Amazon opens home camera control to developers 
Amazon has revealed it will open up control of its visually-equipped smart home speaker, Echo Show, to all technology developers through its Smart Home Skill application programming interface (API). Amazon has already unveiled a list of cameras compatible with its touchscreen, voice-activated Echo Show, including the Nest, Amcrest and Logitech Circle 2. Customers with compatible devices will be able to ask the Echo Show to display a live camera feed. The API taps into Amazon's Alexa language model so developers do not need to build voice interaction for their camera skill.

 

Amazon revealed the first batch of smart home cameras that will be compatible with the touchscreen Echo Show: Nest, August, Amcrest, EZViz, IC Realtime, Logitech Circle 2, Vivint, Ring, and Arlo.

With this compatibility, Alexa customers with these smart home cameras will be able to link their accounts and ask the Echo Show to display a live camera feed on the device's 7-inch screen. On devices without a screen, customers can still listen to the audio from a camera without the accompanying video feed.

Amazon is also making smart home camera control available to all developers via the Smart Home Skill API, which aims to simplify the way developers integrate connected cameras with Alexa. The API taps into Amazon's standardized Alexa language model, which means developers won't need to build the voice interaction model for their camera skill.

Unveiled last month, the Echo Show marks the first visually equipped Echo device in Amazon's voice-activated speaker lineup, which now includes the original Echo rolled out in 2014, the Echo Dot, and the Echo Look.

The Echo Show's key differentiators include a 7-inch touchscreen display and new video-calling features that let users make hands-free video calls to other Echo Show owners or users of the Alexa smartphone app.

Amazon introduced the Echo Look in April. The fashion-focused Echo version comes equipped with a depth-sensing camera and LED lighting. It has the ability to take pictures of a user's outfit via voice command, as well as offer fashion advice via machine learning algorithms.

The Amazon Echo Show is available for pre-order in black and white for $229.99, with shipping slated to begin June 28.