Amazon unveiled several new products on Thursday, ranging from upgraded versions of its flagship Internet-connected Echo speakers to an indoor surveillance drone.
Documents released Thursday by the online retail giant underscore Amazon’s self-described “green house” strategy. It’s another way of describing the “smart home,” in which home appliances and home entertainment equipment are connected wirelessly via the Internet.
That information is a gold mine for marketers that could help companies better target customers with ads or suggest products they are more likely to buy. It can also help companies decide what new services to offer, such as music or game streaming.
Amazon wants customers to control their homes simply using their voices, even using voice technologies from competitors like Spotify, Facebook, and Garmin.
Increasingly, Amazon is introducing features other than voice technologies to create more attractive smart home kits. For example, Taylor highlighted a new Echo Show video conferencing device that can move around a table to follow people as they speak. Amazon says it makes online conversations more natural because people don’t have to sit still.
Amazon’s new surveillance drone
Amazon’s new Ring Always Home Cam is a camera-equipped drone that flies inside houses, like a propeller security camera.
In an effort to reduce privacy concerns, Amazon said the drone’s cameras will only record when they fly. Additionally, the company said the drone was deliberately designed to be loud, so that people know when they are being recorded.
Of course, for many privacy advocates, surveillance drones that capture all of people’s movements are a dystopian nightmare. When asked about the privacy implications, Taylor said, “We don’t think people should choose between privacy and innovation.” However, he admitted, “not everyone can choose to have some of these products.”
Amazon’s security move with Tesla
Amazon also introduced several new car security systems under its Ring brand that will be available sometime next year.
The $ 60 Ring Car Alarm is Amazon’s version of the traditional car alarm and it comes with features like location tracking so people can remember where they parked.
The Ring Car Cam security camera, which costs $ 200, is similar to the Ring Car Alarm but comes with a video camera so that people can watch live video, in case they want to search for thieves while they are not far from their cars.
The Ring Car Connect system, which is also $ 200, integrates with various cameras and sensors, such as backup assist cameras in newer cars to turn them into security cameras that link to the Ring smartphone app, among other features.
Amazon’s new cloud gaming service
After years of rumors, Amazon has finally detailed its Luna cloud gaming service, which allows people to stream certain video games to devices like personal computers without having to buy a video game console.
Currently, there are no exclusive games on the new service. People can sign up for a trial version of Luna for $ 6 a month and get access to games like the retro game Sonic the Hedgehog and Resident Evil 7, and eventually, more games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla through a developer partnership. . . of Ubisoft games. Amazon didn’t say when an upcoming Ubisoft gaming channel would be available or if it would cost more.
Amazon is also selling a game controller that allows users to play streaming games more easily, similar to Google’s Stadia cloud video game service, which debuted in November.
