Technology

Amazon Unveils Five New Smart Home Devices and Alexa Feature

Amazon Unveils Five New Smart Home Devices and Alexa Feature
Table of Contents
  1. Echo Time and Kids Echo Time
  2. Echo Show 16 and Alexa Photo Frame
  3. Echo Studio with Home Camera and Echo Dot
  4. Alexa Home Map

Amazon recently introduced five new smart home devices alongside a brand-new smart home feature. The latest product lineup from Amazon places a strong emphasis on sleep tracking, photo display, and advanced home control.

Echo Time and Kids Echo Time

Echo Time functions as a camera-free smart alarm clock integrated with Alexa Plus, Amazon’s generative artificial intelligence assistant. According to CNET reporting, the device features hundreds of selectable clock faces and built-in sleep tracking sensors utilizing Omnisense technology to monitor room temperature, proximity, user presence, and breathing. The National Sleep Foundation awarded the Echo Time its SleepMark certification. The device costs $200 and comes in graphite, glacier white, and coral pink, while an adjustable stand is sold separately for $40.

The Amazon Kids Echo Time variant includes parental controls, weather updates, question-answering capabilities, and a Sleep Studio feature offering curated bedtime content through a Kids Plus subscription. Available in cosmic lime and galactic grape, the kids model starts at $210 with a one-year subscription included, after which plans begin at $8 monthly.

Echo Show 16 and Alexa Photo Frame

The updated Echo Show 16 features a 16-inch high-definition screen, built-in Fire TV, and flexible display styles that convert the screen into a digital photo frame, a family organizer, or a smart home dashboard. CNET noted that compared to the previous model, this version offers 10 percent more viewing area, a 40 percent thinner frame, 20 percent more computing power, improved audio, and a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera with night vision. Preorders are currently open with a $100 discount, pricing the standard display at $500 and the anti-glare Nanomatte version at $570, while stands cost $70 or $125.

The Alexa Photo Frame utilizes Amazon Photos to automatically sync and display pictures on a 10-inch anti-glare touchscreen. As the first photo frame featuring built-in Alexa, users can request images by mood, person, or date, and attach voice notes. Pricing starts at $200 with 90 days of Alexa Plus included.

Echo Studio with Home Camera and Echo Dot

The new Echo Studio with Home Camera includes Advanced Room Adaptation and Adaptive Volume to adjust audio based on room layout and user location. The built-in camera grants visual intelligence to Alexa and powers a Live View feature for remote home monitoring. The device is available now for $250, with an optional $40 stand, while the standard camera-free version remains available for $220.

The sixth-generation Echo Dot delivers enhanced vocals and 50 percent more bass, alongside an upgraded processor, a fourth microphone, and a built-in smart home hub for direct device control. The standard Echo Dot is priced at $100, and the Amazon Kids Echo Dot starts at $110 with a one-year subscription included.

Alexa Home Map

Alexa Home Map is an interactive 3D map feature that displays both the interior and exterior of a home across compatible apps, Fire TVs, and Echo devices. Integrating with Ring cameras, the feature displays animations of people and cars, and utilizes the Familiar Faces facial-recognition tool to identify visitors by name. Users can view security camera feeds, control lights, and monitor connected smart devices directly from the map interface.

The feature is set to roll out in preview later this year on the Alexa and Ring apps, a dedicated iOS app, Ember Artline Fire TVs, new Alexa Tablets, and larger Echo Show models. Certain functionalities require a Ring Pro subscription priced at $20 monthly or $200 annually, or a Virtual Security Guard subscription costing $99 monthly.

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