Yesterday, Amazon showcased a number of new products at a press event of theirs, as they continue to develop and expand their Echo range of devices. Here is a quick of what we saw.
“We love hearing feedback from customers about how they use Alexa throughout their day—whether that’s listening to music, dropping in on a loved one, trying out a new recipe or playing a game with the family,” said Jorrit Van der Meulen, Vice President, Amazon Devices International. “We hope these new Echo devices will give customers even more ways to access Alexa—whether that’s through the best-sounding Echo yet—Echo Studio, the reimagined Echo and Echo Dot, new designs like Echo Show 8 and Echo Flex, or new experiences for Alexa on-the-go with Echo Buds.”
There is a new Echo, that comes in a number of new finishes such as Twilight Blue, Charcoal, Heather Grey and Sandstone. Echo has the same audio architecture as Echo Plus, including a 3-inch woofer and increased back volume so that the bass feels stronger, and the mids and highs are clearer. Retails at £89.99.
Echo Flex, is the most affordable way to add Alexa into your life. It plus directly into your socket outlet and has a small speaker within in so you can talk to Alexa and hear her response. It also has a port, so you can charge your phone or similar device. This retails at just £24.99 but on Prime day, I can see this being a lot less, maybe even 2 for £24.99. No mention of it being able to playback music, so assume not.
The Echo Dot is getting a small refresh and will now include a clock display. The clock will show on a small LED display behind the fabric. The LED display automatically adjusts based on the brightness of the room, so you can easily see the time, just ask to see the outdoor temperature, or to set a morning alarm or pasta timer. Plus, you can tap the top of the device to conveniently snooze an alarm. No mention on any audio upgrades but I like this, this makes much more sense to have as an alarm clock now. Retails at £59.99
Now this one’s got me excited, the Echo Studio. With five built-in directional speakers, Echo Studio has been purposefully engineered to create premium sound with space, clarity, and depth. Its 5.25-inch woofer and 330W of peak power produces deep, rich bass by using the bass port at the bottom to maximise airflow and bass output from the woofer. Echo Studio has a 1-inch tweeter and three 2-inch midrange speakers that deliver dynamic midranges and crisp, high frequencies. Plus, it has a 24-bit DAC and a power amplifier with 100 kHz of bandwidth for high-res, lossless music playback, available via Amazon Music HD. Echo Studio also automatically senses the acoustics of your space and fine-tunes audio playback to deliver optimal sound—no matter where you put the device in the room. This all sounds fantastic! It retails at £189.99.
Echo Show 8, an 8″ HD display and audio device. Watch your favorite shows or listen to music from Prime, or video chat via the built in camera. Little updates but updates all the same. Retails at £119.99
Echo Buds, which are taking on the might Apple Airpods, with a similar, wireless earphone system. In fact, they include Bose active noise reduction technology. Reduction, not cancellation, how well worded they’ve done that. Slightly cheaper than the AirPods at £119.99. Have you seen the video of the Amazon spoke person talking about the while wearing AirPods? It’s brilliant, you couldn’t make this stuff up.
Alexa has had an overhaul too, there are some new features and it appears celebrities are getting involved. Sam L Jackson could soon be answering your questions! Head over to Amazon now to preorder these new goodies!