Amazon, the e-commerce powerhouse has launched a host of new products. Here is all you need to know of Amazon’s “gifts” ahead of the holiday shopping season:
1. Astro
The Astro home robot is equipped with a rotating screen that’s mounted onto a base with wheels, providing a live camera feed. Integrated with Alexa, it responds to voice commands and can be used to perform specific tasks like checking on your kids and pets. Amazon has designed it to be friendly and animated, and it is capable of navigating around objects on the floor or avoiding collisions with obstacles. It also sports AI processors to enable edge computing. Priced at $999.99 for early buyers (it is available on invite-only access), it will be priced at $1,449.99 when it is made widely available.
2. Smart Thermostat
The Amazon Smart Thermostat works with most 24V HVAC systems and is integrated with Alexa (which means it accepts voice commands). It is developed with Resideo and will be competing with Google’s Nest. Priced at $59.99, you can pre-order one in the US today, and if you are eligible for utility provider rebates, then you will get it for $10 or free.
3. Echo Show 15
The latest addition to the Echo device family has a 15.6-inch display and can be mounted on the wall. Running on the quad-core Amazon AZ2 Neural Edge processor, it is priced at $249.99 and works in both portrait and landscape mode. It is integrated with Alexa and lets you view live camera feeds in Picture-in-Picture mode. The device can control smart-home devices such as Ring security cameras, lights, or appliances and is equipped with a visual ID facial recognition feature – after successful recognition, you will be shown personalized content based on your profile. The Echo Show 15 also supports 1080p video streaming and offers support for popular streaming apps such as Netflix, Prime Video, and more.
4. Amazon Glow
Amazon has also built some products keeping children in mind, and the Amazon Glow is the result of that. The interactive device offers a 19-inch sensitive projected area where the user can connect with others and interact in a shared virtual space in real-time, thanks to the built-in projector. It also sports an 8-inch LCD display for the video feed of the family member who joins from a tablet. Amazon said that it was partnering with Disney, Nickelodeon, and Mattel to work on games that kids could play with family members using the device. You can sign up for invite-only access at $249.99, but later on, Amazon Glow will cost $299.
5. Halo View
Amazon has invested more into the fitness segment, and the Halo View is a testament to that. The waterproof wristband with an AMOLED color display has up to seven days of battery life and comes with sports, fabric, metal, and leather band options to choose from. It is priced at $79.99 and has 1-year access to Halo Fitness. Halo Fitness is Amazon’s latest fitness service, launched alongside Halo View, and offers access to streamable studio-quality workouts. With Halo Fitness, users can check real-time metrics, including live heart rate and heart rate intensity while they are working out with one of Halo Fitness’ trainers. Halo Nutrition was the final Halo product to be launched and is a meal-planner equipped with over 500 recipes from Amazon’s partners.
6. Hey Disney
This is a great piece of news for Disney lovers across the globe. Your favorite Disney characters are coming right to you in the form of Amazon’s latest voice assistant that works alongside Alexa, and integrates multiple Disney characters including Olaf and Mickey Mouse, with Alexa.
7. Improvements to Alexa
Alexa is getting better by the day, and Amazon has made it possible for its most popular voice assistant to learn the preferences of its customers, recognize custom sounds, and perform actions when it hears them. The Alexa Together service has been launched as well and sports an urgent response feature for 24/7 access to a professional emergency helpline. This is mainly for the elderly members of the family and is priced at $19.99 per month after a six-month trial for new customers or 1-year trial for Care Hub customers.
8. Ring Security Drone
Called the “Always Home Cam,” the security camera is available on invite-only access at $249.99 in the US and flies around inside your house to give users a view of their home while they are away. The route is preplanned and you can control it with the Ring app.
9. Ring
Amazon has been investing heavily in home security, giving birth to Ring. The Virtual Security Guard, a subscription monitoring service, integrates a third-party security service with Ring devices, and Virtual Security Guard agents can respond to alerts by tuning into the live feed, communicating with anyone they see, triggering the on-device siren, or calling emergency services. The Ring Alarm Pro is another home security system that comes with a base station and a built-in Eero Wi-Fi 6 router and is priced at $249.99. Additionally, Amazon announced the Ring Edge, a part of the Protection Plan subscription and which allows users to insert a microSD card for local video storage and processing on the hardware itself. Last but not least is Ring Jobsite Security, which monitors construction and contractor job sites.
10. Blink
Blink, Amazon’s acquisition in 2017, comes with new features and products like the Blink Video Doorbell (comes at $49.99) and the Blink Floodlight Cam ($130.98), as well as the Blink Solar Panel Mount ($129.98). The Blink Video Doorbell has 1080p HD video and two years of battery life, as well as night vision, motion detection, two-way audio, and Alexa alerts. The Floodlight Cam is a battery-powered smart LED floodlight mount.
