Amazon announced several new hardware products for the year-end shopping season. The company updated its range of Echo smart speakers and displays and expanded the product into wearables with smart glasses and a smart ring. Amazon also presented an Alexa-controlled smart oven and an Echo smart lamp.
The new Echo range includes the top-of-the-range Echo Studio speaker for USD 199.99, designed to show off the new high-quality Amazon Music HD service, and an update of the main model Echo with improved sound for the same price of USD 99.99. The new Echo Flex is a mini version of the speaker that plugs into a wall socket and costs just USD 24.99.
The Echo Dot was upgraded to add a clock face with LED display and sells for USD 59.99. The Echo Show display range received a new 8-inch model with built-in camera for USD 129.98. The display also will come with live cooking lessons for customers subscribing to Discovery's new Food Network Kitchen channel's streaming service, also available on Fire, iOS and Android devices.
Echo wearables
New types of product in the Echo range include the Echo Buds, a pair of wireless earbuds for hands-free access to Alexa. These come with Bose noise reduction technology and are priced at USD 129.99. Amazon promises up to five hours of music or four hours of calling in a single charge of the earbuds.
Available by invitation only, the new Echo wearables are the Echo Frames glasses and Echo Loop wristband. The Echo Frames, priced at USD 179.99, are designed to be worn as normal glasses that offer hands-free access to Alexa. They do not come with a camera or display; instead they are designed more for making calls, controlling smart home devices and accessing reminders with Alexa. Calls are activated with a swipe along the temple, and a long press can also activate Google Assistant.
Echo Loop is a smart ring, featuring two microphones, a tiny speaker and haptic feedback for notifications. Users click the action button to access Alexa functions (or Siri or Google Assistant) via a connection with the user's smartphone. Amazon said the Loop has a full day's life on a single charge and is scratch and water resistant. Offered in a black titanium finish in a choice of four sizes, it's priced at USD 129.99.
The new Echo products are available for pre-order and will start shipping later this year. For the smart home, Amazon introduced the Echo Glow companion device. Controlled by Alexa, the smart lamp offers a range of colours and settings - from a flickering campfire light to a sleep timer that gradually dims as bedtime nears. Customers can also pair the new Amazon Smart Oven with an Echo device to use Alexa to control the oven.
Alexa Certified for Humans
Amazon introduced the Certified for Humans label for the over 85,000 third-party products on the market compatible with Alexa. Customers who buy products with the label will know they are easy to set up and work seamlessly with Alexa, Amazon said. Certified for Humans devices are tested against over a dozen requirements to help ensure they offer a dependable Alexa experience. The label will start appearing this fall from brands including Amazon, Philips Hue, Hamilton Beach and Kasa Smart by TP-Link.
New functions introduced for Alexa include
In addition, Alexa will soon be able to control the Wi-Fi network. Commands can pause Wi-Fi access for the family or a single member or device, as well as help schedule specific Wi-Fi access times and guest access. Alexa customers can use their voice to manage Wi-Fi access on compatible Eero, ASUS,
Amazon is also introducing a multi-lingual mode for Alexa, so it can work with two languages at once, such as Spanish and English, French and English, or Hindi and English. New celebrity voices will be coming to Alexa as well, starting first with the actor Samuel L. Jackson. To give customers more privacy options, Amazon allows users to choose to delete their Alexa voice recordings after three months or 18 months automatically on an ongoing basis.
