The robots are coming! And so is a new connected gadget or feature to every nook and cranny of your home — if Amazon has anything to say about it that is.
Amazon just announced a treasure trove of new devices and services that they say “brings ambient intelligence to life.”
What’s that even mean? According to Amazon PR, it “unlocks new experiences for customers—enabling devices and services to work seamlessly together, offering more than any single product could.”
The company also promises these new features will let us all be more present with the people and things most important to us. But how do we feel about letting a tech giant into even more private places in our home? That’s the question we’ll have to answer as these gadgets roll out. Until then, here’s a summary of Amazon’s news. The company also provided links for more information and images here, highlights from today’s event here or to read more here.
New Devices
- Astro: A first-of-its-kind robot that monitors your home while you’re away, helps you look out for the people you care about most, and brings Alexa to you. Designed to be helpful and convenient, Astro includes new advancements in artificial intelligence, computer vision, sensor technology, and voice and edge computing. Astro will cost $1,449.99, but as part of the Day 1 Edition program, it will be available for an introductory price of $999.99 and include a free six-month trial of Ring Protect Pro. To learn more about Astro or request an invite, please visit www.amazon.com/Astro.
- Echo Show 15: The newest addition to the Echo Show family that is designed to be the digital heart of your home. With a 15.6-inch, 1080p Full HD display, Echo Show 15 can be mounted on a wall or placed on a counter—either in portrait or landscape orientation—and can help you stay organized, connected, and entertained. Plus, it’s built with the next-generation Amazon AZ2 Neural Edge processor, a redesigned home screen with more customization options, new personalization features with visual ID, and all-new Alexa experiences. Echo Show 15 will be available for $249.99. To learn more, visit www.amazon.com/EchoShow15.
- Amazon Glow: An entirely new way for kids and families to connect with loved ones near and far. During video calls on Glow, kids see remote loved ones on a dedicated 8” display while they read stories, play games, and create art on a 19” touch-sensitive, projected space. At the same time, remote family and friends see the child on a tablet and participate in the same activities using the free Glow mobile app. Customers can request an invitation to be a part of the early access Glow program starting today at www.amazon.com/Glow.
- Halo View: Our newest fitness tracker featuring a vibrant AMOLED color display. Halo View gives wearers at-a-glance access to key Halo health metrics and more, while two new Halo membership experiences—Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition—provide customers with even more ways to fuel up and work out. Halo View is just $79.99 and comes bundled with a full year of Halo membership, which will include Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition. You can sign up to be notified when Halo View is available at www.amazon.com/Halo-View.
New Smart Home Products and Services
We introduced new products and services to create a simpler, more useful smart home experience and deliver peace of mind.
- Amazon Smart Thermostat: A smart, ENERGY STAR-certified thermostat that works with Alexa to make it easier for customers to keep their home comfortable and energy-efficient. Amazon Smart Thermostat is available for only $59.99 here.
- Blink Video Doorbell: A smart doorbell that features a long-lasting battery life, wired or wire-free install, HD day and night video, two-way audio, and chime app alerts to your smartphone. Blink Video Doorbell is available for pre-order in the U.S. starting today for $49.99 here. Blink also announced two new devices that expand Blink’s whole-home security offering even further. The new Blink Floodlight Camera is a battery-powered LED mount that works with Blink Outdoor to deliver a smart floodlight security camera with 700 lumens of motion-triggered lighting. Blink Solar Panel Mount supplies a nonstop sustainable charge from the sun for Blink Outdoor, providing nonstop peace of mind.
- Amazon Sidewalk Pilot Programs: Learn more here on how CareBand and Life360 are working with Amazon to help people stay better connected with loved ones using Sidewalk.
- Ring Alarm Pro: A first-of-its-kind home security system that combines protection against break-ins, floods, fires, and online threats with the reliable connectivity of a built-in eero Wi-Fi 6 router. Ring Alarm Pro also offers 24/7 Backup Internet with a Ring Protect Pro subscription to keep all the devices customers care about online with a cellular data connection. Available for pre-order here today, starting at $249.99.
- Ring Jobsite Security: An exclusive collaboration with The Home Depot to bring Ring Alarm Pro and other Ring smart home security devices to the job site for the first time. Available for pre-order exclusively at The Home Depot, starting at $399.99.
- Virtual Security Guard: A new third-party subscription service that extends your professional monitoring of Ring Alarm by visually monitoring your eligible Ring outdoor cameras. The service will first be offered by Rapid Response, a leading professional monitoring company, and will expand to additional providers in the future. Now open for invite-only applications in the U.S.
- Custom Event Alerts: Refined, computer vision-based custom smart alerts that do everything from letting customers know when a package arrives, to whether or not the garage door is open on eligible devices.
- Ring Always Home Cam: The first flying, autonomous home security camera that provides a variety of perspectives from a single device. Now open for invite-only applications in the U.S.
New Alexa Features
We introduced several new Alexa features to help you stay organized and entertained—and to give you some extra peace of mind. Learn more here.
- ‘Hey, Disney!’: Coming in 2022, this new voice assistant from Disney will work alongside Alexa on supported Echo devices and let you interact with beloved characters from the worlds of Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and beyond—just say ‘Hey, Disney!’ To learn more and be notified when ‘Hey, Disney!’ launches, visit www.amazon.com/HeyDisneyto sign up.
- Household calendar: This new calendar widget makes it easier to view and manage your family’s schedule. Just tap the screen or ask Alexa to add events or appointments; then, everyone in your household can see the family’s daily schedule at a glance. Using a new feature called visual ID, you can teach your device to recognize you when you step in front of your Echo Show device’s camera, and then show you a personalized view of your daily events and reminders.
- Sticky notes: This new feature will soon allow you to create and display digital sticky notes on your Echo Show screen. Ask Alexa to save a note about where you’ve stored your family’s camping gear or what temperature dinner needs to be reheated at. You can also create and assign notes to individuals in your household to remind them of something or just to brighten their day.
- “Alexa, open SLING TV”: This new feature will soon allow you to watch live TV with SLING on your Echo Show devices. Just ask Alexa to tune in to your favorite channels to stream live sports, news, entertainment, and more. SLING also offers on-demand movies and TV shows, giving you more content to choose from.
- “Alexa, open TikTok”: This new feature will soon allow you to watch a world of trending and entertaining TikTok videos on Echo Show. You’ll be able to say things like, “Alexa, play dance videos on TikTok,” “Alexa, find funny pet videos on TikTok,” or “Alexa, show me DIY videos on TikTok” to get started.
- Alexa Together: Alexa Together is a new subscription service that’s designed to help aging family members feel more confident about living independently, as well as to give their families peace of mind. The service takes what customers have loved about Care Hub and adds new expanded features like a 24/7 Urgent Response helpline, compatibility with third-party fall detection devices, an optional Remote Assist feature so caregivers can help set up Alexa features for their loved ones, and early next year, the ability to add multiple caregivers. Alexa Together will launch later this year and be available for $19.99 a month, after a free six-month trial for new customers or a free one-year trial for existing Care Hub customers.
Additional News
Learn more about the steps we’re taking to protect customer privacy, help customers live more sustainably, and make our devices and services accessible to everyone.
- A Sustainable Future: Learn more here about how we are making investments in additional wind and solar farm capacity that, by 2025, will produce the clean energy equivalent of using all Fire TV and Ring devices worldwide. Combined with our Echo projects, we expect these will produce over 5 million megawatt-hours of clean energy per year—that’s enough to power more than 400,000 homes every year.
- Amazon Kids+ content: Amazon Kids+ subscribers can enjoy Do, Re & Mi, a music series about three lovable little birdies—one of whom is voiced by actress Kristen Bell, who’s also a series executive producer. Members can also enjoy LEGO Monkie Kid, a series that’s inspired by a 500-year-old Chinese legend and is a huge hit across Asia. Starting next month, Amazon Kids+ families can also watch ARPO Robot Babysitter, where caring and love is always on the to-do list, and fans of Ryan’s World can play the new Super Spy Ryan mobile game. And just in time for the holidays, Blippi is coming to Amazon Kids+ with Blippi’s Treehouse, a new series that inspires kids to be curious and learn about the world around them.
- Privacy Updates: Privacy is foundational to how we build and design all of our devices and services, and you can learn more about new Alexa Privacy features and updates here. You can also find out more about our approach to Alexa Privacy and features that provide customers with transparency and control by visiting the Alexa Privacy Hub.
- Unlocking AI for Everyone: Learn more here about the latest AI innovations that are making Amazon Devices & Services more useful for everyone.