New Amazon Echo with touchscreen and calling facility to launch tomorrow?

Tomorrow could be the day Amazon’s new Echo device might be unveiled, at least that is what new reports are suggesting.

(leaked via AFTVNews)

For several months Amazon was rumored to be working on an Echo with touchscreen. If a report from The Wall Street Journal is to be believed, the touchscreen version will launch tomorrow.

The report further suggests that the new Amazon Echo will be capable of making telephone and video calls via VoIP, and also will be able to respond to questions with answers displayed on the 7-inch touchscreen.

Last week, renders of the speaker surfaced online after months of speculations. The leaked photos did confirm that there will be a front-facing camera for video calls. The design also showed sharp edges and corners, not even closely resembling the original Echo.

There is no word on the pricing or availability. Reports however speculate it could cost anywhere close to $200. The news comes just days after Amazon released the Echo Look, a camera-based style assistant powered by Alexa.

In the smart speaker segment, the competition is clearly heating up. There have been rumors of Apple working on a Siri-based home personal assistant. The device is expected to be unveiled at its World Wide Developer Conference in June.

On Monday, there were also reports of a Harman Kardon speaker called Invoke that has Microsoft’s Cortana incorporated into it.

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