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Amazon announced six Echo and smart-home updates on Wednesday, including a redesigned Echo Show 16, a smart-home-hub Echo Dot and an Echo Studio with a camera. Several devices are available to preorder or buy now; Alexa Home Map is due in preview later this year, and some features have no detailed release date.
Amazon announced six Echo and smart-home updates on Wednesday, spanning a larger Echo Show 16, a redesigned smart-home-focused Echo Dot, a camera-equipped Echo Studio and an interactive map feature. The lineup matters to customers considering upgrades because it adds new hardware and home-control capabilities, while prices and availability differ across the products.
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. A Nanomatte screen option is intended to reduce glare. Amazon also lists micro woofers and two tweeters, a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera, 20 percent more computing power and an upgraded Omnisense platform. The company says Omnisense can support routines such as adjusting the heat when a room is cold or turning on a light when someone enters. The device is available for preorder at $499.99; the Nanomatte version costs $569.99.
The new Echo Dot adds a built-in smart-home hub, so it can control compatible devices without a separate hub. It also includes Amazon’s AZ3 chip, four microphones, Omnisense sensing, an Eero Wi-Fi extender and a driver Amazon says provides 50 percent more bass than the previous generation. It is available for $99.99 in black, white, green and pink.
Amazon also announced three products aimed at specific household uses. The Alexa Photo Frame, a 10-inch touchscreen that syncs with Amazon Photos, can select images using Alexa Plus based on who appears in them, when they were taken and their sentiment, according to the company. It costs $199.99 with a black frame or $229 in birch or walnut. The Echo Studio with Home Camera supports room livestreaming and camera-based questions; it costs $249.99, with a $39.99 optional stand. The Echo Time alarm clock has a 3.2-inch circular screen and an optional feature that may wake users 10 to 60 minutes before their set alarm if it detects a lighter sleep period. It starts at $199.99; a Kids version starts at $209.99.
New Devices Put Home Control First
The announcements show Amazon extending the Echo range beyond voice-controlled speakers into home monitoring, ambient displays and device coordination. The Dot’s built-in hub and Wi-Fi extender could reduce the need for separate equipment for some households, while the Echo Show 16 and Home Map offer new ways to view and control connected devices. Those features may appeal to existing Alexa users, but the announcements do not establish how well they work in everyday use or whether every function will support all devices.
The lineup also introduces more camera and sensing features inside the home. The Studio camera and Alexa Photo Frame depend on people bringing connected devices into shared spaces, making privacy settings and user control relevant considerations alongside price and convenience. Amazon’s product descriptions explain intended functions, but do not provide independent performance results.
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A Fall Refresh Across Echo
The Verge reported that Amazon’s fall announcements include several new Echo devices along with other smart-home products. The six updates covered here range from hardware available now to a feature that remains in development. Echo Dot and Echo Time are listed as available today, while the Echo Show 16 is open for preorder. The Photo Frame and Echo Studio are priced in the announcement, though the source report does not give a specific shipping date for either.
Several products use Amazon’s Omnisense fusion platform, which the company describes as enabling room awareness through signals including temperature and presence. Alexa Home Map takes a broader approach: Amazon says users will enter a home address, scan rooms with a compatible iPhone and place smart-home devices on an interactive 3D map. The feature is designed to display Echo, Ring, Blink, Fire TV and other compatible equipment.
““widest field of view” on an Echo Show device so far”
— Amazon, on the Echo Show 16 camera
Rollout Dates And Feature Limits
Amazon has not specified in the source announcement when the Alexa Photo Frame and Echo Studio with Home Camera will ship, or when the Echo Studio’s planned connection to compatible Fire TVs will arrive. The Echo Show 16 is available for preorder, but the source report does not give a delivery date. The Echo Dot’s listing says it is available today.
Alexa Home Map is set to begin rolling out in preview later this year on iOS through the Alexa Home Map, Alexa and Ring apps, with support also planned for larger Echo Show devices, the Ember Artline Fire TV and new Alexa Tablets. Amazon has not given a specific launch date, explained which homes or devices will be eligible first, or detailed how the map handles data storage and access. The source also does not provide independent testing of the sleep-detection feature, camera-based Alexa functions or the performance claims for the new speakers.
Watch For Sales And Preview
Customers can purchase the Echo Dot and Echo Time at the announced prices, while the Echo Show 16 is available to preorder. Amazon’s next stated software milestone is the Alexa Home Map preview later this year. The company has not announced a precise date for that rollout or a shipping timetable for every newly announced device, so availability details may become clearer as Amazon updates its product listings.
Key Questions
Which new Amazon Echo devices can customers get now?
Amazon lists the Echo Dot at $99.99 and Echo Time at $199.99 as available today. The Echo Show 16 is available for preorder, starting at $499.99, with a Nanomatte option at $569.99.
What is new about the Echo Dot?
The updated Dot has a built-in smart-home hub, Omnisense sensing and an Eero Wi-Fi extender. Amazon also says its new driver offers 50 percent more bass than the previous generation.
What does Alexa Home Map do?
Amazon says it creates an interactive 3D map showing compatible smart-home devices inside and outside the home, which users can control through the map. A preview is planned for later this year, but no specific date has been announced.
How much does the Echo Studio with Home Camera cost?
The camera-equipped Echo Studio costs $249.99. Its optional stand is priced at $39.99; the source report does not give a specific shipping date.
Source: theverge.com
