Amazon’s "Hardware Day" is too hard-core: home robots, wall-mounted large-screen Echo, the cheapest thermostat and even free.
Text /Juny editor /Lianzi
Source/Silicon Star Man (ID:guixingren123)
The annual Amazon hardware carnival Party is coming again. Compared with the limited update of Apple and Google’s hardware products, Amazon, which has few malicious words, has always adhered to the style of happy delivery. Every year, it releases 10 products and functions, and introduces a new product in a few minutes at the press conference, which perfectly interprets what is dazzling and dazzling.
Of course, this year is no exception. On the hardware day that just ended today, Amazon once again updated more than 10 products and services in one breath.
Surprisingly, this year, not only the updated functions such as Ring and Blink are not trivial, but Amazon has also introduced some new smart home products that are very practical or of great significance: the first home assistant robot Astro officially met with us, and the 15.6-inch wall-mounted Echo came, as well as a home video conferencing device specially designed for children, a screen-displayed fitness bracelet similar to Fitbit, and an intelligent thermostat with a price less than half that of Nest …
Below, let’s introduce some of the most important and practical new products and updates to you, and see which one has hit your wallet?
Astro, Amazon’s first home assistant robot: Alexa finally has a "face" and sells for $999.99.
Previously, there have been rumors about Amazon’s secret research and development of home robots, but Amazon has never given a positive response. Today, the rumored hero finally officially appeared, and Astro, an Amazon home robot with a 10-inch smart face screen and walking on wheels, was pushed to the stage. It blinks with big round eyes, waiting for you to take it home with 999.99 dollars.
Appearance: small and light design, equipped with retractable periscope camera.
In appearance, Astro has some shadows of intelligent robot dogs. It is about two feet (about 61 cm) high and weighs about 20 pounds. It is mainly driven by its main driving wheel with a diameter of about 30 cm, and the rear part is equipped with a single caster to help maintain balance. Astro can slide 360 degrees in any direction, and can cross the threshold and carpet without getting stuck. The maximum speed can reach 1 meter per second.
It is equipped with a 10-inch screen with a series of sensors in the frame and a 5 megapixel video call camera on the screen. When the screen is not used, two circles like "eyes" will be displayed on the face screen. When you talk to it, Astro’s eyes will also show some emotions by changing the shape of the circles.
However, Astro’s real "eyes" are all kinds of sensors installed at the bottom of the device and the camera on the screen. It can automatically draw and remember the pattern of the home. You can mark a place and then make Astro move directionally by giving voice commands. In addition, in order to make up for its small size, Astro is also equipped with a 12-megapixel periscope camera that rises to more than 1 meter high, which can be used for video calls or remote monitoring of the situation at home.
Astro takes about 45 minutes to charge, and can be used for about 2 hours after it is fully charged. Every time it detects that it is running out of power, it will automatically return to the charging position to charge itself.
Function: Alexa, which can move, has a slightly insufficient sense of science fiction and practicality.
What can Astro, a robot positioned as a home assistant, do for us at present?
Amazon said that Astro can play music, display weather and answer questions like any Echo smart display. It can be used for video calls, automatically following you around and keeping you on the screen; When you are not at home, it can be a security monitor and "patrol" in the room; Its camera can automatically recognize faces and deliver items to specific people; It is equipped with a USB interface, which can charge mobile devices or intervene in third-party accessories to record blood pressure and other data; In addition, there is a storage area on its back, which can help you transport about 2 kilograms of things, and can help you deliver vegetables and beer.
However, Astro does not have the cleaning function at present, nor is it equipped with intelligent arms to help us do some small housework. At the same time, we can’t go up and down the stairs by ourselves. The places that can really help us are still limited. Generally speaking, Astro is like Alexa with her own body, more like a robot pet than a real robot assistant.
However, Amazon also said today that the reason why it didn’t design a robotic arm and many practical devices for Astro is that apart from cost considerations, they don’t want everyone to regard Astro as a tool to help our home life from the beginning, but hope that it can be better integrated into every family first and become a part of the family.
Amazon believes that in the next five to ten years, everyone will have a robot in their home, and the functions of Astro will continue to expand and improve in the future. At present, Astro can only be purchased by invitation, and the price is $999.99. After the official public release of Astro, its price may rise to $1,449.99.
The first wall-mounted large-screen Echo: intelligent dynamic picture frame, personalized reminder, visual ID
In addition to robots, Amazon today released its largest smart display to date-Echo Show 15. This latest Echo monitor is equipped with a 15-inch 1080p high-definition display, which also breaks the bulky design of the previous Echo Show series touch screens and turns into a smart tablet that can be hung on the wall.
Amazon has positioned Echo Show 15 in the sharing center of the family. It can be hung on the walls of family public spaces such as living rooms, corridors and kitchens, and family members can use it to view upcoming calendar appointments, to-do items, post-it notes, reminders and shopping lists. It is designed like a photo frame, with a black frame and a camera in it. You can install it on the wall or put it on the bracket vertically or horizontally.
From the functional point of view, if there are many people in your family, Echo show 15 can be said to be a must-have for your family life.
It can not only complete all the things that Echo Show smart display can do before, such as playing music, displaying weather reports, playing streaming video, controlling various smart home devices, and realizing all other functions required by Alexa. Now, due to the larger screen, Echo Show 15 can also display more smart home widgets.
For example, there is a "what to eat" widget that can automatically recommend recipes, restaurant takeout options, etc. The small group of "Smart Home Favorites" can help to view and control smart home devices, and users can enable the real-time camera function of picture-in-picture, so that they can pay close attention to children or outdoor situations when cooking.
Echo Show 15 is equipped with Amazon’s AZ2 processor, which supports airborne machine learning and computer vision. This also gives Echo Show 15 a new visual ID function, which can display different calendar appointments, reminders and personalized content of each person by recognizing the faces of different family members. If there are children at home, when the children are identified near the device, Echo Show 15 will automatically show them content suitable for their age.
You can also let Alexa identify various personal preferences, identify sounds, etc., for example, teach it to identify doorbell, microwave oven jingle, washing machine bell and other various home alarms, and let it learn to remind you.
In addition, Echo show 15 is also the first Echo Show product to support streaming media and TikTok from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and other full HD resolutions. Amazon said that Echo Show 15 will be available later this year at a price of $249.99.
Amazon Glow, a video calling device for children, is a strange and practical new gadget.
Last week, we just introduced a new device developed by Facebook for remote video with a price of $199. Today, Amazon also joined in the excitement of remote video hardware, but it focused on children.
During the epidemic, many families rely on video to keep in touch with their loved ones, but young children often get bored with video chat, and soon people may disappear, leaving parents or relatives at the other end of the screen staring at a blank screen. The Amazon Glow developed by Amazon this time is a new device that allows children to sit on videos and interact or play games remotely.
Different from ordinary tablet devices, Amazon Glow is somewhat similar to a "mobile phone", which integrates immersive projection, sensing technology and video. An upright 8-inch screen is equipped with a projector and a 19-inch touch-sensitive pad to project virtual games and interact remotely.
Amazon Glow has built-in dozens of puzzle games such as chess, checkers, Go or memory games, as well as thousands of children’s books, so that people from both sides of the device can play together, read or paint with digital pencils, crayons, brushes or spray paint. It also supports Disney, Spongebob, Toy Story and other images and games in the most popular animations for children.
In addition, another feature of Amazon Glow is that it can combine real objects with digital games through a downward camera. For example, it can scan children’s favorite toys, and then project the digital scanning onto the plane in front of the device, making it a part of their own painting or a customized jigsaw puzzle.
In order to protect children’s safety, Amazon Glow does not allow children to call others casually. Parents will configure Amazon Glow by agreeing and pre-approving the contacts that children can call. The device is priced at $299.99 and will be launched at a discounted price of $249.99. The price includes cushions, cushion boxes, jigsaw puzzles and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+.
If you are interested, you can apply for an invitation to join the Preemptive Experience Program on www.amazon.com/glow. The first batch of equipment will be sold in the United States in the next few weeks.
Challenge Fitbit and Apple Watch and update Halo View, the first fitness smart bracelet with screen.
Previously, Amazon’s sports bracelet Halo was widely criticized, and it was as simple as a ring without a screen. However, in the end, Amazon can’t avoid customs. Today, it finally updated the first fitness bracelet with a screen, and updated a large number of supporting services in one breath. The ambition to compete with Google’s FitBit and Apple Watch is undoubtedly revealed.
This time, this fitness bracelet named Halo View is equipped with an AMOLED screen for the first time, which can display information such as activity records, real-time exercise data, sleep scores, blood oxygen index and so on. Compared with the original Halo, the pricing of Halo View is only $79.99, and it comes with a one-year free subscription of Amazon Halo subscription, which can be said to be cost-effective.
Halo View is similar to Fitbit in appearance. It is equipped with an optical heart rate sensor, a skin temperature sensor and a gyroscope. It can be fully charged within 90 minutes, with a endurance of up to 7 days. The fuselage has swimming-grade waterproof function. Halo View will be available in three colors: black, green and purple, and the strap replacement option is also available like Apple Watch. Amazon said that Halo View will be equipped with 15 different straps including knitting, leather and metal for consumers to choose from.
On the Halo subscription, Amazon also updated two new features, Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition. The former provides hundreds of professional training instructions for Fitbit Premium and Apple Fitness+, including cardio, strength, yoga, etc. If you wear Halo View during exercise, the physical status information from the bracelet can also be displayed instantly on the big screen of the course.
Halo Nutrition is a healthy diet plan and integrates Alexa, which can recommend personalized diet plans according to the needs of subscribers. After you choose the recipe, Alexa can help you add the ingredients you need directly to the shopping list.
Launched the first intelligent thermostat with a price of $60, and the price crushed Google Nest.
Today, Amazon also introduced an ultra-cheap and ultra-basic Alexa-based home smart thermostat. Its design and operation are very simple, and only the home temperature and the up and down adjustment buttons will be displayed on the screen, which is built in cooperation with Honeywell. The working principle is similar to that of Google Nest Thermostat. Through the programming settings of Alexa in the background, the temperature will be automatically adjusted according to the usage and outdoor climate.
Although it is not as beautiful as Google’s Nest in design, under the same function, the price of Amazon thermostat can be said to crush Nest and similar smart thermostats on the market-when Nest is priced at $130 and Ecobee’s is priced at $250, Amazon’s smart thermostat is only priced at $60.
It’s already cheap enough, and Amazon also said that after applying for energy discount, consumers may buy a brand-new Amazon thermostat for only $10 or even no money. What’s the matter? Do you suddenly feel that the Nest hanging on the wall is not fragrant?
Other function updates: Disney joined Alexa, professional monitoring agent, blink visual doorbell …
In addition to the above important new product updates, Amazon’s existing products and services have also undergone a wave of updates this year.
"Hey Disney" project
Starting from 2022, Alexa will start to cooperate with Disney and launch a customized voice assistant called Hey Disney, which will be used on Echo devices installed in Disney resorts. "Hey Disney" is mainly used for customer service inquiry, which helps visitors of Disney World or Disneyland find the answers to park-specific questions.
In daily life, users can also choose the voices of many Disney characters, including Mickey, Dolly and Olaf, to respond or tell jokes. In addition, it also announced the launch of a $24.99 Mickey-shaped Echo Show 5.
Ring service upgrade: parcel delivery reminder, professional monitoring center for you.
Today, Amazon said that the Ring can finally detect the package and automatically send you a reminder. Starting today, Ring Pro 2 and Ring Video Doorbell (2020) have the function of parcel detection. In addition, the Ring also launched a custom event alarm function.
Amazon also announced today that it has launched a Virtual Security Guard security subscription service with a price of $99/month. Now, you can let the agent of the professional monitoring center respond to the specific action alarm detected on any outdoor Ring camera and take immediate action for you.
Launched the first Blink video doorbell for $49.99.
As a cheaper and more affordable smart home series than Ring, Blink finally launched the first visual doorbell. It provides 1080p resolution, two-way call and two-year battery life. You can order black or white for $49.99 from Amazon. It will be officially released on October 21, 2021.
In addition, Amazon today announced Alexa Together, a subscription service for remote care of family members at a price of $19.99, injecting more new content into KIDS PLUS, and the home drone released last year also began to open for registration.
(Disclaimer: This article only represents the author’s point of view and does not represent the position of Sina. com. )