Amazon September event 2022 live blog: New echos and more
Today, Amazon is virtually taking the stage to unveil a host of new devices and services. The company’s annual hardware event always kicks off in September, and this time around we’re expecting the announcements from earlier in the month to be followed up by a focus on Echo and Alexa smart home lineups. We’ll be updating this post throughout the event with all the details on Amazon’s latest products and more announced today.
What to expect during Amazon’s September event
Amazon’s annual hardware event will be kicking off right at noon, with an expected wide range of products to be revealed just around the corner. The brand’s device lineup is bigger than ever, and today should see new additions to the roster arrive across several different product categories.
The biggest reveals we’re expecting today come from the Echo lineup. It has now been two years since Amazon released its latest series of Alexa-enabled speakers, and today should have the company revealing a new host of smart home accessories of all sorts. Expect to see an entirely refreshed stable of smart speakers centered around new designs.
The higher-end side of Amazon’s Kindle lineup is another area that is prime for some news during the September event today. The company has been showing some love to the entry-level offerings as of late, but models like the Kindle Oasis have taken a backseat to some of the more affordable ways to get in the e-reader game. getting the Amazon event pre-write done here so it can go live a little before the event
Amazon will be officially kicking off the September event come 12 P.M. EST. So stay locked to our coverage as we continually share all of the news. I’ll be live-Tweeting the event, so feel free to say hi over on Twitter.
The company will also be rolling out pre-orders on this landing page throughout the event and in the days after. You can browse through all of Amazon’s current and upcoming Alexa offerings right here.
Amazon announces new Kindle Scribe!
Amazon is kicking off today’s event by starting with the Kindle! The new models that were just refreshed at the beginning of the month are taking the spotlight so far, with the company highlighting its combination of unique hardware and software features.
But as far as new hardware goes, Amazon is announcing the new Kindle Scribe! It’s the first e-reader from the company you can write on. On top of all the reading you’d expect, you can now write and doodle. All of the tech is centered the “world’s first” 10.2-inch adjustable front light display. The Scribe pairs with an analog stylus that doesn’t require charging and magnetically snaps to the e-reader.
On top of being able to annotate books and add sticky notes to various content directly on the scribe, you can also send documents from your smartphone. Amazon notes that Microsoft Word support will be arriving next year, too.
Going up for pre-order later today, the new Amazon Kindle Scribe will retail for $339.99. Shipping is slated for before the holiday season, though an exact date has yet to be revealed. That price tag also includes the pen, and is complemented by a free 4-month Unlimited subscription.
Amazon Ambient takes the stage
Next we’re moving onto Amazon Ambient, the company’s intelligence features that help move the technology into the background. There are three big selling points for helping users enjoy the here and now, with a focus on being intuitive, proactive, and personalized. We’ll see how Amazon looks to integrate Echo and its other hardware into the discussion.
Amazon Halo is the next hardware update!
Leaning into the Ambient intelligence, Amazon is looking to further its ecosystem integration with the Halo lineup. So that’s where Halo Rise comes into play. The device rests on your bedside table and ditches the usual wrist-worn design in favor of a build that you don’t have to charge. There’s no camera, and uses contactless sensors and machine learning in order to monitor sleep stages through keeping tabs on respiration.
Halo Rise also has a built in light that can wake you up each morning with sunrise simulation. There’s also smart alarm features to help wake you up during the weakest part of your sleep, rather than jolting you awake at a specific time.
Shipping is slated for later this fall with a $139.99 price point and includes six months of the Halo membership.
Moving on to Echo
Next up, Amazon isn’t wasting any time by diving right into the Echo speaker hardware refreshes. While the designs are largely staying the same, Amazon is taking the September event as a chance to update the sound and feature sets of its lineup.
First up is the Echo Studio, which now comes in a refreshed glacial white color. On the inside of the speaker, there’s now an improved driver array that allows for better 3D audio and mid-range clarity. There will be the same $199.99 price tag as before when it begins shipping next month.
Then there are the new Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock speakers. You’ll find the same design as before, but now with double the bass and even clearer audio thanks to a 50% reduction in distortion. Amazon notes that this will be the best-sounding Echo Dot ever, and the Clock version will now sport a refreshed high-density dot display that can showcase added info like song titles and calendar event names. Both of them also come with accelerometers for tap controls as well as temperature sensors to monitor ambient air conditions. Pricing remains the same as previous-generation models, at $49.99 for the standard Echo Dot and $59.99 for the Echo Dot with Clock.
Even more interestingly, Amazon’s new Echo speakers, as well as the 4th-generation models, will be able to expand the reach of your eero Wi-Fi system. Each of the Alexa-enabled offerings will be able to add 1,000-square feet of coverage to your setup.
Lastly, Amazon has a refreshed Echo Auto model that will be arriving with an all-new design and the $54.99 price point for taking Alexa on-the-road.
Amazon talking robotics!
Last year we saw Amazon debut its first autonomous robot with the new Astro, and now the company has some new announcements on that front. Mostly just talking quality of life changes, but Amazon is also announcing a new multimodal AI feature set that can help it learn and recognize things in your home. From checking to make sure the window isn’t open, or some other specific use case. And now on top of people detection, Amazon will be rolling out pet tracking to Astro later this year.
Now, onto Ring and Blink!
We’re getting three new additions to the smart home security side of Amazon’s lineup today. Starting with Ring, there is a new Spotlight Cam Pro that brings radar motion alerts to the usual outdoor-ready package for a third dimension of monitoring. It’ll be available for pre-order later today and arrives for $229.99.
Next, we have the new Blink releases! These are a bit more affordable as we’ve come to expect from the brand, and starts with the new Blink Mini Pan Tilt. This will outfit an existing Blink Mini camera with the ability to adjust where your device can look. The accessory will retail for $29.99 and should be going live for pre-order shortly.
eero steps up to Power over Ethernet
The home networking side of Amazon’s stable is also getting some love today for the September event. There are now a pair of new accessories that arrive with Power over Ethernet support. Starting things out is the eero PoE 6, which will retail for $299.99. Then there’s a matching eero PoE Gateway, which sells for $649.99 and comes outfitted with 10GbE.
Amazon turns on its latest Fire TV Cube
Amazon today is now refreshing its popular all-in-one Fire TV Cube. Packed within the fabric exterior, its the first streaming media player to pack Wi-Fi 6E support. Powered by refreshed octa-core 2GHz processor, there’s improved navigation speeds as well as native 4K Ultra HD support and Super Resolution Upscaling for older content. There’s a dedicated Ethernet port on the back as well as HDMI in and HDMI out.
Like previous-generation models, you’ll be able to summon Alexa with a hands-free interface. The updated Fire TV Cube will be launching on October 25 and will retail for $139.99.
Then there’s a companion Alexa Voice Remote Pro, which will be an add-on to existing Fire TV streamers. It features a location feature so you an find it when the control gets lost in the couch cushions. There’s some built-in backlighting to keep buttons visible in low-light situations, as well as a pair of programmable buttons that can be configured to pull up favorite channels or even set different Alexa routines. It will be shipping in November and arrives with a $34.99 price tag.
Amazon Fire TV series gets a new lineup of QLED models
Next up, Amazon is debuting an entirely new series of Fire TV Omni QLED home theater upgrades. Arriving as the brand’s first in-house TVs with support for Dolby Vision IQ, there’s also HDR10+ support and adaptive brightness. On top of all the usual streaming service support, there’s also a new Art mode that will turn your display into a framed work of art.
It comes in both 65- and 75-inch models and will go up for pre-order later today. Pricing starts at $799.99, and both models will only be available in the United States and Canada, for now.
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