Amazon
Amazon has let loose its annual deluge of product introductions. The company unveiled more than a dozen new devices, services and technology initiatives at a launch event held at its Seattle headquarters on Wednesday. They ranged from the premium Echo Studio smart speaker to the multifaceted Amazon Smart Oven kitchen appliance to the Echo Buds earbuds. Though the products were diverse, there was an unmistakable unifying theme: Everything is powered by Alexa, the company’s increasingly capable (and omnipresent) voice-activated assistant.
The company also debuted the Echo Frames smart glasses and the Alexa-powered Echo Loop ring — the first products in the Amazon’s new “Day 1 Editions” program for experimental products that aren’t yet generally available. We’ve rounded up every product that Amazon announced yesterday, most of which are available for preorder today.
Read more: Amazon’s Alexa dives into mobile world with Echo earbuds, glasses and ring
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Amazon Echo Frames put Alexa on your face
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Wearables and Day 1 Editions
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These smart glasses don’t include a display or camera — only integrated microphones and a small speaker for Alexa access on the go. They’re available by invitation and only in the US, for now.
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The Echo Buds have integrated Alexa support and include noise reduction technology from Bose. Amazon promises up to five hours of battery with a single charge and 20 hours when using the charge in the included case. They’re available for preorder and are expected to ship in time for the holidays.
Amazon’s Echo Loop puts Alexa on your finger. The Loop’s titanium frame has one small button; tap it and give your voice command. A haptic engine provides feedback to your finger when you receive notifications. For now, the Loop is available only by invitation, which you can request on Amazon’s site.
Echo and Alexa
The new Amazon Echo has an updated design, featuring 3-inch woofers, and new fabric options including a twilight blue shade. It’s available for preorder now.
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Amazon announced two new Echo Dot devices — one with a built-in digital clock display and one without. Both models come in charcoal, heather gray, plum or sandstone. The clock-less model, which costs $50, is available now. The new clock edition is now available for preorder and will be released on Oct. 16.
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The first smart speaker to support Dolby Atmos 3D audio, the Echo Studio will offer hundreds of songs through Amazon’s Music HD service this year, with more to come in 2020. It’s available for preorder now.
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Designed for kids, the Echo Glow light lets you cycle through colors with a tap, set a sleep timer, start a dance party or get a digital campfire light going. It’s available now for preorder.
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The Echo Show 8 features an 8-inch HD display and, like the Echo Show 5, a privacy shutter that’s designed to cover the camera when it’s not in use. It’s available for preorder now and will ship in time “for the holidays,” according to Amazon.
Smart home
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Amazon’s latest kitchen appliance is a voice-activated microwave with some added skills: convection cooking, air frying and food warming. Alexa will let you know when to stir the food or when it’s finished. It also has a “Scan to Cook” feature: snap a photo of the bar code on prepackaged foods (with the Alexa app or Echo Show) from Whole Foods (and others) to automatically set the oven. The Smart Oven is available for preorder, but only in the US, for now.
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Amazon’s new Echo Flex is a plug-in Alexa-powered smart speaker. It has an integrated USB port and optional Motion Sensor and Smart Nightlight accessories — each priced at $15 — that connect to the USB port. The Flex, Motion Sensor and Smart Nightlight are all available for preorder now.
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Amazon’s upgraded Eero Wi-Fi system sports voice controls and a new dual-band radio that’s useful for the wireless “backhaul” connections that send data from one Eero to another. The access points plug into power outlets in different rooms of a house to ensure everyone — and every device — can connect to the internet. A three-pack of Eeros now costs $249 — down from $500 — and you can get a single Eero router for $99. They’re available now.
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Amazon announced a new version of the Ring Stick Up Cam, which now costs $100 — down from $180 when it debuted in 2018. There’s also a new solar-powered version that starts at $149. Both are available for preorder now.
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Ring’s first indoor camera is now the least expensive model in the lineup. For $60, you get a security camera with 1080 HD Video, two-way talk, real-time notifications and, of course, support for Alexa.
Home theater
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Another product introduced at IFA, this Nebula is the first sound bar with Fire TV built-in. Connect it to a TV and you can stream any Fire TV apps, no separate media streamer required. It has Alexa, but voice commands are only available by speaking into the included voice remote (which also handles TV volume and power) — there’s no hands-free, far-field-just-say-“Alexa” capability like you’ll find on the Polk Command Bar or Sonos Beam. To get that you’ll need to pair it with your own Echo speaker. It’s available now for preorder.