Amazon shows numerous new devices – and how Alexa should become smart

Hardware
Amazon shows numerous new devices – and how Alexa should finally become smart

Amazon held this year’s new product presentation at a big event in Arlington, Virginia. The company not only showed off fresh hardware, but also gave a glimpse of a completely new Alexa.

Alexa needs to get smarter. I know that too Amazon. Since the voice assistant was introduced almost ten years ago, little has changed in the original question-answer principle. In times of software like ChatGPT, which at least gives the impression of being able to have a natural conversation with the AI, that is no longer enough. That’s why the billion-dollar company is working hard behind the scenes to raise Alexa to this level. When presenting the new capabilities at the so-called HQ2, Amazon’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, outgoing Alexa boss Dave Limp emphasized that it was definitely a mammoth task.

Amazon’s Alexa will soon be able to have real conversations

In the future, it should be possible to have completely normal conversations with Alexa. She remembers what has been said before, has a very precise picture of the person she is talking to and can pick up on previous conversations. For example, it is possible to interrupt Alexa during cooking recipes and ask for more information about certain ingredients or to ask about the current standings of your favorite club without having to mention it again and again.

In the demonstrations that Amazon came up with for the performance, it actually seemed far more useful and natural than before. Amazon is initially limiting the launch of the new Alexa to the USA. It should start there “soon”. Limp left it open when it would happen internationally.

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It remains to be seen whether Amazon can make Alexa more relevant to people again. After an initial euphoria almost ten years ago, over time more and more users limited themselves to simply querying the weather, setting timers and controlling smart devices – which Amazon certainly imagined differently (you can find out more here).

Amazon then focused primarily on new hardware. As usual, the company didn’t skimp on innovations – but not everything will make the leap across the pond. An overview follows.

Amazon Echo Hub

For everyone who controls their smart home primarily with Alexa, Amazon is bringing the Echo Hub a kind of control center for wall mounting. The panel consists of an 8-inch touch display and is intended to support monitoring and management of your home with large buttons and displays. The price for this device is 199.99 euros, ordering is not yet possible.

Amazon Echo Show 8

For everyone who doesn’t want to mount it on a wall, there’s the new one Echo Show 8. At 129.99 euros, it costs comparatively little and also works with an 8-inch display. At the presentation, Dave Limp was particularly proud of the new design and the revised sound system, whose sound should optimally fill the room thanks to integrated room adjustment technology and 3D audio processing.

Fire TV Sticks

The popular Fire TV sticks also received an update. With the Fire TV Stick 4K Max Amazon presented the “strongest stick” in the product family to date, because it has a new chip with around 30 percent more performance and supports the new WLAN standard Wifi 6E, which enables even higher data rates. Amazon has also given the stick the “Ambient TV” function, which can be used to display works of art and thus turn the television into a digital picture frame. Until now, only the in-house televisions could do this. The price is 79.99 euros

If you want to save ten euros, you can go to the new one Fire TV Stick 4K whose chip is clocked a little slower and works with WLAN standard 6. The “Ambient TV” art gallery feature is also missing.

Amazon sound bar

In the USA, Amazon is also launching a new product category. In addition to its own televisions, the company is now also bringing a soundbar onto the market, which is intended to give the often tinny sound of the screens a little more power. In terms of price, Amazon is extremely low at $120. Time will tell whether this has created a serious alternative to Sonos and Co.

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Echo Frames 3

Still almost unknown in Europe, Amazon will soon be releasing the third version of the Echo Frames in the USA. These are conventional glasses, either with sun protection and/or prescription and speakers on the temples. This means you can take Alexa with you anywhere and ask her things. However, the help of the voice assistant is limited to the soundtrack; there is no type of head-up display.

Eeero Max 7 router

With the Eeero Max 7 Amazon is planning a powerful router, the announcement of which came before the official adoption of the standard with which the device will work. A device with the WLAN standard Wifi 7 is planned. It is currently planned to finalize the protocol in early to mid-2024, which will likely delay the publication of the corresponding devices. In terms of price, the Eeero Max 7 would currently only be for network enthusiasts anyway, as Amazon is planning to start selling it for 699.99 euros.

Tablets and cameras

Recently, Amazon has also expanded its range of tablets and cameras. The new Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is intended to make it easier to define areas of movement more precisely and to be informed more quickly about activities in an observed area. It should cost 179.99 euros. This happened with the tablets Fire HD 10 In addition, a 10-inch tablet with slightly higher performance than its predecessor and a lower overall weight. Appropriate Kids variants also followed, these are, as usual, particularly shockproof.

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