Amazon partnered with Honeywell to make its first-ever smart thermostat, aptly dubbed the Amazon Smart Thermostat. An Alexa integration will allow you to control your HVAC system with voice commands, or alternatively, you can use “Hunches,” an AI feature that takes into account data from your smart home (whether your lights are off etc...) to automate the temperature automatically. And, well, the price...
Amazon introduced a 15.6-inch addition to its Echo Show lineup: the Echo Show 15. Among the most noteworthy features is the ability to personalize on-screen info using visual ID (the camera scans your face to surface relevant calendar information, notes, etc...). With a display this large the Show 15 can double as a kitchen TV. That’s right, you’re now a kitchen TV person.
There were also a few surprising additions to Amazon’s kid-focused product lineup, including the Amazon Glow — a video-calling device with a built-in, interactive projector screen. The idea here is that parents or loved ones can video chat their kids (or grandkids) and use a combination of the Glow’s 8-inch display and interactive projector to read books, play games, or even scan objects in 3D to create custom puzzles. It’s a webcam, it’s a toy, it’s... Sony’s failed Xperia Agent?
Wearables also got some love with the addition of the Halo View — a significantly upgraded version of Amazon’s original Halo fitness band. One of the most noticeable changes here is the addition of an AMOLED for viewing health data like sleep quality, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate. The band will also be accompanied by Halo Nutrition service and Halo Fitness which will offer video workout regimens.
While this wasn’t the first time we’ve seen Amazon’s flying home security drone, the Ring Always Home Cam, we finally got an approximate release date and some other important info on how to get one. For starters, the drone will be invite-only (you can sign up today) and even if you’re selected to purchase one, it won’t ship until later this year. The drone captures video in 1080p and can autonomously navigate your home or guard preselected areas. Finally! Drone surveillance at home.
Blink, which like Ring is also an Amazon-owned purveyor of home security tech, is now offering its first-ever doorbell cam. Its features are nearly identical to those of Ring’s doorbell camera. The camera can be wired or wire-free, has a two-year battery life, records in 1080p, and can connect to your existing in-home doorbell so that it chimes when a visitor presses the Blink’s button. There’s also an optional floodlight camera mount with a 700 lumen motion-triggered light and a solar panel mount designed to keep the battery charged for longer, both of which will be sold in their own respective bundles.
Amazon’s robotic butler, Astro, is probably the biggest surprise to come out of Amazon’s huge product deluge. This cute (or creepy depending on how you look at it) home robot can monitor your home while you’re away with its built-in camera and is being positioned as a tool for checking in on elderly family members while you’re absent via notifications and “drop-ins” — automatic video calls enabled via Astro’s on-board screen. If nothing else, Astro will be a pretty interesting experiment in people’s adoption of home robots.