Some Lenovo laptops can now turn into smart displays with Alexa’s Show Mode

Lenovo had announced this feature at CES 2021 and had mentioned that the Show Mode is going to come to a few select laptop models first.

If you do not have any of these Lenovo models, fret not, Amazon has said that they are working on expanding Show Mode compatibility to other PC models by later this year. (Amazon)

A few of Lenovo's laptops now support Show Mode that can turn PCs into smart displays with one easy command. The Show Mode feature allows users to turn their laptops to show trending news, listen to music, set a timer etc - basically all things you can do with a smart display that comes with voice assistant support. Amazon has announced that this voice-first, interactive Alexa experience for select Lenovo laptops is going to be rolled out exclusively on Lenovo Yoga, IdeaPad, and ThinkPad models that are on Windows 10 right now.

Amazon explained in a blog post that the new Show Mode is capable of supporting many Alexa features. You can use the feature to ask questions about the weather, find out the latest news, set reminders, play games, listen to music, etc. Along with all this, you can also use it to control compatible smart home devices. Essentially, you are using the PC as a smart display so you can use voice commands to trigger actions.

If your Lenovo laptop supports Show Mode, all you need to do is say - “Alexa, open Show Mode”. You can also click on the “Show Mode” button on the Alexa tab to get started. “With the ‘set it and forget it' Alexa experience in Show Mode, users can talk to Alexa on a large screen display without having to either be in front of their laptop at all times or reach for their phone to get things done,” the Amazon explained in the blog.

This new Show Mode will be available exclusively on select Alexa-compatible Lenovo Yoga, IdeaPad, and ThinkPad PCs with Windows 10 in India, Austria, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, UK, and the US, for now. Lenovo had announced this Show Mode feature at CES 2021 and had said that the Yoga Slim 9i, Yoga 9i, Yoga 7i, Yoga AIO 7 and the IdeaPad 5 Series would be the first devices to get it. Lenovo advises that users must ensure that the devices are unlocked with an open lid and support far-field mics to make the Show Mode experience seamless. If you do not have any of these Lenovo models, fret not, Amazon has said that they are working on expanding Show Mode compatibility to other PC models by later this year.