Here’s everything Amazon announced this morning, from smart thermostats to security robots – TechCrunch

Amazon hosted an event this morning, and wow-oh-wow did they advertise a lot. Smart thermostats! Flying security cameras! Robot companions!

Did you not log in or did not have time to understand everything? Here is a summary of the main new features:

Smart Thermostat

Amazon is building a thermostat, partnering with Honeywell to do it. This will of course be compatible with Alexa, allowing you to say things like “Alexa, turn off the air conditioning”. At just $ 60 (about half the cost of the cheapest Nest), they’re definitely aiming to undermine the market here.

Echo show 15

A wall mounted Echo Show that looks like a framed picture, meant to somehow blend into the room while providing one-click access to things like reminders, calendars, and security camera views. Works in portrait or landscape produced. it will cost $ 250

Custom sound detection

Now you can teach Alexa to recognize new sounds and perform actions when she hears them. The example given was to teach Alexa to recognize the beep emitted by your refrigerator when it is left open and to send you a notification.

Hi disney

Amazon’s voice assistant technology is coming to “tens of thousands” of hotel rooms at Walt Disney World Resort, allowing guests to say “Hey Disney” and ask questions about the park opening, l arrival of the next shuttle or request for towels. Because if there’s one thing people love about their hotel rooms, it’s microphones. Law? Anybody?

Amazon glow

Leaning heavily on the “video calling with grandparents” part of the pandemic, Amazon is building an interactive tablet / projector for kids and families. The 8-inch screen connects the child to a distant family member, while a built-in projector plays a game on the touchpad in front of them. The family member on the other end of the video call can play while chatting, interacting with the game through a tablet. Amazon is working on games in partnership with Disney, Mattel, and Nickelodeon. It will launch with an “early access price” of $ 250, with the price eventually increasing to $ 299.

Hello See

Amazon dives deeper into the exercise / health space, this time launching an $ 80 Fitbit-style waterproof bracelet with a built-in display. It will also launch Halo Fitness, a collection of hundreds of streaming video workouts, and Halo Nutrition, which is meant to help with meal planning and grocery shopping.

The flying security camera

Remember that wild drone camera that Ring announced last year? The one that flies around your house to record footage while you are away? They didn’t initially announce when it would actually be available (presumably because they wanted to wait until everyone had completed their Half-Life referrals), but the company says it’s now available for purchase on invitation only.

Ring Virtual Security Guard

Ring will launch a subscription monitoring service for their doorbells and outdoor cameras; once you’ve given them access to a specific camera, Ring’s “virtual security guards” can respond to alerts by connecting to the live stream, communicating with anyone they see, triggering the siren on the device or by calling emergency services.

Ring site safety

Ring also builds a special kit of equipment specially designed for construction sites and contractors; it can help do things like monitor if the doors are open / closed, and comes in a fancy hard case for moving the system from site to site. And it’s all orange, because building site!

Blink news

Amazon acquired Blink in 2017, then acquired another security camera maker with Ring in 2018. Rather than merging the two brands into one, Blink remains the generally most affordable line. This morning, they announced a $ 50 smart doorbell with 1080p video and two years of battery life, a $ 140 outdoor projector security camera, and an optional $ 40 solar panel for said projector.

Astro

Amazon is making a robot that will roll around your home like a little Alexa-powered Wall-E. It will initially sell for $ 999 to “Day One” users, with the price eventually increasing to $ 1,449. From home mapping to security capabilities, there’s a lot going on here, so you should probably check out Brian Heater’s in-depth dive here.