Amazon Unveils Spherical Echo Speakers, Flying Indoor Security Camera, and Cloud Gaming Service
Sep 24 2020
Amazon unveiled a new lineup of spherical Echo devices, an autonomous flying indoor Ring security camera, a new cloud gaming service, and new features to help Alexa converse and interact more naturally with users.
The flurry of news came Thursday morning during the company's annual Devices & Services event, a virtual version of a fall tradition in which the company typically shows its newest Echo speakers and other Alexa-enabled devices.
<p>Luna, the cloud gaming service, <a href="https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/introducing-luna-amazons-new-cloud-gaming-service-where-its-easy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will cost $5.99/month during an early access period</a>. It will be available on Fire TV, Mac, Windows PCs, iOS and later Android, going head-to-head with similar offerings from Microsoft and Google. Amazon will offer a dedicated game controller for the service, available for $49.99, which connects directly to the cloud to let gamers switch quickly between devices. Games can also be played with a keyboard and mouse or a Bluetooth game controller. Luna integrates with the Amazon-owned Twitch streaming service.</p><p>The new spherical Echo <a href="https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/introducing-all-new-echo-family-reimagined-inside-and-out" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">offers upgraded sound and a built-in smart home hub</a>, something that was previously available on higher-end Echo devices. It will sell for $99.99, and a spherical Echo Dot will sell for $49.99. A version of the Echo Dot with a visible clock will sell for $59.99.</p><p>The company also showed new Alexa features including the ability to learn different modes for reading or vacation unique to each user. With a new "natural turn-taking" feature, users will also be able to ask Alexa to join a conversation taking place in the kitchen, for example, chiming in as two people order a pizza and pick a movie for the evening.</p><p>The company says Alexa uses "multi-sensory artificial intelligence," including audio and visual cues to determine whether the request or comment is directed at Alexa or another person in the room.</p><p>Dave Limp, Amazon's senior vice president of Devices & Services, said the company is moving toward a more "ambient home," with fewer explicit verbal interactions with Alexa. "That's not to say you won't speak to your home, but it's going to understand you more. It's going to anticipate your needs and be more contextual," he said.</p><p>"This is our long term vision. But trust me there is a lot of work to be done to make this a reality," he said.</p><p>New security features will include the ability to ask Alexa to "delete everything I've said," to remove all saved voice recordings associated with the customer's Amazon account. Amazon says customers will also be able to opt out of voice recordings.</p><p>Limp also outlined <a href="https://www.datocms-assets.com/32436/1600902718-updated-againscarlett-sustainability-blog-post.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new environmental sustainability initiatives</a>, including a new energy dashboard, a rollout of low power mode for Echo devices, and carbon offsets.</p><p>The company's Ring subsidiary, which was hit with <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/ring-customers-cameras-breached-hackers-sue-amazon-proposed-class-action-lawsuit/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a series of security issues last year</a>, announced new end-to-end encryption for video, as well as <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/amazon-owned-ring-unveils-new-security-devices-car-including-tesla-integration/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a new Ring Car Alarm and Car Cam for auto security</a>, along with an API dubbed Ring Car Connect for implementation by auto manufacturers, starting with Tesla.</p><p>But the biggest surprise was the Ring "Always Home Cam," <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/drone-home-amazons-new-ring-indoor-security-camera-gives-flight-new-privacy-concerns/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an indoor camera that can fly autonomously around the home</a> for checking in remotely.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQzNzczOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MjQ0NTQzMH0.S0lmaSznYS6iGtitLUVhsHE3_O86JZo-UKKUHac45_k/image.jpg?width=980" id="35dee" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="29b2d8c81ee4c15637538bdb1cde06ce" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Ring's "Always Home Cam."</small></p><p>"This autonomous indoor security camera flies your chosen, personalized paths so that you can easily check in on your home for peace of mind—like whether someone left a window open or forgot to turn the stove off," says Jamie Siminoff, the Ring founder, <a href="https://blog.ring.com/2020/09/24/introducing-ring-always-home-cam-an-innovative-new-approach-to-always-being-home/" target="_blank">in a blog post about the new product</a>. It will cost $249.<br/></p><p>Amazon's new Echo Show 10, priced at $249.99, will come with a built-in shutter cover for privacy, with support for Netflix streaming, and Zoom and Amazon Chime video calls. It's currently <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082X1HRV5/" target="_blank">listed as "coming soon"</a> on Amazon's site.A</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQzNzc0Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTM5OTg4N30.aZT0VnBfHMcU2U_s8dRLBSzmCYRXhgVfEyHfaqracdI/image.jpg?width=980" id="04cb4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e2fc6b9216f29795cbc8c00c8677ebb6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Amazon's Echo Show 10</small></p><p><br/></p><p>Alexa-enabled devices <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2019/live-updates-amazon-unveils-new-alexa-powered-devices-media-event-seattle/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">introduced at this event last year</a> included a smart ring, eyeglasses and wireless earbuds.</p><p>In advance of the event, an FCC filing surfaced for the Amazon game controller, <a href="https://twitter.com/davezatz/status/1309133102573326341" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">as spotted by Dave Zatz</a>, fueling speculation that the company was preparing to unveil a rumored cloud gaming service at the event, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/24/21454354/amazon-wireless-game-controller-fcc-filings-project-tempo-hardware-event" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">as reported by The Verge</a>. The company shielded its identity by using the fake name "Zippy Hippie Twister Limited Liability Company," but a logo on one the labels in the filing revealed that it was Amazon's controller.</p><div id="8913d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e31d96fe48d8d6ceb89669ae67c2f813"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1309133102573326341" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">New gaming controller just cleared the FCC.
Current tally:
* 4 new devices hit today (so far, it's early!)
* 2 e… https://t.co/0LnqIhlhEy</div> — Dave Zatz (@Dave Zatz)<a href="https://twitter.com/davezatz/statuses/1309133102573326341">1600956628.0</a></blockquote></div><p>But the Amazon Sidewalk neighborhood wireless network may be a better indication of the company's broader ambitions for its Devices & Services business. Sidewalk, introduced at the same event last year, is an intermediate-range shared network that leverages low-bandwidth, wireless spectrum to provide connectivity to small Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as smart lights, weather stations, trackers and sensors in places such as mailboxes and gardens.<br/></p><p>"There are a lot of things where Bluetooth is way too short-range, WiFi is way too high-power, and so to have something that's still low-power, but that has much longer range is really a gap in the marketplace," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in off-the-cuff remarks to reporters <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2019/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-sees-new-opportunity-yard-sidewalk-beyond/" target="_blank">after the event last year</a>. "People don't even realize yet how important that intermediate range is going to be."</p><p>Sidewalk is slated to launch later this year. Amazon announced Tile as <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/amazon-adds-tile-sidewalk-wireless-network-says-echo-devices-can-serve-bridges-explains-bandwidth-sharing/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the first third-party Sidewalk device earlier this week</a>, along with new technical details about the network.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQzNzc0My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzk3NjE1M30.gj9xmeNzHnXhemN8VTkLQcd942wIyNIoFYGYZDBraT4/image.png?width=980" id="3624e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="458462c0ef020c136f92f180b555766c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
</p><p>Amazon has been able to maintain a sizeable lead over Google and other companies in the smart speaker market, with about 70% market share, <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/amazon-maintains-convincing-lead-in-us-smart-speaker-market" target="_blank">according to research released in February by eMarketer.</a><br/></p><p>"Over time, we'll see slowing growth in the number of smart speakers as people turn to voice assistants built into other things within homes, vehicles and on-the-go," said Victoria Petrock, a principal analyst at eMarketer, in a statement at the time. "Amazon's next challenge will be to maintain its dominance in these other environments as well."</p><p><em>This story <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/amazon-looks-expand-reach-alexa-echo-annual-device-unveiling/?mc_cid=9c92a81d97&mc_eid=900038ece8" target="_blank">originally appeared on GeekWire</a>.</em></p>
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As soon as I stepped into the new Amazon Fresh store in Woodland Hills an employee asked if I wanted to shop with a regular cart or use their 'dash cart.'
The 35,000 square foot store that opened to the public on Friday is Amazon's first so-called smart grocery store as the e-commerce giant attempts to remake in-person shopping and push into the supermarket space.
<p>The dash cart is the center of that effort. The toy-like cart has a screen in the middle of the handles that walks you through a tutorial on how to process the different items and which also allows you to see the total price of your trip as you're shopping. It's bright green and black and smaller than your average grocery cart with no place for the dangling legs of a toddler. </p><p>I grabbed the dash cart. To start I had to open my Amazon app to sync it to the cart. </p><p>I held my account's QR code in front of a camera affixed to the cart and once scanned, the cart made a pinging sound and told me I could start shopping. Now everything I put in the cart would be charged to my account.</p><p>The cart is not required, though. And shoppers can still opt to go through a checkout stand with a clerk. </p><p>Amazon Fresh opened their store to the public last week after previously being invitation only.</p><p>The Woodland Hills location at 6245 Topanga Canyon Blvd is likely a window into the future of Amazon grocery shopping. It allows customers to shop in-store, pick up Amazon Fresh online orders within the hour and even includes a return drop off center. It comes in the middle of a pandemic in which the online retailer has seen their grocery sales triple year-over-year.</p><p>At the same time, growth of their Prime membership which is key to the grocery store experience is accelerating.</p>
<p><br/></p><p>When I arrived on a Monday morning, the aisles were eerily quiet. Clerks that normally stock aisles or buzz around the cash register were nearly non-existent. But Alexa seemed to be everywhere.</p><p>She's also available at different stands throughout the store to help customers locate specific items.</p><p>The store has a variety of produce, a meat and seafood section, and even a kitchen area where you can pick up prepared items like sushi or pizza. It felt like Whole Foods cafeteria-like layout but a bit less expensive. The chicken tenders looked especially appealing.</p><p>The different aisles carry your typical brand name items like Quakers and Coca-Cola, but there's often signs pointing out items that are locally grown and produced. Across the store, Amazon had their own packaged goods sprinkled throughout, including in the meat and seafood section, which was filled with Fresh-branded options.</p><p>Fresh produce has a number code that needs to be entered into the monitor on the dash cart, once detected and placed in the cart it weighs the item to give the total price. Barcode items are scanned as you place them in the cart through the use of the cameras and sensors placed in the front area of the cart.</p><p>Both options release a ding sound to let you know the item has been added correctly, but the process is hardly seamless. I had to re-enter items like my strawberry flavored Chobani a few times until the cart was able to detect it.</p><p>The cart itself was very small as it can only hold two bags before overflowing with items which is not ideal for a family looking to shop for a week's worth of groceries.</p><p>Yet, the simplicity of the checkout almost felt unreal. To checkout, all I had to do was walk through the dash cart lane. Once I walked over a mat, an automated message appeared on my cart monitor showing my bill. That was it. I was done. But the experience was so new, I wasn't even sure that I paid. I asked the clerk, 'Oh, is that it?" Yep, he replied and told me to watch my email for a receipt.</p><p>I grabbed my bags and walked out, having minimal interaction with humans.</p>
Inside Amazon Fresh Grocery Store
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQyODU0MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzI2NTM5M30.fUivehwQu3jBdWb0VB2-51sn4yNOVHHKntiRQSUpd7Q/image.jpg?width=980" id="17c94" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fb43656729448ac48e64a23c2a61a5cf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
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Boosted Commerce, which hunts for top-rated companies on Amazon to buy, is about to go on a massive shopping spree of its own, purchasing 100 consumer packaged goods companies over the next four years with funds from a $87 million raise it announced Thursday.
The company uses its experience and resources to boost already successful Amazon sellers, hence the name. Rather than gamble on unproven concepts or spend hundreds of millions on research and development, as large corporations like Procter and Gamble have traditionally done, Boosted employees scour Amazon looking for companies with top reviews and offer to buy them and close in fewer than 45 days.
<p>"When you find something that is ranked in the top five and has thousands of reviews, you know it's a good product," explained co-founder Keith Richman. "We're buying them and we're accelerating their growth."</p><p>For sellers, many of whom are mom-and-pops living in far flung locales around the world, Boosted offers a chance to take money off the table and bring in management expertise to help scale their company. </p><p>"We know the space very well," said co-founder Charlie Chanaratsopon. "The sellers are burnt out. Their life savings are in the brand. They are generally excited and pretty relieved [when we reach out]." </p><p>Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) businesses now represent 60% of gross merchandise sold on Amazon, according to Boosted, and there are now eight million third party sellers on Amazon with 367,000 joining this year alone.</p><p>Some merchants have described <a href="https://digiday.com/marketing/amazon-consolidated-marketplace-sellers/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bullying tactics by the retail giant </a>and lawmakers <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/29/bezos-cant-guarantee-no-anti-competitive-activity-as-congress-catches-him-flat-footed/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">have been investigating</a> whether Amazon engages in anti-competitive behavior, but Richman says they see the online retail giant as a friend rather than a foe.</p><p>"Obviously we're not afraid of them," said Richman. "Amazon is incredible and when we look at the ecosystem of retail distribution, we look at them as a force to bet on."</p><p>Still, even though Boosted uses the ecommerce retailer to source products, part of its strategy involves broadening a company's distribution to include other outlets like Walmart and Shopify, which founders often do not have the expertise to do themselves. </p><p>Chanaratsopon previously founded Charming Charlie, a national chain of 290 stores that sold women's jewelry and accessories before filing for <a href="https://www.retaildive.com/news/charming-charlies-pending-liquidation-a-reminder-of-bankruptcys-limits/558650/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bankruptcy for a second time last year</a> and closing its stores. </p><p>Richman co-founded Voi Technology, a leading European based mobility company and previously co-founded Break Media, OnePage, and Billpoint Inc. He currently serves on the board of directors of GrubHub, The Meet Group and Vostok New Ventures. </p><p>Investors in the round include Torch Capital; CrossCut Ventures; Elie Seidman, former CEO of Tinder; Tucker Kain, president of Los Angeles Dodgers; Ken Ramberg, founder of Good Pods; Scott Hendrickson, co-founder and partner, Permian Investment Partners; and Thomas O. Staggs, former chief operating officer of The Walt Disney Company. (dot.LA chairman and co-founder Spencer Rascoff, co-founder of Zillow and Hotwire, also participated.)</p>
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