The Latest: Amazon cuts the price of its Fire TV video box
The Latest on Amazon’s new device announcement in Seattle (all times local):
11:45 a.m.
Amazon says the next generation of its Fire TV video streaming device will cost $70, down from $100.
It will support 4K video as well as a new image standard called “high dynamic range,” or HDR. For $80, Amazon says it will throw in an Echo Dot, a puck-sized version of its Echo smart speaker.
The company made the hardware announcement at an event in Seattle.
It also unveiled a miniaturized version of its Echo Show, a voice-activated assistant that sports a screen, called the Echo Spot. For $130, the device with a screen measuring 2.5-inches diagonally is similar to a digital alarm clock but can play music and handle video calls.
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11:00 a.m.
Amazon says it is cutting the price of its Echo smart speaker to $100 from $180,, improving the sound quality and upgrading its appearance with six new “shells.”
The next generation speaker, which is powered by Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, will have a dedicated woofer and a tweeter for the first time, as well as Dolby sound.
The company made the announcement in Seattle at an event for journalists.
The online retailer also announced a speaker-phone device called an Echo Connect for $35 that connects to a user’s home phone and allows the user to place and receive calls.
