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Amazon announced six updates across its Echo devices and smart-home software on Wednesday. Several products are available to buy or preorder now, while Alexa Home Map is planned for a preview later this year; prices start at $99.99 for the new Echo Dot.
Amazon announced six updates to its Echo lineup and smart-home software on Wednesday, including a redesigned Echo Show 16, an Echo Dot with a built-in smart-home hub and a camera-equipped Echo Studio. The announcements also include a digital photo frame, a smart alarm clock and Alexa Home Map, a planned feature for controlling devices through an interactive 3D view of a home.
The new Echo Show 16 has a 16-inch display in an aluminum frame that Amazon says is nearly 40 percent thinner than the previous model. It adds an optional Nanomatte screen intended to reduce glare, upgraded speakers and a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera. Amazon says the device has 20 percent more computing power and an updated Omnisense platform that can use room temperature and presence to trigger smart-home actions. It is available for preorder at $499.99, or $569.99 with Nanomatte.
The Echo Dot adds a built-in smart-home hub, an Eero Wi-Fi extender and Omnisense sensors for detecting temperature and presence. Amazon also lists a custom AZ3 chip, four microphones and a new driver that it says provides 50 percent more bass than the prior generation. The Dot is available for $99.99 in four colors. The Echo Studio with Home Camera adds a camera for viewing a room remotely or asking Alexa about objects in view; Amazon says compatibility with select Fire TVs for video calls is coming later. It costs $249.99, with a separate stand for $39.99.
The other announcements are the Alexa Photo Frame, a 10-inch touchscreen that syncs with Amazon Photos and can select pictures using Alexa Plus; the Echo Time alarm clock, with an optional wake-up window based on Amazon’s sleep-related sensing feature; and Alexa Home Map, software for viewing and controlling compatible devices on an interactive 3D home map. The Photo Frame starts at $199.99, and Echo Time at $199.99; a Kids version starts at $209.99. The map feature is planned for a preview later this year.
Echo Devices Take On More Home Tasks
The updates show Amazon adding more functions to familiar Echo categories rather than announcing a single new product type. The Echo Dot’s built-in hub could let customers control compatible devices without buying a separate hub, while its Wi-Fi extender is intended to address coverage in the home. The larger Echo Show combines a screen, camera and environmental sensing, and the Echo Studio adds a way to check a room remotely.
For buyers, the range spans different needs and price points: a $99.99 speaker, a $199.99 alarm clock or photo frame, and a $499.99 large display. The additions also place more household activity within Amazon’s Alexa, Ring and Photos services. That may make setup and control more centralized for existing users, though the announcement does not establish how well the features will work in practice or what data controls will be available across every function.
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Six Products, Different Release Timelines
Amazon described the products as part of a series of fall device announcements, with Wednesday’s news focused mainly on Echo speakers and related smart-home products. The updates include both hardware and software: the Show, Dot, Studio, Photo Frame and Echo Time are devices, while Alexa Home Map is a service feature that will appear across several Amazon apps and screens.
Availability is not uniform. Amazon says the Echo Show 16 is available for preorder, while the Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera, Alexa Photo Frame and Echo Time are listed as available now. Alexa Home Map is scheduled to enter preview later this year. The source report does not provide shipping dates for every device or a full list of countries where each product will be sold.
““widest field of view” on an Echo Show device so far”
— Amazon, describing the Echo Show 16 camera
Feature Limits and Rollout Details
Amazon has not provided a full account of the availability, regional rollout or compatibility limits for every announced feature. The Alexa Home Map preview is planned for later this year, but the announcement does not specify a precise launch date or how broadly the feature will be available. Amazon says users can build a map by entering an address, scanning rooms with a compatible iPhone and placing devices on the map; requirements for particular homes and devices remain unclear.
Other details also need clarification. The report does not give a release date for the Echo Studio’s Fire TV video-call support, explain the full controls for camera livestreams, or specify which services and devices will work with all new hub and sensing functions. Amazon’s claims about audio, camera field of view and device performance have not been independently verified in the source material.
Products Arrive as Features Roll Out
Customers can preorder the Echo Show 16 and buy the Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera, Alexa Photo Frame and Echo Time, according to Amazon’s announcement. The next stated software milestone is an Alexa Home Map preview later this year on iOS through the Alexa Home Map, Alexa and Ring apps. Amazon also says the feature is coming to larger Echo Show devices, the Ember Artline Fire TV and new Alexa Tablets.
The Echo Studio’s promised connection to compatible Fire TVs is another upcoming step, though no date was given. Further details on shipping, market availability, compatibility and privacy controls will help clarify how the new features work once the devices and preview reach customers.
Key Questions
What are the six updates Amazon announced?
They are the Echo Show 16, Alexa Photo Frame, upgraded Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera, Echo Time alarm clock and Alexa Home Map software.
Which new Echo products are available now?
Amazon lists the Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera, Alexa Photo Frame and Echo Time as available now. The Echo Show 16 is available for preorder.
How much do the new devices cost?
Prices start at $99.99 for the Echo Dot. Echo Time and the Alexa Photo Frame each start at $199.99; the Echo Studio with Home Camera costs $249.99, and the Echo Show 16 starts at $499.99.
What does Alexa Home Map do?
Amazon says it will show compatible devices, such as cameras, lights, locks and thermostats, on an interactive 3D map of a home, with controls available through the map. A preview is planned for later this year.
Source: theverge.com
