Time is running out to grab the Echo Show 8 for $60 at Amazon — its lowest price ever

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This may be your last chance to grab the 1st-gen Echo Show 8, but it's a great chance because it's now just $60. (Photo: Amazon)

Earlier this year, Amazon introduced a new version of its popular Echo Show 8 smart screen. OK, but what happens to all the inventory of the old version?

Fire sale! Or maybe "early Black Friday" sale? Whatever you want to call it, the first-generation Echo Show 8 is currently marked down to just $60 — the lowest price in that device's history. It originally sold for $130, later for $110.

$60 ~~$110~~ at Amazon

Before I explain why this is arguably the best smart-screen deal ever, let me point out that the aforementioned newer Echo Show 8 is on sale for $99 (save $30). That ties its all-time low, but I suspect it'll creep a little lower as Black Friday draws near.

Which one should you choose? The 2nd-gen Echo Show 8 offers a faster processor (meh) and much-improved front camera (yay!), one that can follow you around during video calls so you don't have to stay rooted in front of the screen.

Here's the thing, though: If you're buying one of these primarily for video calls, you might do better holding out for an Echo Show 10 sale or grabbing the now-on-sale Facebook Portal 10 for $79 (also an all-time low). To my thinking a bigger screen is better than a follows-you-around camera (though actually you get both from the Portal).

Sneak a peek at what's happening in the baby's room or anywhere else you've got an Echo-compatible smart camera. (Photo: Amazon)

The Echo Show 8 makes a great kitchen companion, able to show recipe videos, Netflix, family photos and so on, or stream tunes from the likes of Spotify and even Apple Music. Obviously Alexa-powered voice controls are a big part of the mix, whether for operating the Echo itself or controlling any compatible smart-home devices you might have.

Great example: You're elbow-deep in a cookie recipe when the doorbell rings. You can say, "Alexa, show me the front door" and get a visual from your porch camera — without so much as dropping your wooden spoon.

Still not convinced? Here's a rather staggering endorsement: The Echo Show 8 earned a 4.7-star average rating (out of 5) from over 238,000 Amazon customers. Fully 84% of those quarter-million-plus buyers gave this thing 5 stars. And most of those ratings came after paying a higher price.

For $60 out the door, how can you go wrong?

$60 ~~$110~~ at Amazon

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