Video chat was always one of the biggest selling points of Echo Show and Spot. But until now, the products have been linked to Amazon's proprietary software. This week, however, the company took another big step in its ongoing relationship with Microsoft by adding Skype to the mix.
Now, almost all past and present Echo devices can make calls using the popular platform. Your Echo / Plus / Dot, et al. You can do it through the voice using a command like, "Alexa Skype Mom". Echos with screens, meanwhile, will offer the complete Skype video experience. Users can also ask Alexa to dial a phone number through Skype.
It is a solid partnership for the two companies. Amazon could use better chat support and Microsoft has not made much progress with Cortana-enabled devices. This is also a blow to Facebook, whose Portal devices are built almost entirely around the idea of offering a separate home video chat product. That's the best and practically the only killer application on Facebook's offer today.
The function can be configured through the Alexa mobile application.
