THE LITTLE BALL GOT BIG! Amazon’s new Echo Dot, out Oct. 28 for $99.99, has a built-in smart home hub with Zigbee, Matter and Thread support, the first time Amazon has put a hub in the Dot, according to Amazon and The Verge. Translation: lights, locks and thermostats that used to need a separate hub box can connect to the cheap Dot instead.
It also has a built-in eero Wi-Fi extender that Amazon says adds up to 1,000 square feet of coverage. The catch: Amazon says it extends your existing eero network, so it won’t fix dead zones on a different brand of router.
Under the fabric: Amazon’s own AZ3 chip for on-device processing, a fourth microphone so Alexa hears you better across the room, and what Amazon claims is 50% more bass than the last model. Its “Omnisense” sensors can detect room temperature and presence, so Alexa can do things like turn up the heat or switch on lights when you walk in. Colors: graphite, glacier white, agave green and coral pink. A Kids version with a year of Amazon Kids+ starts at $109.99.
Meanwhile the premium Echo Studio with Home Camera ($249.99, graphite) adds a built-in camera. You can check on the room from the Alexa app while you’re out, hold things up for Alexa to see (Amazon’s examples: board game rules, reordering cereal), and “soon,” make video calls through a compatible Fire TV. The camera-free Echo Studio stays on sale at $219.99.
The privacy fine print: Amazon says a dedicated button turns off the microphones and camera, and an LED lights up whenever the Studio’s camera is streaming to the cloud. Some features require Alexa+, which is included with Prime. If you don’t want a camera in your living room, buy the old Studio and save $30.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
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