New products from Amazon
Amazon (AMZN) on Tuesday unveiled a host of new consumer electronics gadgets, including a robotic pet, a home drone, an Amazon Glow projection gadget for children, a new Echo Show 15 display, which the company called "the digital heart of your home" and more.
Perhaps the most futuristic new product from Amazon this year is the Astro, a robotic-looking pet robot. The robot has an advanced computer vision system, and "its movements are intuitive and graceful so that it can interact naturally with humans."
Astro will initially only be available on pre-order and will cost a significant amount of money: the initial discounted price will be $999, and the robot will retail at $1499.
The company has also introduced a new gadget for children, Amazon Glow, which combines the functions of a video call and image projection, allowing to better hold the attention of children during distance learning or communicating with loved ones. The device is priced at $249.99.
The projected images are interactive, so both parties can participate in the same puzzle, game, drawing or other activity. The second video caller doesn't have to buy Glow, instead they can simply use the mobile app.
Other new products include the Echo Show 15 smart display, which shows snippets of information such as shared calendars, notes, shopping lists and other items. It also offers more direct access to smart home technologies such as surveillance cameras, as well as the ability to enable the new Visual ID feature. Using facial recognition, Echo can customise the data it displays based on who it recognises.
The company unveiled its Ring Always Home Cam drone, announced last year now becoming available for $250. The drone flies to keep an eye on the house or check if the cooker is off, for example.
Amazon has also launched Halo View, a new fitness tracker that will cost $79.99, including a one-year subscription to the Amazon Halo Fitness and Nutrition apps. The new version of the Halo Fitness service will offer members hundreds of workouts, which Amazon calls studio-quality workouts.
"Fitness products" from Amazon will compete with Apple Fitness and Peloton Interactive (PTON). Peloton shares fell 4.6% on Tuesday.
Also released were Amazon's new $59.99 smart thermostat, the $49.99 Blink video intercom and a range of new Ring home security devices and services.
