Alexa, Echo Show 5, puts Alexa on your bedside table

<p class = "canvas-atom text-canvas Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Amazon ((AMZN) & nbsp;First generation Echo Show& nbsp; was a solid product with an unfortunate design aesthetic. All right, I'll just go out and say it. The thing was ugly. Amazon has turned things around with its & nbsp;2nd generation echo showbut with a 10-inch screen, the problem was huge. "data-reactid =" 31 "> Amazon's first generation (AMZN), Echo Show, was a solid product with one, well, unfortunate design aesthetic – just go out and say it. Amazon reversed the trend with its second-generation Echo show, but with a 10-inch screen, the thing was huge.

<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "This is where the company & nbsp;new Echo Show 5 enter. Packing a 5.5-inch screen, the Show 5 is a smart screen designed to be discreet enough to fit on your bedside table or kitchen counter. It offers all the features you expect from an Echo device, including voice commands and streaming music, as well as the ability to watch video content. "Data-reactid =" 32 "> That's where the company's new echo, Echo Show 5, comes in. The Show 5 is a smart screen designed to be discreet enough to fit on your bedside table or countertop It offers all the features you expect from an Echo device, including voice commands and music streaming, as well as the ability to watch video content.

And at $ 89, it's a relatively inexpensive entry into the smart screen market that certainly deserves to be examined.

A better alarm clock

The Echo Show 5 is ideal for your bedside table. Its compact design puts more emphasis on the screen and features a rounded back with a fabric exterior. This is not going to impress guests with its appearance, but it's almost preferable because the small device blends easily into your existing decor.

The back of the Show 5 houses its power port, a 3.5mm port to connect the smart screen to beefier speakers if you want a more robust audio experience, as well as A micro USB port. At the top, the volume buttons, a mute button and a slider physically covering the onboard camera of the Show 5 with a trigger.

More

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The addition of the physical shutter should help ease the concern of users that Internet-connected cameras may be able to spy on them.GOOG& nbsp;GOOGL) simply eliminated the camera & nbsp;on their own smart clock, which is an even better option for the more phobic. But if you still want to chat by video with members of your family and friends, the shutter provides some sort of protection against potentially malicious exploits. "Data-reactid =" 57 "> The addition of the physical shutter should help alleviate the anxiety of users who fear that cameras connected to the Internet can spy on them as they please. Google (GOOG, GOOGL) have simply eliminated the camera from their own smart clock, which is an even better option for more phobic people.You would like to chat by video with family members and friends, The shutter provides some sort of protection against potentially malicious exploits.

A new look in the interior

As with the previous Echo Shows, the 5 allows you to customize its home screen to offer you a rotating carousel including weather, titles, sports results, personalized reminders, stock prices, etc. If seeing the disastrous scrolling score of the Mets game from another night does not really make you want to get into the world of the world every morning, you can customize your home screen to the 39, using the integrated settings menu of Show 5.

The Show 5's display is as clean and colorful as that of its colleagues and looks much cleaner than that of Lenovo's Google Smart Clock, which has a similar physical footprint.

Slide your finger from the top of the screen to display the brightness slider, as well as the Home, Do not Disturb buttons and the Settings button. Slide your finger from the left side of the screen to create a new shortcut menu.

From there, you can make video calls to other Echo Show users, access music, search video content, set alarms, create routines and organize your smart devices. There is also a section that gives you tips on how to use Alexa, including explaining how to play country music, asking for weather forecasts, and more.

The Show 5 can stream content from Amazon's video library, but the screen is so small that it's not really a great place to watch "The Wonderful Mrs. Maisel" frenzy. It is more suitable for quick didactic videos or looking for recipes at a pinch.

More

The story continues