DECEMBER 2019 T3 67Smart screens
ay back in 2014, when
it made its debut, the
Amazon Echo seemed
slightly odd because it
didn’t have any kind of screen – it
went all in on voice. Wouldn’t that
limit what you could do with it? Was
voice input (and output) really as
versatile as it needed to be for the
Echo to be a success?
Well, yes, as it turned out –
Amazon had no qualms about
launching a device without a screen,
the Echo went on to sell in huge
numbers, and it’s now commonplace
to see a smart speaker or seven
tucked away in the corners of a home.
Kudos to Amazon for the foresight.
The screen, though, is making a
comeback. A speaker might be
attractive in its simplicity and in its
low price, but add in a display and
the whole approach changes: think
videos, photos, maps, on-screen
controls and more. It turns out that
having a device with a screen was a
good idea after all.
Now these smart screens are
propagating as fast as the smart
speakers before them – Amazon
alone has three different models on
the market (plus one, the Echo Spot,
that now seems to have been
discontinued). It’s no exaggeration
to say you’ve now got dozens of
options to pick from when it comes
to smart screens and smart speakers.
As with smart speakers, you’ve
really got two choices when it comes
to what’s powering your smart
screen: it’s either Amazon Alexa
or Google Assistant (though
third-party manufacturers besides
Amazon and Google may make the
external hardware). That’s not a lot
of choice, but it does make it easier
to decide on a purchase.
Facebook has a couple of smart
displays of its own, built primarily
as ways of video-calling friends
and family over Facebook
Messenger. These devices, the
Portal smart screens, come with
Alexa on board and so do function
in the same way as other smart
displays, but we’re not going to
dwell on them much here because
Facebook comes with so much
baggage over privacy right now that
we think few will choose them.Picking the right smart screen
is therefore largely about choosing
between Amazon Alexa and Google
Assistant, and then secondly a
choice about how big a display you
want dominating your bedside table
or kitchen worktop.
For the first question, Alexa
and Google Assistant are so evenly
matched at this stage that you’re
likely to simply opt for the one that
you already use most often: Echo
speakers and screens make sense if
you’re a Prime subscriber and use
Amazon’s various entertainment
services, for example, while if you’ve
already got Google Assistant on your
phone and spend a lot of time
watching YouTube, the Google-
powered displays are a better option.
Got a lot of Ring security
cameras around the home, and a
Fire TV Stick plugged into your TV?
Then you’re probably best sticking
to the same brand for your smart
screen, and choosing one of the
Echo Show devices. Alternatively,
if it’s Nest cameras and a Chromecast
that you’ve already got installed
around the house, you’re going toW
Words: David Nield Photography: Phil BarkerYou’ve met the smart speaker... now meet the smart speaker
with a display attached, which gives you a whole lot of extra
options when it comes to what you can do
Smart
screens
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