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Will Amazon Echo Show grace your kitchen counter? (The 3:59, Ep. 224)

Amazon's smart speaker gets a touchscreen, and Army sci-fi fan fiction could actually save us from a dystopian future.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
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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.
See full bio
Roger Cheng
Ben Fox Rubin

Amazon is stepping up its digital assistant game.

On Tuesday, the online retailer expanded its Echo family with the Echo Show, its first smart speaker with a touchscreen and camera. The idea is that the Echo Show will sit on your countertop, nightstand or coffee table and let you video chat or ask questions of its Alexa digital assistant. We share our thoughts on its (unique) design and whether that will hinder demand for the product.

We also look at the Army Cyber Institute, a new think tank where the military envisions nightmare scenarios and future digital threats -- all so it can figure out how to combat them.

The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by the CNET News team in New York and producer Bryan VanGelder.

Check out the extended shows on YouTube.

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