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Amazon announced six updates to its Echo and smart-home lineup, led by a redesigned Echo Show 16 and an Echo Dot with a built-in smart-home hub. New products include a photo frame, a camera-equipped Echo Studio and an alarm clock; Alexa Home Map is due in preview later this year. Prices and availability vary by device.
Amazon announced six updates to its Echo and smart-home lineup on Wednesday, including a larger Echo Show 16, a Dot with a built-in smart-home hub and an Echo Studio with a camera. The announcements pair new hardware with Alexa and home-monitoring features; availability ranges from products on sale now to a home-mapping tool planned for a later preview.
The Echo Show 16 has a 16-inch display in an anodized aluminum frame that Amazon says is nearly 40 percent thinner than its predecessor. It adds an optional Nanomatte screen intended to reduce glare, a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera and revised speakers with micro woofers and two tweeters. Amazon says the device has 20 percent more computing power and an upgraded Omnisense platform that can respond to conditions such as room temperature and a person entering. It is available to preorder for $499.99; the Nanomatte version costs $569.99.
Amazon also introduced the Alexa Photo Frame, a 10-inch touchscreen that syncs with Amazon Photos. The company says Alexa Plus can select images based on who appears in them, when they were taken and their sentiment. The frame costs $199.99 in black or $229 in birch or walnut. The refreshed Echo Dot adds a smart-home hub, Omnisense, Amazon’s AZ3 chip, four microphones and an Eero Wi-Fi extender. Amazon says its new full-range driver delivers 50 percent more bass than the prior generation. The Dot is available for $99.99.
The Echo Studio with Home Camera adds a camera for remote live viewing and questions about objects in its view, according to Amazon. The company says it will soon work with compatible Fire TVs for video calls on a larger screen. The speaker costs $249.99, with an optional $39.99 stand. The Echo Time smart alarm clock has a 3.2-inch circular touchscreen and an optional feature that can sound 10 to 60 minutes before a set alarm when Amazon’s technology identifies a lighter-sleep window. It starts at $199.99; a Kids version starts at $209.99, and an adjustable stand costs $39.99.
More Echo Devices Handle Home Control
The announcements extend Echo beyond voice speakers into home monitoring, device control and display-based services. A built-in hub in the Dot could reduce the need for a separate hub for compatible devices, while the camera-equipped Studio adds a way to check a room remotely. The Show 16’s sensors and larger screen are also positioned to make Alexa more responsive to activity and conditions around the home.
Those functions depend on supported devices, software and user settings. Amazon’s product descriptions explain intended features, but the announcements do not establish how well they perform across different homes or how widely compatible devices will be supported. The products also span a broad price range, from the $99.99 Dot to the $569.99 matte-screen Show 16.
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Six Announcements, Different Timelines
The six updates are part of Amazon’s fall hardware announcements, which include both devices and a software feature. Five are hardware products: the Echo Show 16, Alexa Photo Frame, Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera and Echo Time. The sixth is Alexa Home Map, an interactive map for organizing and controlling smart-home devices.
Availability is not uniform. Amazon says the Dot and Echo Time are available today and the Show 16 is available for preorder. The Photo Frame and camera-equipped Studio have prices listed in the announcement, but the source report does not give their release dates. Alexa Home Map is planned for a preview later this year, rather than being described as broadly available now.
““widest field of view” on an Echo Show device so far”
— Amazon, describing the Echo Show 16 camera
Performance and Release Dates Still Vary
Amazon has not provided a full release schedule for every announced product in the source report. The Photo Frame and Echo Studio with Home Camera have prices, but their shipping dates are not specified. The Home Map preview is planned for later this year, with no exact date given.
Some advertised functions also need more detail. The announcement does not specify which third-party devices the Dot’s hub will support, how the Echo Time determines a lighter-sleep period in practice, or the terms and controls for the Studio’s camera and image-based questions. Amazon’s claims about camera field of view, bass and processing gains have not been independently tested in the supplied report.
Watch for Preorders and Map Preview
Amazon says the Echo Show 16 is available for preorder, while the Echo Dot and Echo Time are available today. Buyers will need to check Amazon’s product listings for shipping dates and availability of the Photo Frame and Echo Studio with Home Camera, since those dates are not stated in the announcement material.
The next announced software milestone is an Alexa Home Map preview later this year. Amazon says it is planned for iOS in the Alexa Home Map, Alexa and Ring apps, as well as larger Echo Show devices, the Ember Artline Fire TV and new Alexa Tablets. The company has not provided a precise rollout date.
Key Questions
Which new Echo products did Amazon announce?
Amazon announced the Echo Show 16, Alexa Photo Frame, Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera and Echo Time, along with the Alexa Home Map smart-home feature.
How much does the new Echo Dot cost?
The updated Echo Dot costs $99.99. It includes a smart-home hub and an Eero Wi-Fi extender, according to Amazon.
What does Alexa Home Map do?
Amazon says Alexa Home Map creates an interactive 3D map of a home and its devices, which users can control through the map. A preview is planned for later this year.
Can the Echo Time wake someone before their set alarm?
Its optional smart alarm feature can sound 10 to 60 minutes before the set time if Amazon’s Omnisense technology identifies a lighter-sleep window, according to the company.
Source: theverge.com
