Tim
Like every past year, Amazon spent all morning announcing and detailing a ton of new products spread over multiple categories. We have drones that will fly around your home, big screens that will help control your smart home, nightmare-inducing robots that watch you as your sleep, as well as an inexpensive smart thermostat that I foresee many folks being interested in.
I’m going to go ahead and list all of the new stuff and give a brief rundown of what it’s about. If there’s a link for pre-ordering, I will include it. Have fun browsing the new goodies!
Ring Security Drone (Pictured Above)
Remember this thing? Yup, it has arrived, with Ring opening up an invite system to purchase the $249 Always Home Cam drone that will fly around your house and ensure your belongings are safe. So freakin’ awesome. As far as I can tell, you’ll likely need to be deep into Ring’s security ecosystem and signed up for its subscription service in order to be selected for this early release, but hey, give it a shot. I know I did, even though my dogs certainly won’t appreciate it. We have more Always Home Cam details here, as it was first detailed last year.
Echo Show 15
The $249 Echo Show 15 device, designed to be a smart home control hub, capable of viewing Ring video feeds, control lights and appliances, plus much more. Amazon notes that it’s not a requirement to mount the display, but if you do, you can do so either vertically or horizontally. It’s currently listed as Coming Soon on Amazon, so if you’re interested, sign up to be notified of its release.
Amazon Astro
Astro, Amazon’s roaming Alexa-powered device designed to protect your home and help you complete limited tasks. While awesome, this robot won’t be cheap costing $1449 once the special entry price of $999 is expired. Amazon says that Astro uses advanced navigation technology to find its way around your home and go where you need it. “When you’re not using Astro, it will hang out close by at the ready,” and additionally you can, “Remotely send Astro to check on specific rooms, people, or things. Plus, get alerts if Astro detects an unrecognized person or certain sounds when you’re away.”
It’s a sweet gadget, but not for everyone. Again, another product my dogs wouldn’t appreciate. It’s listed as Coming Soon on Amazon, so sign up if you’re interested.
Halo View, Fitness, and Nutrition
Fitness-focused folks can look forward to a new suite of health-related goodies from Amazon, which include the Halo View fitness tracker ($79), plus two new membership AI-powered services called Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition. The Halo View features an AMOLED display, capable of tracking sleep, blood oxygen levels, activity, as well as deliver select notifications.
Halo Fitness Rundown
At launch, Halo members can choose from cardio, strength, yoga, outdoor, and mobility classes, with new content rolling out regularly. Integration with Halo View or Halo Band allows members to see real time fitness metrics such as heart rate and heart rate intensity zone as an on-display overlay, so they can train smarter and optimize every workout.
Halo Nutrition Rundown
Halo Nutrition features personalized, time-saving tools to discover delicious, nutrient-rich recipes or plan out a week of healthful eating. Members can customize their experience to account for specific allergies and preferences, build a tailored meal plan, or select from one of seven pre-curated menus: classic, keto, Mediterranean, Nordic, paleo, vegan, and vegetarian. Members can also browse a library of more than 500 recipes from partners including WW, Lifesum, and Whole Foods Market, and easily add ingredients and groceries they need for their meal plan to their existing Alexa Shopping list—streamlining all grocery needs into one place.
Halo View is currently listed as Coming Soon, while Halo Fitness will start rolling out to members in the Halo app later this year, with the personalized fitness metrics coming next year. Amazon also says Halo Nutrition will be available in January 2022. Both Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition are included as part of the Halo membership.
Blink Video Doorbell
There’s a new video doorbell from Blink, offering 1080p video feeds, infrared night vision, and two-way audio. You can use the doorbell in a wired mode or wireless mode, with wired users able to pair it with existing chimes. The camera is available for $50, up for pre-order right now. Additionally, there are new accessories from Blink, including a Blink Floodlight Camera and Blink Solar Panel Mount, both available for pre-order today. The Blink Floodlight Camera mount starts at $39.99 and customers can also get a Blink Floodlight Camera bundle with Blink Outdoor starting at $139.98. The Blink Solar Panel Mount bundled with Blink Outdoor will start at $129.98. Lots of options to choose from.
Smart Thermostat
Amazon is ready to take on Nest and everyone else with a new smart thermostat. Priced at only $60, it’s capable of doing most everything any other smart thermostat can do. You can control it from your smart device, save money thanks to intelligent power usage, and enjoy easy installation. If you have been waiting for a more inexpensive option over Nest or ecobee, this could be a good buy for you.
Here’s a 60 second video showcasing all of the new goodies.
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