Smart screens cover all angles to go beyond chatter

More seriously, smart screens certainly seem to be a winning solution to offer more benefits to people with hearing loss. They also offer much more utility than digital photo frames that have had their ups and downs ten years ago, since they are back in force with companies such as Nixplay and PhotoSpring. But, as is often the case in the new categories, we find that companies are entering the market with various value propositions. even when the basic designs of products have similar dimensions.

Visual Echoes, Take Two

The Echo Show was one of the pioneers of modern smart displays. As it was typical of Amazon's Echo product deployments, the company is not afraid to push the limits in terms of functionality and price. The second-generation echo, with its sleek design and larger screen, matches the original price of $ 229. However, Amazon has helped to justify this premium by establishing an effective model for using the display in a first audio device. The result is a complete experience that works for both basic information and home automation

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Speaking of complete products, and in light of Echo Show's spread of the screen, spherical echo can best represent the future of smart display categories. Now that Alexa is rooting in devices with much better audio quality, the more transactional nature of its use can be effectively increased in a device that better fits a nightstand and other tight spaces.

A portal on Facebook

It is therefore not surprising that smart speakers, which include powerful microphone networks and possibly unlocking doors, raise issues of privacy and security. This creates a dangerous terrain for a company that has been under scrutiny over the past year on these topics. The result has thrown a cloud on the launch of Facebook's smart screen, which is not only optimized for video chat, but uses computer vision to track its presence in a room. To dispel fears, Facebook took pains to note that the portal never stored details of audio or conversations, and the company even included a removable case for its camera that seemed to have a great chance of getting lost .

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However, the biggest question surrounding Portal is how much its essential features are appealing when the camera is used as intended, since Echo Show – as well as any modern tablet or laptop – can also accommodate video chats. And in a category where Amazon and Google consider footprints of their devices in order to preserve the table space, Facebook is deploying a version of the portal that includes a 15-inch screen.

Google nestles at home

You can expect the world's most widely licensed operating system to take a platform approach to a new device. Google did so when it invented (or transformed) "smart displays" to represent devices adding a visual layer to speakers such as Google Home, with Lenovo's registration. This effort encompassed a wide range of tasks that did not correspond to the randomness of the Echo Show.

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However, at this month's Made by Google event, Google unveiled its own table-screen flavor, the Google Home hub. Developed by Nest and adopted by Google, it focuses on home control and access to YouTube and Google Photos, with a focus on discretion under various conditions. ;lighting. The latter is a slap from Amazon, who was banned from displaying content from the huge video repository of his Echo Show. Google is also competing with its competitors at a lower price ($ 149 vs. $ 229 for Echo), a smaller screen (7 inches vs. 10 inches) and the lack of a camera, which also helps to dispel confidentiality issues.

Although this allows a more specific purchasing feature than the Smart Display, Google considers the Home Hub as a variant more optimized by Google in the category of devices. Indeed, he advertised it on television. It is also considered part of the wider family of Google Home speakers, just as the Echo Show is considered part of the Echo Intelligent Speaker Series.

Smart speakers are currently facing a paradox. On the one hand, developers have steeped Alexa-based products with thousands of skills, while they had virtually no way to monetize them directly. On the other hand, discovery remains a major challenge. Even the quagmire of smartphone app stores looks like a well-lit holiday display window at Macy's, in comparison. Smart displays could facilitate the exposure of these features.

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However, although they usually provide touchscreens, third parties are just starting to take over and the shenanigans have been renewed when it comes to crossing the borders of the ecosystem . Echo Show showed that a screen could be a useful enhancement to the features of these devices, while Google hopes to prove that these screens can be optimized for entertainment when they are active (as a Google Photos photo frame ) and discrete when inactive. This is one of the solutions that these products will have to cross to prove their value compared to smart speakers generally cheaper.

ANTERIOR AND RELATED COVERAGE:

Review of Google Home Hub

Google Assistant helps this small screen to feel powerful

Facebook has the appropriate pricing and strategy for its Portal and Portal + video calling devices, but your individual ROI will go well beyond the usual technology economy.

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