Today, Amazon introduced a captivating array of cutting-edge AI-driven products and enhancements during its Devices & Services event. Below, you’ll find comprehensive information on all the fresh devices and features, along with pre-order and availability information you need to be aware of.
Alexa and Echo
1. An upgraded, AI-powered Alexa
Today, the company unveiled a sneak peek of a more advanced and conversational version of Alexa, powered by generative AI. It’s based on a new, custom-built, and voice-optimized large language model designed specifically for enhancing voice interactions. The focus is on delivering real-time information, streamlining smart home control, and enhancing home entertainment, all based on customer preferences. In the near future, U.S. customers will have the opportunity to experience some of the capabilities enabled by generative AI by simply saying, “Alexa, let’s chat” to their existing Echo devices. During this preview phase, conversing with Alexa will feel remarkably natural and engaging, while her ability to reason, understand customer intent, and handle complex requests will undergo a significant enhancement.
Alexa’s Latest Features: Enhancing Accessibility, Safety, and Entertainment
With Alexa, users can effortlessly enhance their daily lives by staying connected with loved ones, optimizing routines, and indulging in entertainment, all without lifting a finger.
Eye Gaze Mode: For customers facing speech or mobility disabilities, Alexa introduces Eye Gaze Mode, which allows them to interact with their tablet through gaze alone. This hands- and voice-free feature enables users to perform various pre-set Alexa actions such as playing music, controlling their home environment, and making calls to loved ones. It will become available at no additional cost later this year on Fire Max 11 Tablets in the U.S., UK, Germany, and Japan.
Call Translation: Alexa now offers real-time translation for audio and video calls, breaking down language barriers and facilitating more effective communication. This feature will be launched for Echo Show and Alexa mobile app users in the U.S., UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain later this year, supporting over 10 languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Alexa Emergency Assist: A new hands-free safety service, Alexa Emergency Assist, provides quick access to assistance with features like 24/7 Urgent Response, Smart Alerts, and Emergency Contacts. Soon, new U.S. customers can subscribe to Alexa Emergency Assist for $5.99 per month or $59 per year, while Guard Plus customers will gain access for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.
Game Start Routines: Users can create custom Routines that automatically trigger when their favorite team’s game starts. With a choice of over 1,300 teams from college and professional sports leagues, including the NFL, WNBA, MLS, and MLB, sports enthusiasts can get in on the action.
Email to Alexa: Simplify family calendar management by sending emails, invites, or event photos directly to Alexa. Alexa will extract event details, add them to your calendar, and send you a confirmation.
Top Connections: Echo Show 8, 10, and 15 devices now offer the Top Connections widget, allowing users to quickly access their favorite contacts or frequently used devices within the household. Initiate calls or drop-ins with a single tap.
Profile-level Voice Customization: In addition to device-specific voice settings, this update enables users to customize Alexa’s voice for individual profiles. Whether it’s a feminine or masculine voice, accent, or speaking rate, your chosen settings will apply across all devices.
AI Art on Fire TV: Soon, Fire TV users will have the ability to create AI-generated artwork with just their voice and imagination. Simply provide Alexa with a creative prompt, and witness it transform into a unique visual display on your screen. AI Art will roll out to U.S. customers by the end of the year on Fire TV devices equipped with the Fire TV Ambient Experience.
3. Echo Frames: Wearable smart eyewear for carrying Alexa with you wherever you go.
The newly unveiled Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses collection blends cutting-edge fashion with Alexa technology, offering users a seamless experience for various everyday tasks, such as updating shopping lists or controlling lighting.
These stylish eyewear options incorporate premium features, allowing wearers to play music with a simple tap and easily locate their misplaced glasses with Alexa’s assistance. With seven fashionable designs and multiple lens choices—including sunglass lenses with UV400 protection, prescription-ready lenses, and blue light lenses—the glasses cater to diverse preferences. Moreover, they boast IPX4 splash and scratch resistance.
Users can enjoy up to six hours of continuous media playback or talk time, or up to 14 hours of moderate usage on a single battery charge. This represents a significant improvement, providing up to 40% more audio playback and 80% more talk time compared to the previous generation. Additionally, for the first time, the glasses support wireless charging via a brand-new charging stand.
4. Echo Show 8: An elegant enhancement for video calls and immersive ambient experiences.
The Echo Show 8 has been redesigned to deliver an enhanced video calling experience, thanks to its centrally positioned camera and background noise reduction capabilities. It also incorporates specialized audio processing technology for a more expansive and immersive sound experience. Moreover, it features room adaptation technology, which can detect the room’s acoustics and fine-tune audio playback to ensure optimal sound quality. Additionally, the built-in smart home hub simplifies the control of various smart home devices from a single location.
One exciting addition to this updated Echo Show is adaptive content. Utilizing computer vision technology, the home screen adapts based on the user’s proximity to the Echo Show 8. When users are at a distance, the screen displays essential information such as simplified news headlines or a large clock, easily visible from across the room. As users approach the device, the screen seamlessly transitions to a more detailed and touch-friendly user interface, along with personalized content.
5. Photo Sharing: Staying Connected Through Images
Later this fall, individuals will have the ability to share photos with their family and friends using any Fire TV or Echo Show device, including the recently unveiled Echo Show 8. To view a slideshow of shared photos, one can simply say, “Alexa, start a photo frame.”
For those who wish to prioritize photos on their new Echo Show 8, the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition is worth considering. This version includes a novel subscription called PhotosPlus, which places personal photos as the primary content on the screen.
The Echo Show 8 Photos Edition will be accessible later this fall at a price of $159.99. Subsequently, after a six-month period, the PhotoPlus subscription will automatically renew at a rate of $1.99 per month.Smart Home
6. Echo Hub: Simplifying Smart Home Control
The Echo Hub emerges as a wall-mountable smart home control panel driven by Alexa, featuring an eight-inch touchscreen and a customizable dashboard designed to accommodate all of a user’s smart home devices. With just a simple tap, users can perform various actions such as arming their security system, initiating Routines, adjusting fan settings, or controlling the volume on their Echo device. Furthermore, Echo Hub allows users to simultaneously view multiple live camera feeds.
Supporting a vast array of smart devices, totaling over 140,000, and compatible with all major connectivity standards, including Matter and Thread, Echo Hub offers remarkable versatility. Users can even obtain power-over-ethernet by utilizing a compatible USB-C converter, linking to devices like the eero PoE Gateway.
One standout feature of Echo Hub is its ability to connect locally to select smart home devices, significantly speeding up popular smart home commands. For instance, when a user taps to turn on a light using Echo Hub, Alexa responds in as little as 300 milliseconds.
Echo Hub is set to become available later this year, priced at $179.99.
7. Map View: A Convenient Smart Home Management Solution for Your Smartphone
Map View introduces a novel way for users to oversee their smart homes via their mobile phones. This innovative feature allows users to construct a digital floor plan of their home and pin their connected devices onto it. This centralized platform eliminates the need for tedious scrolling through lists, memorizing device names, or switching between various apps. Users can effortlessly monitor all their devices and their respective statuses from this unified interface, and control their smart home devices with ease.
Moreover, privacy has been a fundamental consideration in the development of Map View. Users have complete control over which rooms are added to their app and which devices are displayed. They can also unpin individual devices and, if desired, delete their entire floor plan.
Map View is scheduled to become available in the Alexa app on select smartphones in the U.S. later this year, providing users with a seamless and privacy-conscious way to manage their smart homes.
8. eero Max 7
eero Max 7 represents Amazon’s cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 mesh system, positioned as the fastest and most robust eero model to date. This advanced system seamlessly integrates Amazon’s patented TrueMesh networking technology with the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard. The result is a significant boost in internet speeds, enhanced interference avoidance from neighboring networks, and an improvement in mesh latency. The addition of 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity means that users can now achieve remarkable download speeds, such as downloading a 4K movie in just 10 seconds or a 50-gigabyte video game in under a minute. eero Max 7 will soon be made available in one, two, and three-packs, with pricing starting at $599.99.
Fire TV
9. Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Generation): The Mightiest Fire TV Stick, Priced Below $50
The upcoming iteration of the Fire TV Stick 4K surpasses the previous generation in terms of power by nearly 30%, and it incorporates Wi-Fi 6 support. These enhancements translate to swift app launches and deliver a seamless, fluid, and visually vibrant 4K Ultra HD streaming experience.
10. Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation): Featuring the Fire TV Ambient Experience and Setting the Standard as the First Streaming Stick to Offer Wi-Fi 6E Support
For those seeking even greater speeds, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation) is a compelling option to consider. With its robust support for Wi-Fi 6E, offering nearly three times the frequency bandwidth, this device delivers a remarkable reduction in latency and faster data rates. It also minimizes interference from other Wi-Fi-enabled devices within your home environment. Notably, the 4K Max introduces an exceptional visual experience, with support for Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+ for stunning visuals, complemented by immersive Dolby Atmos audio.
Furthermore, the new 4K Max broadens the possibilities of your smart TV. Previously exclusive to the Fire TV Omni QLED Series, the 4K Max now incorporates the Fire TV Ambient Experience. This feature transforms your TV into a versatile, always-engaging display by replacing idle screens with useful information such as your family calendar, local weather forecasts, and reminders when you’re not actively streaming content. Additionally, it offers the option to transform your TV into a captivating piece of decor by browsing through the Ambient Experience’s extensive collection of over 2,000 high-quality artworks from artists worldwide and renowned institutions like the Musée d’Orsay.
11. Fire TV Search and Personalization: Accelerating Your Access to Desired Content
Users will no longer grapple with the age-old question of what to watch, thanks to the revamped Fire TV search experience. This upgraded feature blends generative AI with Fire TV’s vast entertainment content and app library, enabling users to discover content through a more natural and conversational interaction with Alexa. It’s akin to seeking recommendations from a trusted friend.
Additionally, a new “Continue Watching” section will be introduced on Fire TV, consolidating recently viewed content from various streaming providers into a single, easily accessible location. This streamlined approach prioritizes the movies and TV shows that matter most to users, eliminating the need for exhaustive searching and scrolling, and allowing for more immediate streaming.
The upcoming enhancements to Fire TV search and the “Continue Watching” feature are set to roll out later this year in the U.S. via an over-the-air update.
12. Fire TV Soundbar: Elevate Your Audio Experience with Bluetooth Sound
This compact 24-inch soundbar offers users an immersive audio experience, delivering clear dialogue and enhanced bass through the support of DTS® Virtual:X and Dolby Audio technologies. Setting it up is a breeze – users simply need to plug it in, connect it to their TV, and relish their upgraded home theater sound. Furthermore, this soundbar is compatible with all Fire TV streaming media players and televisions.
13. MGM+: Six Months Offered Complimentary
Commencing today, customers can enjoy a six-month subscription to MGM+ at no cost when they purchase a new Fire TV streaming media player or smart TV.
Home Security
14. Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera: A High-Definition, Wire-Free Smart Security LED Floodlight Camera
Customers have consistently expressed their desire for versatile, user-friendly lighting solutions that seamlessly integrate with their security cameras to provide enhanced visibility around their residences. Addressing this demand, the all-new Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera represents the evolution of our highly regarded wire-free intelligent security floodlight. It delivers robust motion-triggered LED illumination and boasts an impressive battery life of up to two years, based on default settings.
For those eager to experience the benefits of this advanced floodlight camera, pre-orders for the Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera are currently open in the U.S. and Canada, priced at $159.98 (CA$209.98). Shipments are set to commence on October 17, 2023.
Existing Blink Outdoor 4 owners who wish to convert their devices into floodlight cameras can also take advantage of this opportunity by pre-ordering the Floodlight Mount accessory for $39.99 (CA$49.99), starting today.
15. Blink Sync Module Pro: Enhanced Range Features for the Blink Outdoor 4
The Sync Module Pro represents the initial system hub to provide extended range support for the Blink Outdoor 4. Leveraging a newly developed proprietary wireless protocol, seamlessly integrated into their custom-designed third-generation silicon, the Sync Module Pro significantly amplifies the Outdoor 4’s operational range—expanding it up to three times beyond the typical Wi-Fi range. With these enhanced range capabilities introduced by the Sync Module Pro, users can effortlessly position their Outdoor 4 cameras virtually anywhere, even in remote areas of their property, free from concerns about Wi-Fi signal coverage.
Additionally, for those interested in locally saving and storing video clips, the Sync Module Pro now incorporates a MicroSD card slot (MicroSD card sold separately).
The Sync Module Pro is scheduled to become available in the spring of 2024, priced at $49.99 (CA$59.99).
16. The Blink Outdoor 4 Battery Extension Pack offers users the opportunity to extend the battery life of their cameras.
As Blink Outdoor 4 cameras are designed for flexible installation in various locations, they may sometimes be placed in hard-to-reach areas, making battery replacement a challenging task. Despite the Outdoor 4’s impressive default battery life of up to two years, Blink has introduced the all-new Battery Extension Pack, which can be configured to extend the camera’s battery life to up to four years, based on default settings. Integrating the Battery Extension Pack with your Outdoor 4 simplifies the management of your Blink home security system, enhancing overall convenience.
Customers can now pre-order the Blink Outdoor 4 Battery Extension Pack in the U.S. and Canada, priced at $29.99 (CA$39.99). Shipments are set to commence on October 17, 2023.
17. The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is an indoor/outdoor camera designed to provide users with an aerial perspective of their property.
The new Ring camera introduces a range of enhanced camera and audio features, providing users with an advanced surveillance experience. Key features include 3D Motion Detection, Bird’s Eye Zones, and Bird’s Eye View, which offer a broader view of the property and the ability to set up precise alerts. For instance, users can track the journey of a package from the delivery truck to their front door and customize notifications to receive alerts for activity on the front porch while excluding alerts for the sidewalk.
The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro also boasts two-array microphones equipped with echo cancellation and introduces Color Pre-Roll, which offers a motion history, including moments leading up to an alert.
Customers can pre-order the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro today, with pricing starting at $179.99. Shipments are scheduled to commence on October 18th.
Kids and Family
18. The Echo Pop Kids speaker represents Amazon’s smallest smart speaker designed for kids, featuring two new character themes.
Introducing the Echo Pop Kids, the latest addition to the Echo Kids family, Amazon’s most endearing and budget-friendly smart speaker designed specifically for children. Sporting two delightful new designs – Marvel’s Avengers and Disney Princess – kids now have the opportunity to wake up to an Avengers-themed alarm or engage with Alexa for entertaining Disney Princess trivia.
Echo Pop Kids also includes a six-month subscription to Amazon Kids+, an acclaimed content service teeming with age-appropriate books, games, videos, music, apps, and Alexa Skills. Moreover, young users can relish a plethora of new and exclusive Audible audiobooks, featuring captivating stories from the Avengers and Disney Princess realms.
Customers can secure their Echo Pop Kids speaker by pre-ordering it today in the U.S., priced at $49.99, with anticipated shipping beginning in October 2023.
19. The Fire HD 10 Kids tablets are lighter and faster Fire tablets tailored for two distinct age groups.
Amazon’s latest children’s tablets, the Fire HD 10 Kids and the Fire HD Kids Pro, have been designed to offer an exceptional experience for two specific age groups. The Fire HD 10 Kids is tailored for children aged 3 to 7, while the Fire HD Kids Pro is intended for youngsters aged 6 to 12. Both of these 10.1-inch tablets have undergone significant improvements, being lighter and boasting a 25% increase in speed compared to the previous generation. They feature 1080 full HD displays, 3GB of RAM, and offer up to 13 hours of battery life. Furthermore, they are priced $10 lower than their predecessors.
For fans of Disney, the Fire HD 10 Kids provides the option to select a Disney bundle, which includes a specially designed kid-friendly case featuring either Mickey Mouse or Disney Princesses, Disney-themed digital wallpapers, and expedited access to Disney content within your child’s Amazon Kids profile.
Customers in the U.S. can secure their Fire HD 10 Kids and Fire HD Kids Pro tablets by pre-ordering today, with a price tag of $189.99 each. Shipments are expected to commence in October 2023.
20. Kids’ routines and games offer increased enjoyment for the entire family.
The introduction of new Morning Routines promises to simplify the morning wake-up process. Families can now activate pre-configured routines that include character alarms, daily affirmations, weather updates, stories, and more, designed to make mornings more enjoyable for children. Additionally, bedtime can become even more enchanting with the inclusion of Sleep Sounds, whic
h feature innovative soundscapes blending AI-generated melodies with traditional sleep sounds like rainfall, babbling brooks, and jungle ambiance, offering a soothing yet dynamic auditory experience aimed at helping kids maintain uninterrupted sleep throughout the night.
Among the exciting developments across all Amazon Fire Kids tablets is the inclusion of 10 additional Play Together games, scheduled for release prior to the holiday season. These games are specifically designed for children and adults to enjoy together, fostering enjoyable moments and nurturing relationships within families. Children initiate the game on their Fire Kids Tablets, inviting adults to participate on their mobile devices, regardless of whether they are in the same house or located miles apart. Furthermore, new experiences encompass Music Maker, which allows kids to explore their creativity as composers, and Quests, a rewarding journey that encourages kids to delve into and learn about various topics such as space exploration or dinosaurs across a wide range of media including books, videos, apps, and more.
21. “Explore with Alexa on Amazon Kids+” involves engaging children in curiosity-driven conversations with Alexa.
Coming soon, Amazon Kids+ will introduce “Explore with Alexa,” an exclusive feature designed to entertain and educate children by allowing them to ask Alexa questions related to animals and nature. The interactive conversation led by Alexa combines engaging fun facts and trivia questions sourced from reputable outlets such as the World Wildlife Fund and A-Z Animals. This initiative aims to inspire kids to continue their exploration of various topics.
