All we know about Amazon's many new products.

Amazon announced Thursday a bewildering array of products for the connected home. In total, the company has introduced 14 new products at a surprise hardware event in Seattle, as well as some software updates and features. Attempting to follow the event on live blogs and on Twitter has proven impossible. Unlike an Apple event that focuses on a few hardware ads, devoting much of its time to detailing the specs, features, and demos of these products, Amazon has done more than a dozen new products (and 70 total updates). an auctioneer (or so, it seemed – I stopped following the event live and I waited to understand it all once Amazon sent out information from more detailed press). While Amazon was delivering some expected product updates, it also launched some curves, including a microwave controlled by Alexa and a wall clock.

Now, it is clear that Amazon has introduced products in four main categories: Echo smart speakers, Echo accessories and associated peripherals, connected home control, and smart home monitoring. Some of the products are perfectly sensible. Amazon unveiled the Echo Dot in 2014 and last updated it in 2016. It needed to be updated. Amazon has also officially introduced Alexa in the automotive sector, a situation in which competitors of Apple and Google are already well established.

With regard to some other product announcements, it is clear that Amazon wants to expand the Echo ecosystem and Alexa, its digital assistant, into as many homes as possible and once in your home, in as many people as possible. parts possible. your yard too). Amazon takes a spray-and-pray approach here: Some of the products are niche and upscale, designed for audiophiles. Others are cheap mass ploys. They are all at the place. If each product alone plays a logical role in the Amazon ecosystem, grouped together in a single launch event, the result is impressive. With so many overlapping products, Amazon may have even cannibalized some of its own potential sales. Again, Amazon has data on our buying habits, so maybe she knows exactly what she's doing.

Here are the new products launched by Amazon today, both sensitive and insane, and how they fit into the larger worlds of Amazon, Echo and Connected.

Echo Dot

Amazon has released a slight refresh for the pucklike Echo Dot. The crushed cylinder now looks like a crushed ball of dough, with rounded edges at the top and bottom and a cloth blanket that resonates at its sides. It has four microphones inside compared to the previous seven models. Its sound quality has improved, as well as its overall volume: it can read a 70% louder sound than the previous model. It is still priced at $ 49.99, but Amazon has been known to put the device on sale for a lot less. The Dot Echo is the drug entry into the Alexa ecosystem and one of the cheapest ways to outfit an entire house with Echo devices.

Echo Plus

While it failed to update the Echo, which was refreshed last year, Amazon gave Echo Plus at $ 149.99 a family redesign with the same fabric on the outside but with rounded edges like the Echo Dot. In addition to improving audio quality, especially bass, the device now includes a temperature sensor, making it a more useful supplement for homes with connected heating or cooling products. While the Echo is "just" a speaker, the Echo Plus is a real smart home hub that sits in the form of a speaker.

Echo Show

Amazon has strengthened the Echo Show with a larger screen of 10 inches. The previous model, introduced last summer, had a 7 inch screen. The updated version also improves as a video playback device with Dolby audio, a bass radiator, 2-inch drivers and a set of eight microphones for voice recognition. Like the Echo Plus, the $ 229.99 device has a hub connected to Zigbee. The Echo Show aims to become a growing smart display space and offer users the combined benefits of a smart speaker and a tablet, but with Hands-free operation

Auto Echo

Amazon has also introduced Echo Auto, a new Echo product designed specifically for the car – a solution for those who want Alexa integration during their daily commute, but who are not interested in a new vehicle with Alexa integrated. . Although the $ 50 device (currently on sale at $ 24.99) does not sound much (it uses your phone's cellular connection and Bluetooth to work), it allows location-based routines that trigger certain intelligent functions when you leave home or go home.

This is all in the area of ​​updates and expected product extensions. With its line of complementary devices, Amazon has expanded its presence in the consumer technology sector to new and surprising areas.

Echo wall clock

If you already have an Echo device, you can extend its usefulness in setting alarms, timers, reminders or checking the time with the Echo wall clock at $ 29.99. Although a wall clock compatible with Alexa looks completely ridiculous, it has features that make a lot of sense. It has a ring of 60 LEDs that visually indicates how much time it remains on several timers and adjusts automatically to daylight saving time. While the latter alone is worth the purchase price, this wall clock is particularly great for its simplicity. I have forgotten a wall clock at home since adopting a smartphone almost ten years ago; others are probably in the same category. Amazon's new clock manages to establish a link with Alexa while maintaining a price quite reasonable. I suspect it could become a vacation favorite for 2018.

Echo input

For those who already have high-quality speakers and have no intention of adding an Echo speaker to their home, the Echo input fills the void. This $ 34.99 disc adds Alexa functionality to all existing speakers, providing an upgrade to the cheap, speakerless connected speakers.

Echo under

In contrast, Amazon is also expanding its speaker offerings so you can have a full Amazon-Audio outfit, if you wish. The $ 129.99 Echo Sub subwoofer is a 100W subwoofer designed to provide the bass of your home entertainment system. It can be paired with two Echo-compatible speakers for a 2.1 stereo audio system.

Echo link

The next pair of Amazon products does not include microphones because they are meant to accompany your existing Amazon home audio setup. The Echo Link is a $ 199.99 device that connects to another receiver or amplifier and provides quality sound. At the front is a single volume button. If you already have an amp or receiver, this will allow you to access Amazon's streaming music offerings. Although it sounds simple, I do not understand why anyone would opt for this instead of the Echo entry at $ 34.99.

The Ampo Link Amp integrates the Echo Link by integrating a 60-watt two-channel amplifier. It costs $ 299.99 and, like the Echo Link, has many ports of entry and output for integration with your existing audio arrangement. Amazon has not yet managed to make a name in the high-end audio space, these products are within the reach of all.

Fire TV Recast

While taking in the living room, Amazon has also launched a companion DVR, the Fire TV Recast, to watch, record and play TV. This device, which requires a microwave antenna to operate, reads the content on a Fire TV, an Echo Show, a Fire tablet, iOS or Android, and comes in two variants. For $ 229.99, you get a two-tuner version with 500GB of storage that can hold up to 75 hours of HD video. (For $ 50 more, you can get a version that stores twice as much video.)

Amazon has also introduced new smart home appliances.

AmazonBasics Microwave

Yes, Amazon now has its own microwave. You can now use Alexa to say things like "Alexa, microwave, two potatoes" or to warm up some coffee. The microwave oven also includes Amazon Dash Replenishment with an "auto popcorn replenishment" feature so you can automatically rearrange the popcorn before you run out. Seriously. It's a compact microwave counter unit that costs $ 59.99. Alexa is not integrated but rather works with a paired Echo device.

Amazon Smart Plug

If you have a device or electronic device specific to your home that you want to control with Alexa, the $ 24.99 Smart Plug will do the trick. It works with different Alexa devices or the Alexa app on your phone, which you can use to set up a routine with the plug. Like Echo, it's a convenient and affordable way to add Alexa Smart to your home without big purchases.

Ring Stick Up Cam (wired and battery)

Finally, Amazon has launched a pair of products to monitor your home from Ring, the company acquired at the beginning of the year for a billion dollars. The Ring Stick Up Cam is an indoor / outdoor smart home camera that takes 1080p wide-angle video with night vision mode and two-way talk capabilities. It will work with Ring Alarm and Alexa in the near future, and it comes with wired variants and batteries. Both cost the same price: $ 179.99. Since Alexa's integration is coming later, it is likely that Ring was already finishing this product when it was acquired by Amazon. The device looks like a white can with a black camera on the front and is attached to a stand so it can be placed on a flat surface or glued to a wall.

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