Amazon's next Echo could integrate a touchscreen

Amazon might finally be ready for Alexa to be seen, not just heard. A report from Bloomberg says the e-commerce company is working on a new version of its popular Echo smart home hub with a 7in touchscreen. The move comes as competition is heating up from other big tech companies like Apple and Google, which recently started selling a direct competitor to the Echo called Google Home.

Amazon would hardly be the first company making a smart home hub with artificial intelligence and a touchscreen. Some companies have taken the concept to the extreme. The wall-mounted Lucy has options for a 17, 24 or 27in screen. Amazon's approach is more subdued.

With just a 7in screen, the Echo may remain a device that sits on a desk or counter. Given Alexa's great performance at answering questions and responding to commands, Amazon will likely still expect voice commands to be the primary means of interacting with the digital assistant. Some things just work better with visual cues, though. If a user asks for the weather, it might be nice to have the weekly forecast available on a screen as Alexa reads out the forecast for the day.

It's estimated that Amazon has sold 5 million Echo devices since 2014. The product was a surprise hit that quickly spawned imitators. The latest competitor is a China company called LingLong selling a device named DingDong. The company has backing from China e-commerce company Jindong. As the field becomes crowded, Amazon is hoping evolving the Echo with a touchscreen will help it stay ahead of the competition, which has mostly relied on products that look very similar to the Echo.