiping down on the home menu (strangely, this doesn&t seem to be enabled through voice yet)
The Mode does away with all of the details of the standard Fire OS, instead defaulting to a large, card-based system
The Mode is also enabled when the tablet is docked
When you remove it, it reverts back to the standard tablet
Simple.
It all works as advertised
Though again, the speakers aren&t great, and it not as good at picking up sounds across the room
Although $40 and $55 for the 8- and 10-inch dock, respectively, is a bit steep, taken together, it ultimately a better deal than the Show
— and either way, you&re getting a screen larger than the smart display 7-inch
The Show Mode Dock/Fire Tablet combo is really just the all-around better deal
It also starts shipping next week — no word yet on when those Google displays are finally arriving.
