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Amazon has upgraded its most popular smart speaker, the Amazon Echo Dot, to include an LED display that tells you the time.
The Amazon Echo Dot with Clock can also display things “like the temperature or alarm times”, according to the company, which announced the new model at its 2019 hardware showcase in Seattle.
In a bid to bring Alexa into the bedroom, Amazon says that “if used as an alarm clock, you can simply tap [it] to snooze your alarm for a few more minutes of sleep”.
Available for preorder today, the Alexa-powered smart speaker will cost $59.99. While Amazon hasn’t revealed global pricing and availability yet, this works out at around £50 / AU$90.
[ul]
[li]Echo speakers are getting new privacy controls[/li][li]Amazon’s upgraded mesh Wi-Fi system is taking on Google Wifi[/li][li]Keep up with all the news from the Amazon event at our liveblog[/li][/ul]
[IMG alt="cZtxk8HZAXykNP8SN6pnj4" width="690px" height="388px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cZtxk8HZAXykNP8SN6pnj4.jpg[/IMG]
A new sound for the Echo
Meanwhile, the Amazon Echo has been gifted an all-new sound system, which will hopefully improve upon the somewhat lacking audio performance of its predecessor.
The new Amazon Echo (2019) now boasts “the same audio architecture as Echo Plus, including neodymium drivers, 3-inch woofer and increased back volume so the bass feels stronger, and the mids and highs are clearer”, according to Amazon.
Aside from looking a little chunkier, the Amazon Echo (2019) doesn’t look particularly different from the previous Echo model, still sporting that wraparound fabric grille – however, it will come in a new color, which Amazon has dubbed ‘Twilight Blue’.
[IMG alt="vaiYYiZiFxwsN4bFaNbyAL" width="690px" height="388px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vaiYYiZiFxwsN4bFaNbyAL.jpg[/IMG]
Studio sound quality
There’s a new kid on the block, too: the Amazon Echo Studio, which the company says is “the most innovative speaker we’ve ever built”.
According to Amazon, its the “first smart speaker that brings 3D audio from Dolby Atmos right into your living room” – whether the Studio will deliver true Dolby Atmos surround sound, or will provide an approximation of it, is unclear at this stage.
The new smart speaker uses “built-in Alexa microphones” to “automatically calibrate and model the room around you” – so, it should sound fantastic no matter where you have it in the home.
There’s no word on price or availability for the Amazon Echo Studio yet, but we’ll be sure to update this article as soon as we find out.
[IMG alt="UTPr8bxN6FuQ8MRBwWyHx3" width="690px" height="388px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UTPr8bxN6FuQ8MRBwWyHx3.jpg[/IMG]
Echo Show’s middle sibling
We already have the Echo Show and the diminutive Echo Show 5 – now Amazon has announced a smart display that sits firmly in the middle of the two, the Amazon Echo Show 8.
With a (you guessed it) eight-inch HD display, Amazon says the new smart display combines the “crisp, powerful audio” of the 10-inch Echo Show, with the “camera shutter and sleek form factor” of the 5-inch Echo Show 5.
It’s available to preorder in the US from today for $129.99 – again, we’re still waiting for global pricing and availability, but that works out at around £105 / AU$190.
[ul]
[li]Stay up to date with the latest news from Seattle with our Amazon 2019 launch liveblog[/li][/ul]
Continue reading…
The Amazon Echo Dot with Clock can also display things “like the temperature or alarm times”, according to the company, which announced the new model at its 2019 hardware showcase in Seattle.
In a bid to bring Alexa into the bedroom, Amazon says that “if used as an alarm clock, you can simply tap [it] to snooze your alarm for a few more minutes of sleep”.
Available for preorder today, the Alexa-powered smart speaker will cost $59.99. While Amazon hasn’t revealed global pricing and availability yet, this works out at around £50 / AU$90.
[ul]
[li]Echo speakers are getting new privacy controls[/li][li]Amazon’s upgraded mesh Wi-Fi system is taking on Google Wifi[/li][li]Keep up with all the news from the Amazon event at our liveblog[/li][/ul]
[IMG alt="cZtxk8HZAXykNP8SN6pnj4" width="690px" height="388px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cZtxk8HZAXykNP8SN6pnj4.jpg[/IMG]
A new sound for the Echo
Meanwhile, the Amazon Echo has been gifted an all-new sound system, which will hopefully improve upon the somewhat lacking audio performance of its predecessor.
The new Amazon Echo (2019) now boasts “the same audio architecture as Echo Plus, including neodymium drivers, 3-inch woofer and increased back volume so the bass feels stronger, and the mids and highs are clearer”, according to Amazon.
Aside from looking a little chunkier, the Amazon Echo (2019) doesn’t look particularly different from the previous Echo model, still sporting that wraparound fabric grille – however, it will come in a new color, which Amazon has dubbed ‘Twilight Blue’.
[IMG alt="vaiYYiZiFxwsN4bFaNbyAL" width="690px" height="388px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vaiYYiZiFxwsN4bFaNbyAL.jpg[/IMG]
Studio sound quality
There’s a new kid on the block, too: the Amazon Echo Studio, which the company says is “the most innovative speaker we’ve ever built”.
According to Amazon, its the “first smart speaker that brings 3D audio from Dolby Atmos right into your living room” – whether the Studio will deliver true Dolby Atmos surround sound, or will provide an approximation of it, is unclear at this stage.
The new smart speaker uses “built-in Alexa microphones” to “automatically calibrate and model the room around you” – so, it should sound fantastic no matter where you have it in the home.
There’s no word on price or availability for the Amazon Echo Studio yet, but we’ll be sure to update this article as soon as we find out.
[IMG alt="UTPr8bxN6FuQ8MRBwWyHx3" width="690px" height="388px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UTPr8bxN6FuQ8MRBwWyHx3.jpg[/IMG]
Echo Show’s middle sibling
We already have the Echo Show and the diminutive Echo Show 5 – now Amazon has announced a smart display that sits firmly in the middle of the two, the Amazon Echo Show 8.
With a (you guessed it) eight-inch HD display, Amazon says the new smart display combines the “crisp, powerful audio” of the 10-inch Echo Show, with the “camera shutter and sleek form factor” of the 5-inch Echo Show 5.
It’s available to preorder in the US from today for $129.99 – again, we’re still waiting for global pricing and availability, but that works out at around £105 / AU$190.
[ul]
[li]Stay up to date with the latest news from Seattle with our Amazon 2019 launch liveblog[/li][/ul]
Continue reading…