Think of Amazon’s new Echo Spot, a $130 clock-style device unveiled by the tech giant today, as a scaled-down Echo Show meant for the bedside or desktop, with a touch screen and video-conferencing capabilities in addition to a variety of available clock faces.
Echo Spot also plays video, but Google’s surprise move this week to block YouTube from playing on the Echo Show also extends to the newest device, Amazon executives acknowledged after their media briefing here today. Instead, the demos shown by the company relied on video from existing Flash Briefing video providers.
Amazon’s announcements today put the timing of Google’s move in a new light. Amazon executives said they were surprised by Google’s decision, but Google said it had been “in negotiations with Amazon for a long time, working towards an agreement that provides great experiences for customers on both platforms.”
Google said Amazon’s implementation of YouTube on the Echo Show violated Google’s terms of service. Among other things, the Echo Show doesn’t provide playlists or ways to subscribe to YouTube videos.
More: Amazon introduces revamped $99 Echo, Echo Connect calling device, Echo Buttons and more
