Robots, security systems, drones and smart picture frames – this year’s Amazon hardware event had it all.
Quality over quantity seemed to be the mantra of today’s annual Amazon hardware showcase. Where previous years have seen the retail and technology giant rattle off dozens of product announcements for two hours, from Amazon Kindles to Echo smart speakers, the retailer company this year instead remained relatively reserved in the number of devices it revealed. Though just half a dozen or so brand new hardware products were shown off, what was previewed tended to be more noteworthy than mere line refreshes. There’s no new Echo speaker to speak of, nor Amazon Fire TV device to gawp at, surprisingly. Instead, we got a look at a cool smart picture frame, integrated security systems, and (best and creepiest of all) a robot for your home. Read on for the best on show at the Amazon 2021 hardware event. The headline act, and a relative surprise, the Astro robot is Amazon’s most ambitious device to date. It seems like a monster-mash of all of Amazon’s product innovations, across multiple categories, combining into a single unit. Astro, a shin-high droid that wouldn’t look out of place in the Rebel Alliance base on Hoth, has an Echo speaker’s Alexa voice activating smarts, an Echo Show 10’s rotating display (complete with eyes), and plenty of security features you’d find in a Ring system. Intended to be both an in-the-home helper and something like a robot pet, it can take family snaps, deliver reminders, set timers and even direct video calls with a periscope-like camera. For those that already find Alexa a bit invasive, Astro will likely seem a nightmare. But there’s an obvious application for the roll-along droid to be used in a remote care-giving situation – at least when the person it accompanies isn’t desperately vulnerable. Sure, we all felt a bit isolated during the pandemic, and Astro would likely have been a welcome presence for some. Not going up for general sale, but instead via Amazon’s invite-only Day 1 program, Astro will launch sometime in the near future in the US, with an introductory price of $999.99, set to rise to $1,449.99. We had heard rumors of a large-screen Amazon Echo Show device in the weeks leading up to Amazon’s event and, lo and behold, the rumors were right. The 15-inch Amazon Echo Show 15 offers both traditional Echo Show functionality like the ability to stream content from Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Sling TV, as well as introduces a few new tricks of its own, like the ability to post custom notes for the family.
