Amazon’s Next Echo is a Wall-Mounted Smart Home Hub: Bloomberg



[ad_1]

  • Amazon is working on a wall mounted Echo display, Bloomberg reports.
  • The device would function as a smart home command center, controlling lights, locks, and music.
  • Amazon could launch the new device as early as the end of 2021 and cost it between $ 200 and $ 250.
  • Visit Insider’s Business section for more stories.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Amazon is building a wall-mounted Echo device that will serve as a smart home control center.

Amazon’s in-house hardware division is working on a new device with a 10- or 13-inch display that adheres directly to the wall and functions as a command center for a user’s smart home. The new product will integrate with Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant and will be able to control smart home devices such as locks or lights, play music and videos, and view upcoming calendar events. The device will also have a camera and microphones for video chat, Bloomberg reports.

Amazon plans to launch the new device in late 2021 or late 2022 and could cost it anywhere from $ 200 to $ 250, although Bloomberg notes those plans could change or be canceled altogether.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

Read more: How Jeff Bezos’ ‘customer obsession’ turned Amazon from online bookseller into a $ 1.7 trillion retail giant that lurks in every nook and cranny of everyday life

Amazon already offers three Echo devices with displays: Echo Show 10, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 5, which have 10-inch, 8-inch, and 5.5-inch displays, respectively. The Echo Show, which costs $ 250 at the top of the line, is designed to sit on a counter or table, but third-party accessory makers make wall mounts for the device.

Amazon has also offered tablets with digital screens since 2011 and currently sells seven versions, although the larger one also has a 10-inch screen.

While some of Amazon’s other Echo devices can also be wall-mounted, the only other Amazon-made device designed to hang on the wall is the Echo Wall Clock, a kitchen clock that pairs with an Echo device and can be used to track digital timers. or set the time automatically.

Bloomberg notes that Amazon’s new device would compete with smart home control screens that are professionally installed, as well as Apple’s iPad, which can also be wall mounted or framed in a wall.

[ad_2]

Source link