Earlier this week, Amazon had its Fall 2023 launch event at HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia, and introduced some new, not-so-new products.
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Without further ado, let’s take a look at the new products Amazon announced, as well as some updates/upgrades to existing ones.
Table of contents
Alexa AI
“Alexa, let’s chat”. The first update is Amazon’s new keyphrase for initiating a conversation with Alexa, now powered by LLM (large language model). Alexa is able to understand conversational phrases and respond accordingly. One of the most frustrating issues with voice assistants is having to repeat yourself frequently for one task or question. Now with Alexa, if you say a specific phrase such as “I’m cold” Alexa will turn up the temperature on the thermostat you have connected. Or, “Alexa, it’s too bright in here,” and Alexa will dim the lights.
The new LLM used with Alexa aims to make the voice assistant more conversational with a new level of smart home intelligence, including the ability to give multiple commands all in one go. For example, you can say “Alexa, close all the blinds, turn off all the lights, and start the vacuum” and all those tasks will happen.
Echo Frames (3rd Gen)
Amazon’s Echo Frames is hitting its third generation by adding in longer battery life, new styles, aesthetics, and more. The company states it had to solve numerous design and engineering challenges such as moving the circuitry from the front of the frames to the temples while making the design 15% slimmer than previous generations. As a result, Amazon was able to add more comfort behind the ear.
Looking at the technical side of the third-generation Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses, they’ve been revamped for a better audio experience. Each style will include a new built-in speaker driver and a redesigned open-ear audio architecture that can deliver more bass with better audio quality and balance. Alexa’s wake word has also been improved with 10 times better voice recognition in loud or windy situations.
In addition to the Alexa features customers already know and love, like listening to music, adding items to shopping or to-do lists, turning on or off lights, or asking Alexa for information while on the go, Amazon loaded Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses with even more features to simplify our customers’ lives:
- Connect simultaneously to multiple devices: Seamlessly pair and switch between two audio sources
connected to your smart glasses, without toggling the settings. That means you can take a video call on your laptop and simply switch to listening to music on your phone when walking out the door. - Start a playlist with a press of a button: With this new audio entertainment feature, you won’t need to
fumble around with your phone or say anything to begin playing music—simply double-press the back action button to start a recommended playlist. - Filter notifications: VIP Filter allows you to hear the notifications that are most important to you, without
taking out your phone. The feature also recognizes when you are listening to audio and delivers a low-distraction chime without disrupting your flow. - Easily locate misplaced glasses: Alexa can help you locate lost or misplaced smart glasses. Once set up,
simply say, “Alexa, find my smart glasses,” to another Echo device or in the Alexa app, and you will hear the glasses’ last-known location.
The new Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses with Alexa will start at $269.99, and customers can sign up to be notified when pre-orders begin.
Echo Show 8
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 is getting a sleek new look with a newly centered camera and better background noise minimization. The smart display also features custom-built special audio processing technology, creating a wider and more immersive sound experience, plus, room adaption tech that senses the acoustics of the room and fine-tunes playback for optimal sound. Meanwhile, the built-in smart home hub makes it easy to control all your smart home devices from one place.
An exciting new update to this Echo Show is adaptive content. Thanks to computer vision, your home screen will change based on your proximity to Echo Show 8. When you’re further away, the screen will show essentials like a simplified news headline or a large clock—information you can read from across the room. But as you approach the device, the screen will transition to more detailed and touch-friendly UI, along with personalized content.
eero Max 7
Amazon also announced the eero Max 7, the company’s first WiFi 7 mesh system. It offers a tri-band mesh WiFi system supporting 2.4, 5, and 6GHz radio bands and can deliver wireless speeds up to 4.3Gbps with wired speeds up to 9.4Gbps. The router comes with two 10 and two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports supporting multiple wired devices that can help customers reach internet plans of up to 10Gbps.
It can deliver up to twice the wireless range of the eero Pro 6E by providing 2500 square feet with one router and a whole mesh system of 7500 square feet of coverage. TrueMesh technology is still a feature with the new eero Max 7 routing data through the fastest path in the network and more.
The eero Max 7 will be available soon for $599.99 for one pack, $1149.99 for a two-pack, and $1699.99 for a three-pack. You can purchase it from Amazon.com, Best Buy, and ISPs such as Frontier and MetroNet.
Fire TV
When you think of Fire TV, Amazon’s little HDMI dongle comes to mind. At least it does for me. The Fire TV familyis getting some updates and new additions such as the all-new Fire Stick 4K Max and a Fire TV Soundbar. Updates do include an Ambient Experience that automatically comes with the 4K Max dongle and will be updated to the “new” Fire TV Stick 4K. These new devices do come with the Climate Pledge Family badge indicating their reduced carbon footprint on the planet.
Fire TV Stick 4K
The Fire TV Stick 4K isn’t necessarily new, but it is getting an update that comes with 30% more power thanks to a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, new support for Wi-Fi 6, and still selling for under $50. You can still enjoy vibrant 4K UHD picture quality and Dolby Atmos audio with support for Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR10+, and more. It’s available for pre-order now and will be released on September 27th for $49.99 at Amazon.com.
Fire TV Stick 4K Max
The new Fire TV Stick 4K Max will be the first Fire TV streaming media player to come with Fire TV Ambient Experience, feature an upgraded 2.0GHz quad-core processor, and support for Wi-Fi 6E. The Ambient Experience was previously only available for the Omni QLED Series TVs from Amazon, but with it coming to the Stick 4K Max, customers can enjoy hundreds of free artwork. It’s available for pre-order now and will be released on September 27th for $59.99 at Amazon.com.
Fire TV Soundbar
Amazon’s all-new Fire TV Soundbar is a two-channel speaker that supports DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Audio. With a 24-inch compact design, easy to set up, and is compatible with all Fire TV devices. The soundbar also comes with Bluetooth for customers who want to connect their smartphones, tablets, or other media-playing devices. It’s available today for $119.99.
Home Security
We all love a little bit of home security. Whether it’s doorbells to floodlight cameras, Amazon has it all and announced new cameras from Blink and Ring.
Blink
The new Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera is the next generation of Amazon’s popular wire-free smart security floodlight, delivering powerful motion-triggered LED lighting and up to two years of battery life, based on default settings. Pre-order the Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera can be preordered today in the U.S. and Canada for $159.98. Devices will start shipping on October 17, 2023.
Ring Stick Up Cam Pro
With the new 2023 Ring Stick Up Cam Pro, improvements have been made in the camera and audio department. With 3D Motion Detection, Bird’s Eye Zones, and Bird’s Eye View letting you see more of your property along with setting up better alerts. The Ring camera also features two-array microphones with echo cancellation and Color Pre-Roll that will give you a history of detected motion seconds before you get the alert. The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is available for pre-order starting at $179.99 and will start shipping on October 18th.
Kids
If adults can get something new, why not kids? Amazon has announced the Echo Pop Kids speaker and updated Fire HD tablets. The Echo Pop Kids smart speakers come in two models while the Fire HD 10 tablets come in two different age ranges and choose a Disney-themed bundle. Each device will come with new content for Amazon Kids+.
Echo Pop Kids smart speaker
While the Echo Pop may not be new, the Echo Pop Kids definitely is. It’s Amazon’s affordable smart speaker designed just for kids with two designs, Marvel’s Avengers and Disney Princess. With character themes, kids can hear greetings, fund facts, or a joke about the Avengers or Disney Princess. Each device will come with six months of Amazon Kids+. Echo Pop Kids is available for pre-order for $49.99 and will arrive next month.
Fire HD 10 Kids tablets
With two available configurations for kids, the Fire HD 10 Kids is made with 3 to 7-year-olds in mind and the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is for 6 to 12-year-olds. Both come with a 10.1-inch, 1080p FHD display, 3GB of RAM, 5-megapixel cameras, and up to 13 hours of battery life — all while being 25% lighter. For Disney fans out there, you will be glad to hear that there is a bundle for the Fire HD 10 Kids that will come with a custom-designed Mickey Mouse of Disney Princess kid-friendly case, Disney-themed wallpapers, and quick access to Disney content in your child’s profile.
Both models will cost $10 less than previous generations and include 12 months of Amazon Kids+. Each is available for pre-order starting at $189.99 and will ship next month.
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Last Updated on March 13, 2024.
