FEBRUARY 2022 T3 69Echo Show 15
voice commands from the other side of
a noisy room. A slim blue light appears
at the bottom of the screen in
acknowledgement of a voice
command, and you then have access to
a seemingly endless supply of features.
Get everything from a daily weather
and news update to the answers to any
burning questions you might have.
Responses are both spoken and
displayed on the screen, and in some
cases, handy graphics and images are
also shown to help you digest
information more easily.
A key highlight feature of the
Echo Show 15 is the ability to control
your smart home directly from the
screen. Ask Alexa to ‘turn the living
room light on’ and not only will the
device willingly oblige, it will also
display a slider so you can adjust the
brightness of the room, too. Such
features will no doubt help you
decide where best to fit the Echo
Show 15 in your home. Having the
ability to either mount the device on
a wall or have it in a stand means it
doesn’t have to be a fixed element,
and can be moved into whichever
area of the house suits. Sturdy and
stable, the stand offers enough
support to allay any concerns of
potential damage. However, it is
worth noting that the Echo Show is
by no means small, or particularly
light. It weighs just shy of 4.9 pounds
(just over 2kg), so it might not be
something you want to keep moving
about, unless you require its services
in a certain room.
For example, if you’re in need of
some new ideas in the kitchen, you
can ask the Echo Show 15 for recipe
suggestions. It will then display them
on the big screen so you can follow
along, and can add ingredients you
might need to your shopping list. You
can even set dietary requirements, so
you only see vegetarian recipes or
gluten-free meal ideas, for example.
Once you’ve chosen your recipe, it’s
displayed in a large, easy-to-read
font with information on calories,
serving size and cooking time.Bright and beautiful
Impressive as this all is, the real
talking point of the Echo Show 15 isthe 15.6-inch full HD display, which
can be used in landscape or portrait
mode, and is bright, colourful and
clear. The quality could easily rival
that of some of the best tablets
currently on the market. Much like
on a large tablet or smart TV, you can
watch shows on the display, with
popular streaming services such as
Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video
included. If Disney+ is a favourite,
however, you’ll be disappointed as
the popular video-on-demand
service hasn’t made the line up.
Here’s hoping Amazon rectifies that
with the next iteration.
What the Echo Show can do that a
TV can’t, however, is double up as a
digital photo frame, which is a nice
touch. It’s here that the quality of the
1080p screen is particularly clear, with
images looking sharp and vibrant. In
this setting, the Echo Show can display
a dedicated slideshow of pictures,
which you can either upload or sync
with Amazon Photos or Facebook
albums. Another option is to show
stunning photography from Amazon’s
library – there are a few differentYou can watch
most streaming
services, but not
Disney+LIGHT TOUCH
Clearly the Show’s crowning
feature is its 15.6-inch HD
screen: not only can it be
used to stream TV shows
but you can also customise
it with widgets or use it as a
photo frame when not in use.