Yesterday, Amazon had a surprise event out near their HQ in Seattle. Usually, events would unveil maybe 2 or maybe like 6 products as the most. Amazon dropped close to 14 announcements today w/ tons of redesigned & new hardware to push the power of Alexa forward.
But on top of that Amazon made sure to give Alexa a boost in skills as well. You got better offline home control, Whisper Mode that lets you whisper to it and it will whisper back, step-by-step cooking, location-based Routines, home monitoring, Local Voice Control, and more.
Now let's dive into the hardware.
- The Echo Dot gets updated w/a slightly new design as it is now has a larger driver that makes the sound 70% louder w/ more clarity. You can get one now for $50.
- The Echo Plus gets a new look w/ the fabric cloth cover like Google's Home products & adds a built-in smart hub by Zigby. This is coming next month for $150.
- The Echo Show gets a redesign as well. It goes from a 7inch to a 10inch display w/ smaller bezels, 8-mic onboard, and a new speaker system w/ enhanced audio + real-time Dolby processing. You'll have web browser support for a YouTube workaround as well as Skype app for video chats. This is due out next month for $230.
- Amazon made sure to expand outside of the home and into your vehicle w/ the Echo Auto device. It connects to the Alexa app on your smartphone and then you'll have access to all of the Alexa skills - from playing music to phone calls to answer questions. It's due out later this year for $25 via invite and $50 to all.
- The new Echo Input acts like a Chromecast Audio w/ an AI inside of it. You can connect any speaker to it and turn into a smart speaker. It connects via 3.5mm or Bluetooth w/ 4 mics on board. It is due out later this year for $35.
- Amazon wants to help boost your audio experience w/ the Echo Sub. This is a 6inch 10-watt subwoofer that can be stereo-paired w/ up to 2 Amazon Echos. It's coming soon for $130 as you can pre-order it now.
- While we're talking about home theater sound, they also have the Echo Link + Echo Link Amp for multi-room audio. The Link adds the power of Alexa to existing stereo equipment while the Amp a 2-channel 60-watt amp that supports digital + analog multiple inputs/outputs. Both are coming later this year for $200 (Link) + $300 (Link Amp).
- Amazon now has their very own Smart Plug to turn things on/off. It's a Wi-Fi-based plug that supports Alexa via Amazon Echos to make regular household items smarter. Simple enough. This is due out next month for $25.
- Amazon now has 2 Ring Stick Up Cameras w/ one being wired & the other being wireless. Both have 1080p HD video support, a siren, night vision, and 2-way audio within an IPX5 weather-rated body + Ring Alarm support. The wired version just adds motion-detection into the mix. The wired version is due out next month for $180 & wireless version coming later.
- Next up, we have a microwave. Yes, an AmazonBasics Microwave w/ Alexa built into it. It's a regular microwave w/ a Bluetooth LE/Wi-Fi module inside of it w/ software that connects to Alexa. So there's no mics in this thing but connects to your Echo devices to have it warm up your food by telling it to. Of course, you still have to get up to place the food inside though. Pre-orders are live as the microwave is coming next month for $60.
- Similar to the microwave, Amazon has a new Echo Wall Clock w/ a module inside that connects to your Echo devices over Bluetooth. It can tell time, set alarms/timers, and supports Daylight Saving's Time to adjust itself automatically. This is coming later this year for $30.
- Last but not least, Amazon now has a DVR w/ the Fire TV Recast. It will arrive in 2 models: a 500GB w/ 2 tuners + a 1TB w/ 4 tuners. It has Alexa inside so you can instruct it to change channels, record TV shows, or open your local channel guide. However, you will need a separate HD tuner, a Fire TV product or an Echo Show, and a phone/tablet to access the Fire TV app. This is due out in November w/ pre-orders kicking off now. The Recast w/ 2 tuners will cost you $230 while the one w/ 4 tuners will cost you $280.
So that is just about everything. I know it's a lot. Looks like Google has their work cut out for them as the competition is getting a lot more interesting.
Do you plan on picking up one or more of these items?
