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Amazon's new Echo Show priced at $230, sports updated design that isn't ugly

The video speaker isn't as embarrassing to have in your home anymore.

Alfred Ng Senior Reporter / CNET News
Alfred Ng was a senior reporter for CNET News. He was raised in Brooklyn and previously worked on the New York Daily News's social media and breaking news teams.
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Ben Fox Rubin Former senior reporter
Ben Fox Rubin was a senior reporter for CNET News in Manhattan, reporting on Amazon, e-commerce and mobile payments. He previously worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and got his start at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
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Alfred Ng
Ben Fox Rubin
2 min read
echoshow

Dave Limp, head of Amazon's products business, unveils the Echo Show.

 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Amazon is giving the Echo Show a sequel.

The online retail giant's new Echo Show, an update to its most expensive Alexa-powered gadget, boasts a revamped design and improved audio quality with an 8-microphone array. The device also rocks a 10-inch display, twice as large as the previous version. 

The price on the new Echo Show remains $230 (£220, AU$349). Amazon, which unveiled the new product at an event Thursday morning in Seattle, said the product will ship next month. Preorders start Thursday.

Watch this: Amazon rolls out all-new Echo Show

The Echo Show, which added a touchscreen to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, debuted last June. The Show's boxy design and the thick plastic border around its screen made it look outdated in an age of thin smartphones with nearly edge-to-edge displays.

The Show occupies an important position in the Echo lineup. Amazon is trying to get people to use its big screen for watching videos, making video phone calls and voice shopping. The idea is to make the device -- and Alexa -- an integral part of our lives. But an ongoing spat with Google means the Show currently can't play YouTube videos through an official app, a big downside for the product.

You'll be able watch YouTube videos through the Show's browser, an Amazon spokesperson said in an email. That feature will be coming to old Echo Shows once the new ones ship out.

Watch this: Amazon's new Echo Show boasts a revamped design

The battle with Google goes beyond YouTube though, and the search giant has released its own smart assistant-powered displays that boast slimmer designs than the Show.  

Amazon said the Show will come with the Silk and Firefox browsers already loaded. Show will also get Skype support. 

The company also demonstrated support for games and step-by-step cooking instructions. 

See also

First published at 10:58 a.m. PT.
 Update at 12:03 p.m. PT: Adds availability of YouTube on the Echo Show's browser.

Amazon Echo event live blog: Catch all the latest news, pictures and updates from CNET.

Amazon's new device lineup: Here's everything we expect to see unveiled today.