Amazon Unveils Alexa Photo Frame, Bedside Clock and New Echo Speakers
US tech company Amazon on October 28 introduced new Echo devices, including its first Alexa Photo Frame and the Echo Time clock. The products are built for the upgraded Alexa+ voice assistant and are on sale now.
US technology company Amazon announced new smart home devices in its Echo lineup on Wednesday, October 28. They are designed for Alexa+, the revamped, AI-powered version of the Alexa voice assistant. The lineup includes the Echo Dot ($100), Echo Studio With Home Camera ($250), Echo Show 16 ($500), Echo Time ($200) and the first Alexa Photo Frame ($200). All are available to buy now.
Panos Panay, Amazon's senior vice president of Devices and Alexa, says a couple hundred million people use Alexa+ on Echo devices. According to him, users talk to the assistant two to three times more than before and cook with it five times more.
A pricier Echo Dot
The Echo Dot, once an affordable $50 entry-level smart speaker, now costs $100. The new model has stronger bass, four microphones instead of three, and support for the Matter standard. It also works as a Thread border router for controlling smart home devices. It comes in four colors.
Echo Studio with a camera
The new Echo Studio is Amazon's first smart speaker with a camera. The camera helps Alexa identify who is giving a command and tune the sound to the room. It can also be used to check in on the home and make video calls. There is no physical privacy shutter, but a button turns off the microphones and camera. A standard Echo Studio without a camera remains available.
Photo frame and bedside clock
The Alexa Photo Frame has a 10-inch screen that shows only photos, and it requires the Amazon Photos service. The Echo Time is a Dot-sized device with a 3.2-inch circular clock display. It can detect breathing and wake the user during a lighter sleep stage, within 10 to 60 minutes of the alarm.
Echo Show 16
The wall-mountable display gets a 13-megapixel camera, a new audio system and an AI-generated interface called "Neo," which adds charts and images to answers. Asked about a smartphone, Panay said there was "no intent" to make one.
