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Amazon is working on a wall-mounted Echo display, Bloomberg reports.
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The device would work as a smart home command center, controlling lights, locks, and music.
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Amazon could debut the new device as soon as the end of 2021 and may price it between $200 and $250.
Amazon is building a wall-mounted Echo device that will act as a smart home control center, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Amazon’s internal hardware division is working on a new device with either a 10- or 13-inch display that adheres directly to the wall and works as a command center for a user’s smart home. The new product will have Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant built in, and will be able to control smart home devices like locks or lights, play music and videos, and show upcoming calendar events. The device will also have a camera and microphones for video-chatting, Bloomberg reports.
Amazon plans to debut the new device at the end of 2021 or the end of 2022 and could price it between $200 and $250, although Bloomberg notes that those plans could change or be canceled completely.
A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
Amazon already offers three Echo devices with displays: the Echo Show 10, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 5, which have 10-inch, 8-inch, and 5.5-inch displays, respectively. The Echo Show, which costs $250 at the high end, is designed to sit on a counter or table-top, but third-party accessories-makers make wall mounts for the device.
Amazon has also been offering tablets with digital displays since 2011 and currently sells seven versions, though the largest one also has a 10-inch display.
While some of Amazon’s other Echo devices can also be wall-mounted, the only other Amazon-made device designed to hang on a wall is the Echo Wall Clock, a kitchen clock that pairs with an Echo device and can be used to track digital timers or set the time automatically.
Bloomberg notes that Amazon’s new device would be competing with smart home control displays that are professionally installed, as well as Apple’s iPad, which can also be wall-mounted or framed into wall.
Read the original article on Business Insider