Amazon has revamped its flagship hardware, updating design and adding new intelligence. Four new Echo devices have been updated with new Omnisense intelligence and the next-generation Alexa+, the latter also now in Ring cameras. The company also unveiled three thinner and lighter Kindle Scribe tablets, including the Colorsoft, the first with a color screen. The sleeker form factors prompted Bloomberg to suggest Amazon plans “to take on Apple in the AI era.” One plain-looking device that got a lot of attention was the $40 Fire TV Stick 4K Select that Amazon calls the fastest streaming dongle on the market. Continue reading Amazon Emphasizes Design & Intelligence at Hardware Event

Amazon announced a wide range of compelling news at its annual Devices and Services event this week. The company is adding artificial intelligence to its virtual assistant Alexa and unveiled next-generation Echo Frames smart glasses that let you take the voice assistant “on the go.” AI also provides “enhanced conversational voice search” with the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max. The company’s eero Max 7 Wi-Fi system and new Echo Hub are also stand-outs from the holiday shopping primer, which streamed live from Amazon’s new corporate compound in Arlington, Virginia, ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, October 10-11. Continue reading Amazon Debuts AI for Alexa and Fire TV Max 4K at Fall Event

Amazon is strategically moving its Alexa digital voice assistant into a wide range of products, for use in many settings. Among the newly introduced smart products powered by Alexa are earbuds, a ring, eyeglass frames and even a lamp. The idea, said Amazon hardware head Dave Limp, is to allow Alexa to follow the consumer throughout her day, via such smart lifestyle devices. To enable this, Amazon also debuted its own low bandwidth 900MHz network, Amazon Sidewalk, to connect Internet of Things devices. Continue reading Amazon Unveils New IoT Devices for On-the-Go Consumers