Well ahead of the holiday season, Amazon annually gifts us with a slew of home-grown devices, from Kindle ebook readers to Echo smart speakers and displays, to Ring and Blink security cameras, to Fire TVs and accessories, to Eero network hardware. (Yup, I think that constitutes a slew.) Most notably, the Kindle Scribe promises a compelling alternative for notetaking, and its new Halo Rise sleep-tracking clock will give you slumber metrics without having to wear a smartwatch.
The Kindle Scribe is a big highlight of Amazon's sustainability efforts, but the company has been working on making all its packaging paper-based (i.e., recyclable). The company also plans to incorporate the Matter standard into Echo and Eero products this year, with broad support for 2023, to make them more compatible with other smart home brands.
For a complete play-by-play of the event, you can check out the archived version of our live blog. The company is all about your lifestyle environment as well, embedding itself everywhere as part of the "ambient environment" with "ambient intelligence." The latter also translates into more AI in its products, like its new Alexa Shop the Look ("Alexa, show me the one-shoulder top!") and free Fire TV streaming on the Echo Show 15.
Astro, Amazon's home robot, will be getting new features for its services, such as new alerts for caregivers and pet detection (with video!). Amazon's also expanded its integrations with Virtual Security Guard so you can monitor your small business.
Kindle
Price: $340 (including pen)
Release Date: In 2022
The latest in the Kindle family is a 10.2-inch E Ink e-reader that uses a batteryless EMR stylus; a premium version of the stylus supports erasing and offers a programmable button for an extra $30.
EMR is the technology used by Wacom in its high-end graphics styluses, so you're bound to have a nice-feeling writing experience; a perk for notetaking and annotation.
Halo
Price: $140
Release date: Q4 2022
Designed to be an alternative to Amazon's Halo Band for those who prefer not to wear a wristband or smartwatch overnight but still want to monitor their sleep, the Rise is a sunrise alarm clock with sensors that capture information about your movement and environment -- and just yours, not your sleeping partner's. Time to learn a new word: polysomnography.
It also works with relevant Alexa routines and security.
Echo
Price: Echo Dot, $50, Echo Dot with Clock, $60, Echo Dot Kids
Release date: In preorder now
The newest entry-level Amazon smart speaker has much better bass output, retaining the same design and color lineup (charcoal, glacier white, or deep sea blue). The Echo Dot with Clock tacks $10 onto the $50 Echo Dot price for timekeeping.
The clock can show you more information as well. More dots in the Dot! The Dot generally has more tap latitude and temperature control. The Echoes can also function as mesh Wi-Fi extenders for the Eero mesh system. The latter will also be a software update to last-generation Echo models.
There's also a new Echo Dot Kids, also for $60, redesigned with new purple dragon and turquoise owl-themed designs and new voices.
Price: $200
Release date: October
In addition to a new glacier white option, all Echo Studios will get a software upgrade with spatial audio and a better-optimized frequency range.
Price: $55
Release date: Q4, by reservation
In addition to a new, sleeker device, there are a lot more Alexa capabilities, including hands-free messaging, music controls, Whole Foods order notifications, and custom assistance.
Fire TV and accessories
Price: 65-inch, $900; 75-inch, $1,100
Release date: October
The Omni QLED versions of the Fire TV Omni not only upgrade to QLED screens over the current Omni, but they also have sensors to detect when you're in the room to trigger showing artwork (for free), widgets, or other content using a set of new sensors. The TV now supports adaptive brightness
Price: $140
Release date: In preorder now
The updated Cube adds some notable new capabilities to the video-streamer-slash-Echo: upscaling to 4K (which improves video quality overall as well), an HDMI input with global entertainment device control and upscaling processing to other devices, Wi-Fi 6E support, an additional USB port and more. It's also faster than before and has a more streamlined design.
Price: $35
Release date: November 2022
The Alexa Voice Remote Pro's secret weapon is the ability to locate the device with a voice command. It also has a motion-activated backlight and buttons you can program to open specific apps or execute Alexa commands.
Eero networking
Price: $300 for a 3-piece bundle
Release date: Q4 2022
"PoE" stands for "power over the internet," which is exactly where the new Eero WiFi 6 mesh router system gets it from It draws power from an Ethernet connection rather than an outlet.
Price: $650
Release date: Q1 2023
The Eero PoE Gateway is a high-powered hub for devices that draw power over Ethernet. It supports incoming internet speeds of up to 10Gbps and supports a PoE energy output of up to 100 watts.
Blink and Ring security
Price: $100
Release date: Q4
The wired floodlight camera delivers 2,600 lumens of light whenever it detects motion without needed batteries, and you can pull up the feed on a compatible Fire TV or an Echo Show smart display with a quick voice command via Alexa.
Price: $30 or $60 bundled with the camera
Release date: In preorder now
What it says on the tin: It's a motorized mount for the Blink Mini that allows you to pan left and right, and tilt up and down via the app for better remote viewing.
Price: $230
Release date: Preorder now
Above and beyond the Spotlight Cam Plus and other standard Ring features, it offers 3D Motion Detection to view an aerial-style, bird's-eye view when it detects motion. A new Audio Plus feature promises to make it easier to hear any noises picked up by the camera's onboard microphones.
Price: $30
Release date: Preorder now
An update of its panic button for Ring Alarm users, which you can keep on a nightstand or mount to a nearby wall. It activates your home's security alarm and can be configured to trigger assistance specific to medical emergencies or fires.