Amazon Unveils New Family of Echo Devices
Posted September 24, 2020 at 11:37pm by iClarified
Amazon today unveiled an all-new family of Echo devices including a new Echo, Echo Show 10, Echo Dot, and more.
“These are the best Echo devices we have ever made,” said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “Echo and Echo Dot look beautiful and sound even better, and Echo Show 10 completely reimagines Alexa with a screen—the display moves with you, staying in view as you move around. It’s as natural as having a conversation. Plus, Alexa continues to get smarter—just ask to watch Netflix, make group calls, join video meetings on Zoom, upgrade your smart home with Alexa Guard and Amazon Sidewalk, and much more.”
Here's an overview of the new devices...
The New Echo — New Spherical Design, Dolby Stereo Sound, Built-in Zigbee Hub, and Sidewalk Bridge
The next-generation Echo (www.amazon.com/Echo) combines the best of Echo and Echo Plus into a single device at the same affordable Echo price. Its all-new design and fabric finish look great in any space, with a bright LED light ring at the base of the sphere that reflects off of surfaces for added visibility. The new Echo also sounds significantly better thanks to a 3.0-inch woofer, dual-firing tweeters, and Dolby processing that delivers stereo sound with clear highs, dynamic-mids, and deep bass. As with Echo Studio, the new Echo automatically senses the acoustics of your space and fine-tunes audio playback—just ask to listen to your favorite music, and the rich, detailed sound will automatically adapt to your room.
For the first time, Echo comes with a built-in smart home hub, with support for Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Amazon Sidewalk. Amazon Sidewalk can help you set up new devices quickly, extend the working range of devices like Ring Smart Lighting that may be beyond the range of your home wifi, and offer new support for devices like Tile to locate misplaced items. The new Echo is powered by Amazon’s first-generation AZ1 Neural Edge processor—an all-new silicon module that’s purpose-built for accelerating machine learning applications. With AZ1, powerful inference engines can run quickly on the edge—starting with an all-neural speech recognition model that will process requests faster, making Alexa even more responsive.
New Echo Dot & Echo Dot with clock — New Spherical Design and Crisp, Full Sound
Customers have made Echo Dot (www.amazon.com/EchoDot) the best-selling speaker ever—and now it’s even better. The all-new Echo Dot has the same spherical design and fabric finish as Echo, making it a stylish way to add Alexa to any space. It’s compact, but packs in a powerful 1.6-inch, front-firing speaker, producing crisp vocals and balanced bass for full sound you can enjoy in any room of your home.
The new Echo Dot with clock, already the best-selling clock on Amazon.com, comes with the same enhancements as the new Echo Dot, plus a simple LED display so you can glance at the time, temperature, timers, and alarms. And now, the tap-to-snooze feature that customers love on Echo Dot with clock will also be available on Echo Dot and Echo.
Echo Dot Kids Edition — Playful Designs for Kids and Peace of Mind for Parents
The all-new Echo Dot Kids Edition builds on the new spherical design with fun, colorful Panda and Tiger prints. Alexa’s custom-built kids experience means kids can ask Alexa questions, set animal sound alarms, get help with homework, and call approved friends and family, with extensive controls that give parents peace of mind. Parents will also be able to create Alexa voice profiles for their kids, so Alexa automatically shifts to a kid’s profile when she recognizes a kid’s voice—extending the kids experience, and parental controls, to any Echo device in the house. Kids can also enjoy a new Alexa feature called Reading Sidekick. Alexa can help kids build fluency and foster a love for reading—simply say, “Alexa, let’s read,” and Alexa will take turns reading with your child, providing encouragement when they are reading well and offering support when they struggle. Previews of Alexa voice profiles for kids and Reading Sidekick will be available in the coming months.
Echo Dot Kids Edition comes with a 1-year Amazon Kids+ subscription, giving families access to thousands of hours of kid-friendly Audible books, interactive games, and educational skills. Echo Dot Kids Edition also comes with a 2-year worry-free guarantee.
Echo Show 10 — Designed to Move with You
The all-new Echo Show 10 (www.amazon.com/EchoShow10) is a complete reimagination of Alexa with a screen and has been upgraded in every way. It features a brilliant 10-inch, adaptive HD display that automatically stays in view when you interact with Alexa—no matter where you are in the room. Plus, the new brushless motor is completely silent, meaning you won’t hear a thing as Echo Show 10 rotates.
Ask Alexa to make a video call without worrying about being out of frame—as you move, the screen does too, and the new 13-megapixel, wide-angle camera pans and zooms to keep you at the center of the frame. Plus, with new Alexa Group Calling you can create a group of up to eight friends and family members, and simply say, “Alexa, call my family.” Later this year, Echo Show devices will also support Zoom and Amazon Chime video conferencing. Say, “Alexa, join my Zoom meeting,” or “Alexa, start my Chime meeting,” to join a video call.
As Echo Show 10 moves, so does its dual, front-firing tweeters and powerful woofer, providing premium, directional sound that automatically adapts to your space, making it great for music, videos, and more. Echo Show 10 will also rotate as you watch the news, flash briefings, or TV shows from Hulu + Live TV and Prime Video. And, coming soon, you will also be able to watch Netflix simply by asking Alexa, with the ability to search, browse, and stream the entire catalog, including Netflix Originals such as Stranger Things, The Crown, and The Irishman, using just your voice.
“Improving our member experience includes making Netflix available where people want it. We’re excited to partner with Amazon on bringing the Netflix experience that people know and love to Echo Show, making it easier for our members to browse their favorite shows and films using their voice,” said Barry Smith, Partner Engagement Manager, Netflix.
Echo Show 10 uses advanced computer vision algorithms to help make your home smarter and more secure. When Alexa Guard is in Away Mode, Echo Show 10 can periodically pan the room and will send you a Smart Alert if it detects someone in its field of view. You can also securely access a live feed from another Echo Show device or the Alexa app, with the ability to remotely zoom or pan the display and camera to see the entire room; or set up a Routine that automatically turns on the lights when someone enters the room. Echo Show 10 will use AZ1 to process speech faster and make Alexa more responsive. Plus, its built-in smart home capabilities include support for Zigbee, BLE, and Amazon Sidewalk for devices that stay connected and work great inside and outside your home.
As with all Alexa-enabled devices, Echo Show 10 is designed and built with privacy in mind. It uses a fusion of audio-based localization and computer vision—all processed locally and securely on-device—to power the intelligent motion that keeps the screen facing you or detect someone when in Away Mode. Turn motion off at any time by sliding the built-in camera shutter closed, adjusting settings on-device or in the Alexa app, or just by saying, “Alexa, turn off motion.” Learn more about how we invented the Echo Show 10 experience: www.amazon.science.
Pricing and Availability
Echo ($99.99) and Echo Dot ($49.99) will be available in Charcoal, Glacier White, and Twilight Blue. Echo Dot with clock ($59.99) will be available in Glacier White and Twilight Blue. Echo Dot Kids Edition ($59.99) will be available in Panda and Tiger animal designs. Pre-order starts today, with devices shipping later this year.
The all-new Echo Show 10 ($249.99) will be available in Charcoal and Glacier White, and will start shipping in time for the holidays. You can sign up to be notified when the all-new Echo Show 10 is available at www.amazon.com/echoshow10. All new Echo Show features announced today will be available by the end of the year.
“These are the best Echo devices we have ever made,” said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “Echo and Echo Dot look beautiful and sound even better, and Echo Show 10 completely reimagines Alexa with a screen—the display moves with you, staying in view as you move around. It’s as natural as having a conversation. Plus, Alexa continues to get smarter—just ask to watch Netflix, make group calls, join video meetings on Zoom, upgrade your smart home with Alexa Guard and Amazon Sidewalk, and much more.”
Here's an overview of the new devices...
The New Echo — New Spherical Design, Dolby Stereo Sound, Built-in Zigbee Hub, and Sidewalk Bridge
The next-generation Echo (www.amazon.com/Echo) combines the best of Echo and Echo Plus into a single device at the same affordable Echo price. Its all-new design and fabric finish look great in any space, with a bright LED light ring at the base of the sphere that reflects off of surfaces for added visibility. The new Echo also sounds significantly better thanks to a 3.0-inch woofer, dual-firing tweeters, and Dolby processing that delivers stereo sound with clear highs, dynamic-mids, and deep bass. As with Echo Studio, the new Echo automatically senses the acoustics of your space and fine-tunes audio playback—just ask to listen to your favorite music, and the rich, detailed sound will automatically adapt to your room.
For the first time, Echo comes with a built-in smart home hub, with support for Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Amazon Sidewalk. Amazon Sidewalk can help you set up new devices quickly, extend the working range of devices like Ring Smart Lighting that may be beyond the range of your home wifi, and offer new support for devices like Tile to locate misplaced items. The new Echo is powered by Amazon’s first-generation AZ1 Neural Edge processor—an all-new silicon module that’s purpose-built for accelerating machine learning applications. With AZ1, powerful inference engines can run quickly on the edge—starting with an all-neural speech recognition model that will process requests faster, making Alexa even more responsive.
New Echo Dot & Echo Dot with clock — New Spherical Design and Crisp, Full Sound
Customers have made Echo Dot (www.amazon.com/EchoDot) the best-selling speaker ever—and now it’s even better. The all-new Echo Dot has the same spherical design and fabric finish as Echo, making it a stylish way to add Alexa to any space. It’s compact, but packs in a powerful 1.6-inch, front-firing speaker, producing crisp vocals and balanced bass for full sound you can enjoy in any room of your home.
The new Echo Dot with clock, already the best-selling clock on Amazon.com, comes with the same enhancements as the new Echo Dot, plus a simple LED display so you can glance at the time, temperature, timers, and alarms. And now, the tap-to-snooze feature that customers love on Echo Dot with clock will also be available on Echo Dot and Echo.
Echo Dot Kids Edition — Playful Designs for Kids and Peace of Mind for Parents
The all-new Echo Dot Kids Edition builds on the new spherical design with fun, colorful Panda and Tiger prints. Alexa’s custom-built kids experience means kids can ask Alexa questions, set animal sound alarms, get help with homework, and call approved friends and family, with extensive controls that give parents peace of mind. Parents will also be able to create Alexa voice profiles for their kids, so Alexa automatically shifts to a kid’s profile when she recognizes a kid’s voice—extending the kids experience, and parental controls, to any Echo device in the house. Kids can also enjoy a new Alexa feature called Reading Sidekick. Alexa can help kids build fluency and foster a love for reading—simply say, “Alexa, let’s read,” and Alexa will take turns reading with your child, providing encouragement when they are reading well and offering support when they struggle. Previews of Alexa voice profiles for kids and Reading Sidekick will be available in the coming months.
Echo Dot Kids Edition comes with a 1-year Amazon Kids+ subscription, giving families access to thousands of hours of kid-friendly Audible books, interactive games, and educational skills. Echo Dot Kids Edition also comes with a 2-year worry-free guarantee.
Echo Show 10 — Designed to Move with You
The all-new Echo Show 10 (www.amazon.com/EchoShow10) is a complete reimagination of Alexa with a screen and has been upgraded in every way. It features a brilliant 10-inch, adaptive HD display that automatically stays in view when you interact with Alexa—no matter where you are in the room. Plus, the new brushless motor is completely silent, meaning you won’t hear a thing as Echo Show 10 rotates.
Ask Alexa to make a video call without worrying about being out of frame—as you move, the screen does too, and the new 13-megapixel, wide-angle camera pans and zooms to keep you at the center of the frame. Plus, with new Alexa Group Calling you can create a group of up to eight friends and family members, and simply say, “Alexa, call my family.” Later this year, Echo Show devices will also support Zoom and Amazon Chime video conferencing. Say, “Alexa, join my Zoom meeting,” or “Alexa, start my Chime meeting,” to join a video call.
As Echo Show 10 moves, so does its dual, front-firing tweeters and powerful woofer, providing premium, directional sound that automatically adapts to your space, making it great for music, videos, and more. Echo Show 10 will also rotate as you watch the news, flash briefings, or TV shows from Hulu + Live TV and Prime Video. And, coming soon, you will also be able to watch Netflix simply by asking Alexa, with the ability to search, browse, and stream the entire catalog, including Netflix Originals such as Stranger Things, The Crown, and The Irishman, using just your voice.
“Improving our member experience includes making Netflix available where people want it. We’re excited to partner with Amazon on bringing the Netflix experience that people know and love to Echo Show, making it easier for our members to browse their favorite shows and films using their voice,” said Barry Smith, Partner Engagement Manager, Netflix.
Echo Show 10 uses advanced computer vision algorithms to help make your home smarter and more secure. When Alexa Guard is in Away Mode, Echo Show 10 can periodically pan the room and will send you a Smart Alert if it detects someone in its field of view. You can also securely access a live feed from another Echo Show device or the Alexa app, with the ability to remotely zoom or pan the display and camera to see the entire room; or set up a Routine that automatically turns on the lights when someone enters the room. Echo Show 10 will use AZ1 to process speech faster and make Alexa more responsive. Plus, its built-in smart home capabilities include support for Zigbee, BLE, and Amazon Sidewalk for devices that stay connected and work great inside and outside your home.
As with all Alexa-enabled devices, Echo Show 10 is designed and built with privacy in mind. It uses a fusion of audio-based localization and computer vision—all processed locally and securely on-device—to power the intelligent motion that keeps the screen facing you or detect someone when in Away Mode. Turn motion off at any time by sliding the built-in camera shutter closed, adjusting settings on-device or in the Alexa app, or just by saying, “Alexa, turn off motion.” Learn more about how we invented the Echo Show 10 experience: www.amazon.science.
Pricing and Availability
Echo ($99.99) and Echo Dot ($49.99) will be available in Charcoal, Glacier White, and Twilight Blue. Echo Dot with clock ($59.99) will be available in Glacier White and Twilight Blue. Echo Dot Kids Edition ($59.99) will be available in Panda and Tiger animal designs. Pre-order starts today, with devices shipping later this year.
The all-new Echo Show 10 ($249.99) will be available in Charcoal and Glacier White, and will start shipping in time for the holidays. You can sign up to be notified when the all-new Echo Show 10 is available at www.amazon.com/echoshow10. All new Echo Show features announced today will be available by the end of the year.