Amazon’s Hardware event is done and dusted for another year, and they announced a slew of products and services. Here are all the products and services that you need to know about.
At its September event Amazon unleashed updates to its Echo speaker range, Fire TV devices and Ring security services. There was one announcement we weren’t expecting in the Luna gaming cloud service.
Here are all the products and services that were announced at the event.
What Alexa products were announced at Amazon’s September Event?
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Amazon launched two new models in the Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Lite.
Headline features for the Fire TV Stick include HDR support and Dolby Atmos sound. The Fire TV interface is also set to be spruced up with up to six user profiles and an enhanced Alexa experience.
The Fire TV Stick is on sale September 30th. It’ll cost £39.99.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
The Fire TV Stick Lite is the cheapest model in the Fire TV range. Like the Fire TV Stick, it supports HDR playback but loses support for controlling your TV and connected devices such as a soundbar.
Both new Fire TV Stick models are 50% faster performance than previous efforts. The Lite version goes on sale September 30th for £29.99.
Amazon Echo Dot/Echo Dot with Clock 4th Gen
Amazon surprised us with a redesign of the new Echo Dot. We rather like it.
The newest Echos are powered by Amazon’s first-generation AZ1 Neural Edge processor, which apparently can process speech faster, making Alexa even more responsive.
Also announced was the Echo Dot Kids Edition. The new Echo Dot can be pre-ordered from Amazon for £49.99 and goes on sale October 22nd. The new Echo Dot with Clock can be pre-ordered for £59.99. That ships on 5th November .
Amazon Echo 4th Gen
We thought it could be too soon for a new Echo, but Amazon pulled the wraps off of the Echo 4th Gen. Like the new Echo Dot it features a spherical design.
Sporting a fabric finish, the Alexa ring light is at its base for better visibility. The difference in shape is a change from previous Echos, with this version aimed at blending in better with your living room decor. It’s available for pre-order now, and costs £89.99.
Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)
A new Echo Show was outed at Amazon’s hardware event, and it incorporates a display that tracks your movement around the room.
The device’s motion is powered by a “silent motor”, and thanks to the redesign, the 10-inch Echo Show can now provide directional sound too. The Netflix app will be coming to all Echo Shows in the future, too.
The device is listed on Amazon UK as coming soon with a price of £239.99.
Ring Always Home Cam
Ring Security produced what was probably the coolest moment of the presentation.
The latest model in the Ring product line-up is Always Home Cam, which is part security camera/drone. It can fly up from its dock to predetermined areas of you home to give the homeowner multiple viewpoints from a single camera. How cool is that?
Costing $249.99, there’s no details on a release date for the UK as yet.
Ring Car Alarm/Cam
Also announced at the Hardware Event were the Ring Car Alarm ($59.99) and Car Cam ($199.99). The former plugs into your car and monitors to detect for any break-ins or suspicious goings on. The latter features a camera that can connect over Wi-Fi or an LTE connection. Simply say “Alexa, I’m being pulled over” and the camera will start recording.
Like the Always Home Cam, there are no details on a UK release for either product.
Amazon Luna
In what looks like a grab for a piece of the online gaming pie, Amazon announced Luna, which looks like a direct rival to Google Stadia.
Amazon has lined up high-profile games for the service, and they’ll be streamed via the cloud with no need to download titles or massive updates getting in the way. Titles available during the Early Access trials of the Luna+ channel include Control, Resident Evil 7, GRID, Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
The service will cost $5.99/month. No news yet on a UK launch.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.