19 Dec
Blog

Amazon Echo Show 15 Review: Large Screen, Larger Utility

The Echo Show 15 is the largest smart display to date.

Echo show 15

RRP $ 250.00

"The strong resemblance to a picture frame suggests the promise of the ideal smart home: a living space filled with normal, expected objects that serve more than one purpose."

benefits

  • Huge 15.6-inch screen

  • Widget functionality makes it easy to see tasks, smart home and more at a glance

  • Various orientation options

  • Visual ID exchange between users

disadvantage

  • Lack of customization and personalization options

  • Software crashes with no explanation

The original model of Amazon's Echo Show looked more like the dream CRTs of the late 90s than a smart display, but the product has improved over time and evolved into its latest iteration. The Echo Show 15, a wide, crystal clear display that looks like a digital picture frame. With a diagonal of 15 inches and a flat back, it looks perfectly mounted on a wall as a truly functional piece of art.

Its strong resemblance to a picture frame suggests the promise of the ideal smart home: a living space filled with normal, expected objects that serve more than one purpose. I've been using the Echo Show 15 for a little over a week and have leaned on it for a lot of different tasks – more than I've ever used a smart display in the past.

Enough screen space to see Casablanca properly

The obvious standout feature of the Echo Show 15 is its screen. It's really massive, which is a huge improvement over the five- and even eight-inch versions. With a diameter of 15.6 inches and a 1080p display, all content is clearly displayed. So it's no wonder that Amazon put a lot of work into the video options of the Echo Show 15.

The Echo Show 15 is a great device for watching content.

You can all watch Prime Video, Netflix, and Hulu on the device. You can also watch YouTube through the built-in Amazon Silk web browser. An on-screen keyboard makes it easy to search for content quickly; Of course, you can also simply ask Alexa to play the video you want.

With a screen this big, the Echo Show 15 seems like the perfect addition to an office, especially when it comes to video conferencing – other than it doesn't work with zoom. According to Amazon, zoom compatibility is coming in the next few months and will use the 5 megapixel camera in the upper right corner of the Echo Show 15.

The beauty of widgets

Aside from streaming all of your favorite shows, the other benefit of having such a big screen is the widget functionality. The Echo Show 15 introduces various widgets that provide at-a-glance access to your favorite Alexa features. You can access it by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping "Widget Gallery" or simply asking Alexa to open the gallery.

There are several options to choose from:

  • Alexa suggestions
  • Calendar & reminders (daily and monthly)
  • Commute
  • Favorite photos
  • cards
  • Music and audio
  • Proposals for reorganization
  • Shopping List
  • Smart home favorites
  • Sticky notes
  • The daily show
  • To do list
  • weather
  • What to eat
  • Your deliveries

I've spent so much time with the Echo Show 15 thanks to these widgets. You can divide the screen for your widgets into different segments. At first I thought I'd use the Echo Show 15 in the kitchen to work through recipes, but it has found a home in my office (at least for now) as I'm planning for CES 2022.

With the ability to link my Google calendar with Alexa, I can see all upcoming meetings at a glance. I also have my to-do list at a glance and the Smart Home widget allows me to control the devices in my office without saying a word. (Nothing can excite a tech company meeting like giving an Alexa command and triggering half a dozen different devices.)

The Echo Show 15 uses widgets to display information.

At the moment the widgets are exclusively from Amazon. However, the company has released an API that developers can use. Over time, widgets can follow Alexa skills and you have more to choose from than you could possibly dream of.

Over time, widgets can follow Alexa skills and you have more to choose from than you could possibly dream of.

Layout versatility

The Echo Show 15 can be mounted in a horizontal or vertical orientation, which makes it even more versatile than it already was. If you buy a third-party stand, you can even mount it on the countertop at an angle. The different configurations make the Echo Show 15 ideal for so many different tasks, whether in the kitchen or in the office.

It's definitely better for entertainment in the horizontal orientation, but the vertical layout is better for reading content.

Picture in picture

Another new feature that bends in everyday functionality is the picture-in-picture function. The best way to explain is to illustrate. If I have Hulu streaming on the Echo Show 15, I can ask Alexa to show one of my security cameras. It appears in the upper right part of the screen and lets me check things out in the house without losing sight of the big picture.

Visual ID

Visual ID is another new feature. It uses the Echo Show 15's camera to identify individual family members and change the display based on relevance to that person. I admittedly didn't take advantage of that – my wife and I see the same schedule, shopping list, and more. However, it could be useful for a household full of children.

Visual ID could be used to show individual to-do lists for each child in the house, and the calendar could change to show who has an upcoming game or project.

Privacy and security

Any device with built-in microphones and cameras will be the focus of the audit for privacy purposes. We have written extensively about the need for tighter security measures, especially physical privacy screens. The Echo Show 15 delivers that in spades.

The Echo Show 15 uses a physical privacy screen.

It includes a button to turn off the microphone, as well as a physical shutter that blocks your view of the lens. There are two buttons on the top of the Echo Show 15 (or on the side if you've oriented it vertically) that control the volume. In addition, everything else is voice or touch controlled.

As with other Alexa-enabled devices, you can delete your recordings. It's a good idea to keep track of what information your smart assistant knows about you, but the advantage of the Echo Show 15 is that you don't have to worry about it recording you – it can't see anything with the lens closed.

Setup and installation

Setting up the Echo Show 15 is a breeze. It's easy to plug the smart display into an electrical outlet, wait for it to turn on, and follow the on-screen instructions. Nothing more is needed. You will need your Wi-Fi password to log into your home network and then you will need to log into your Amazon account.

Have your phone ready to receive the password for two-factor authentication. If you didn't enable that, do it now. You control the Echo Show 15 via the Alexa app. Here you can change the display, images, and more.

Not that good

While I'm incredibly impressed with the Echo Show 15, there are a few areas that could be improved a bit. First, the software is a little sensitive. Trying to stream content from Netflix or Hulu often crashed an app, but only when I was using the touchscreen to access it. Asking Alexa to open the app or play a specific episode worked just fine every time. I hope this is just a minor issue that a patch can fix.

Another potential problem is weight. The Echo Show 15 isn't easy; in fact, it's just over 4 pounds. If you're lifting weights, it's not a big deal. For an intelligent display? I would be scared of the end result if it fell off the wall.

After all, the lack of customization is disappointing. The Echo Show 15 is so big and so colorful that users could easily turn it into their own personalized device. There's no real way to change the blue background, and the widget arrangement is limited. It feels like an area where Amazon could have enabled a lot more functionality (and maybe still can with operating system updates).

Our opinion

The Amazon Echo Show 15 is the largest and most impressive smart display I've ever used. It became my most-used smart display almost immediately. Just being able to stream all of my security cameras to a single location while keeping track of the weather and my upcoming events is amazing.

It's not perfect, but it's a huge leap in the right direction for smart displays. New smart displays require parity between equivalent models, but in some ways the Echo Show 15 has fewer specifications than the Echo Show 10.

Is there a better alternative?

Nothing fits the Echo Show 15 in terms of size. It's the biggest and worst on the market. At the same time, it only has a 5-megapixel camera versus the Echo Show 10's 13-megapixel camera – a smart display for the same price.

The difference? The Echo Show 10 is a device primarily for communication. It pans to chase you across a room. The Echo Show 15 is for entertainment. In that regard, this smart display is the very best.

How long it will take?

The Echo Show 15 has a robust construction that gives the impression of quality. That is, its weight works against it. Should it fall, its weight could cause more damage. If something happens, it's backed by a one-year limited warranty and service.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Echo Show 15 is a great device with a lot of utility. It is the natural evolution of the Echo Show, and if you plan to use it for entertainment or special purposes, e.g. For example, to stay on your to-do list, you can't go wrong.

Editor's recommendations



03 Aug
Blog

BodyGuardz 360 Review: Useful Utility for On-The-Go Security

BodyGuardz 360 camera in a hotel

BodyGuardz 360 Test: Useful Utility for Keeping Safe on the Go

RRP $ 199.00

“Not all surveillance cameras can go anywhere. The Bodyguardz 360 is one of the few that can do that. "

advantages

  • Portability on the go

  • Practical built-in night light

  • Saves videos to USB for offline use

  • Battery lasts five days on a single charge

disadvantage

  • The set up process was less than intuitive

  • The best features are locked behind a subscription plan

The BodyGuardz 360 camera is more like a thermos or portable bluetooth speaker than a security camera. This similarity becomes even more apparent when you first see how to store the cable and charging brick. Although it has a rather unconventional look to it, the BodyGuardz 360 offers storage straight to USB, offline functionality, and a 360-degree field of view, and beats its weight class at just $ 200.

Setup and Operation: Some annoying issues

The set up process had me ready to pull my hair out. What should have been a simple process turned into 10 minutes of troubleshooting. You will be prompted to first download the BodyGuardz app on your phone before pressing the camera's physical power button three times to put it in "scan mode". At this point, hold a QR code from the app in front of the camera. It's hard to tell exactly when the camera is watching; Although the on-screen instructions say there will be a beep, I didn't hear a sound until the camera saw the QR code.

After that, the setup went smoothly. I was able to install the camera and place it wherever I wanted with no further difficulty. The camera works fine when it's running, but most of the time when I minimize the app and try to open it again, I have to force the application before the camera comes back on. It has happened several times since I first set up the camera. It's a little nuisance that adds up when it happens almost every time.

You can control the camera from the app. It's not what I would call intuitive; You must tap and hold the phone screen before the controls appear. It feels like the app is more geared towards looking minimalist than simple controls. There's no reason the camera controls couldn't be placed under the rest of the buttons.

The BodyGuardz 360 offers limited intelligent control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home, but only for switching the night light on and off. There is no way to control the panning of the camera with an intelligent assistant, which limits the real benefits of the integration.

Subscription plan

There are three different levels of the BodyGuardz Smart Life plan.

Free: You get zero days of video history and can save footage locally. You'll have access to features like two-way talk, the 90dB emergency siren, and push notifications, but won't get smart detection alerts, desktop streaming, activity zones, or the ability to review and share videos.

Deluxe: The Deluxe plan is $ 4 per month per camera and includes seven days of video history. Motion capture is recorded as a video clip and you get access to smart detection alerts, desktop streaming, custom activity zones, and the ability to share and save videos.

bonus: The Premium plan is $ 10 per month for three cameras. It includes 30 days of video history and all the features of the Deluxe plan with the added benefit of an extended product warranty.

Unfortunately, you need the subscription to take advantage of many of the more powerful features. It's affordable at just $ 4 a month – but it would be a nice addition if it came standard with activity zones and smart detection alerts.

Image Quality: Clear video anytime of the day

The BodyGuardz 360 camera doesn't stream 4K content, but its 1080p resolution is good enough for all home (or on-the-go) use. The image quality is good enough to see most of the details. The camera can be swiveled around its entire base to give you a 360 degree field of view. You always have your home in view, from almost every corner. The 360 ​​also has an automatic night vision function. When the sun goes down, the view changes to black and white without losing image quality.

Color accuracy is another area where the camera is not exactly perfect. My walls are off-white, but the camera has always tinted them a faint shade of blue. In one picture, a black shirt hanging from the back of a chair looked purple. It could be something as simple as calibrating color temperature with the software, but the inaccuracies won't help either. You won't want to use the BodyGuardz 360 to admire a Jackson Pollock, but it's enough to keep an eye on activity in and around your home.

BodyGuardz 360 night light

It's worth noting that the camera includes a night light. It's not always active and you have to activate it manually – but it works well for placing in the middle of a dark room. To his credit, the night light doesn't seem to interfere with night vision much.

Features: A focus on privacy and alerts

If you want to customize your notifications, you can monitor for both sound and motion. The noise detection picks up all noises above 90 dB. The motion detection is self-explanatory, but can be broken down even further – just not in the free tariff.

When you subscribe to BodyGuardz's Smart Life subscription, you can choose to monitor all types of movement or just people. You can also set up activity zones to avoid false positives.

One of the great things about the BodyGuardz 360 camera is its attention to privacy. You can easily turn the camera on and off in the app. You can do the same with his microphone. If at any point you feel like the camera has captured something that it doesn't need, you can delete your video history.

If that's not enough, the camera even has a physical privacy screen that you can slide in front of the lens. It serves two purposes: On the one hand, to protect the lens when transporting the camera. Second, it blocks the video completely so you don't have to worry about it when you don't want to watch it.

Performance: portability for security on the go

The BodyGuardz 360 camera is a fully portable security camera. You can't live stream if you're not on WiFi, but you can plug a USB stick into the side of the camera and all activity around it will be recorded automatically. You can access these clips by connecting the USB drive to a laptop.

BodyGuardz 360 cable storage.

This makes the camera especially useful if you spend a lot of time in hotels. The battery lasts up to five days on a single charge, depending on the activity around it and how long it is used. Of course, activating the night light shortens the battery life. It should be noted that the camera also fits well in a standard-size cup holder in the car.

You can also connect the camera through its brick for unlimited use. The most surprising part of this camera, however, is the way the cable is stored. It's wrapped around the inside of the camera. The bottom slips like the bottom of a thermos and then you pull the cable out of its compartment. The stone is kept at the very bottom of the camera and pops out when the cable is free. It's a brilliant way to keep the cable out of the way, especially when using the camera while traveling.

Our opinion

The BodyGuardz 360 is a good – but not yet a great – surveillance camera. It packs a host of powerful features for a relatively low price, and its 360-degree view means you don't have to invest in multiple cameras for one room. The numerous small annoyances when setting up and operating the camera as well as the opaque nature of the actual panning could be resolved by software patches. It has a lot of potential, but it's not quite there yet.

Is there a better alternative?

There aren't many portable security cameras out there. The BodyGuardz 360 definitely hits a certain niche, but it has competition in the larger area of ​​home surveillance cameras. The Arlo Pro 4 spotlight camera costs $ 200 and offers high resolution and a respectable 160-degree field of view.

At the budget end of the scale, the Wyze Cam Outdoor is another versatile camera like the BodyGuardz 360, which offers 14 days of free cloud storage and 1080p resolution for just $ 60 – while also offering a convenient offline mode to continue recording videos when there is no Wi-Fi connectivity around.

How long it will take?

The BodyGuardz 360 is made of plastic. It's not the most durable camera in the world, but it's got enough weight and weight to feel sturdy. With proper care, it should last at least five years, if not longer, with regular use. In the event of problems, BodyGuardz grants a one-year guarantee from the date of purchase.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Despite its shortcomings, the BodyGuardz 360 is a powerful surveillance camera with many functions that are seldom found in other products. The ability to take it with you to watch your hotel room or Airbnb is impressive, and the relatively low price and huge field of view make it a firm competitor.

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