{"id":340849,"date":"2017-05-13T23:17:11","date_gmt":"2017-05-13T15:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.wordpress.com\/?p=1487312"},"modified":"2017-05-13T23:17:11","modified_gmt":"2017-05-13T15:17:11","slug":"amazon-made-landline-phones-trendy-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/amazon-made-landline-phones-trendy-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon made landline phones trendy again"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When is the last time you used your landline phone? Chances are that your smartphone is the one and only device you need. Old-fashioned phones have been fading away from most living rooms. But it doesn\u2019t mean that landline phones aren\u2019t useful. Amazon is well aware of that.<\/p>\n

The company unveiled the Echo Show<\/a> earlier this week, a $230 device with Amazon\u2019s Alexa voice assistant, two powerful speakers as well as a camera and a touchscreen.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t get fooled by the display. It works more or less like the original Amazon Echo. If you want to play a song, you can ask the device \u201cAlexa, play some Beach House\u201d to start streaming Beach House songs using your favorite music streaming platform. You don\u2019t open the Spotify app on the screen.<\/p>\n

The Echo Show isn\u2019t an Echo with a built-in Android tablet. It\u2019s an Echo with an information display. Sure, you can tap on it to pause the music. But your voice remains the main user interface.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one thing you can do with a display that you couldn\u2019t do before \u2014 it\u2019s video calls. Amazon didn\u2019t invent Skype calls. Arguably, I\u2019d even say that Apple made video calls popular again thanks to FaceTime.<\/p>\n

But would you say you use your phone to call your family and friends more often or less often than ten years ago? Today, it\u2019s all about texting, Snapping, WhatsApp-ing and more. I\u2019ve noticed this myself. I talk less but I share short snippets of text constantly.<\/p>\n

This trend is so strong that it doesn\u2019t feel natural to cold call someone anymore. I rarely pick up the phone except if it\u2019s my mum.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Amazon isn\u2019t reinventing the wheel. The company is just making phone calls less intimidating. Other companies like Nucleus<\/a> and Insensi<\/a> have worked on this, and Amazon was probably strongly inspired<\/a> by them.<\/p>\n

You can shout \u201cAlexa, call grandma\u201d and your grandmother will appear on the screen of the device. You know that if your grandmother is not at home she won\u2019t even get notified so it won\u2019t feel like you\u2019re interrupting something.<\/p>\n

More importantly, everyone will be able to use the device, young kids and elderly people included. It\u2019s much easier to buy an Echo Show and give it to the grandparents than explaining them how to use a smartphone if they aren\u2019t using one already.<\/p>\n

The Echo Show will be at the center of the living room or kitchen. It\u2019s going to bring the family together and people are going to love this thing.<\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s a built-in viral loop. Amazon wanted you to buy an Echo for every home. With the Echo Dot<\/a>, the message changed slightly \u2014 the company thinks you need an Echo device for every room<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Now, with the Echo Show, Amazon is saying that you need to buy an Echo device for all your family members. The company even suggests that you should buy two devices at once (and save $100). Amazon is an infrastructure and logistics company. Before you realize it, Amazon is going to have a device in everyone\u2019s living room.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" When is the last time you used your landline phone? Chances are that your smartphone is the one and only device you need. Old-fashioned phones have been fading away from most living rooms. But it doesn’t mean that landline phones aren’t useful. Amazon is well aware of that. The company unveiled the Echo Show earlier this week, a $230 device with Amazon’s Alexa voice… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

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