1. Hardware: the TVhub
Premise/recap: in terms of hardware, I see the Amazon Echo Show as a proof of concept of a next-generation of “interactive television” (#TVhub):
- You have a screen (maybe in an incoming new Amazon product a big screen exactly as an usual nowadays TV).
- You have an audio input/output.
- You have an home actuators/sensors hub controller.
2. Software: Services & use cases ( with TVbots)
Audio / video calls
The Amazon Echo Show promotional video just anticipate some new use cases of Alexa skills, for the family,
As the drop-in, the intercom video-calls feature.
I fully agree when you state in another comment:
“…[a product] for everyone in your family and extended family to make easier, hands-free calls.”
BTW, I feel next step will be the video/audio call to everyone. Here Amazon is disrupting not only the personal computing paradigm, but just the (not-mobile) audio/video call messaging realms.
The corporation also want probably to become a Telco supplier … see Alexa calling & messaging services.
Video-On-Demand
I foresee Amazon Show will evolve soon in an interactive TV: your Alexa assistant will select video on demand streaming channels, just with an audio command:
Alexa, news about Genova, Italia
And you will get a video program with related news.
or
Alexa, any horror movie to watch?
…
And you will watch your preferred Matsumoto’s Tatsuo I stracult movie (joking).
TVbots (anything on demand)
I mean third party bots (Alexa skills with video output), realizing any kind of chat + video application.
What, is this too much? :)