Refresh
The all-new Echo Show 8 is redesigned with edge-to-edge glass. A new central camera position and improved noise cancellation technology for what it picks up around the house when you talk to it.
There’s a big speaker on the back, with two drivers and a big radiator, with spatial audio processing and automatic tuning for your room.
The screen now detects how far away you are, changing what is displayed based on your distance. Simple, easy-to-see information throughout the room, with more detailed information appearing when you’re closer and can make out more.
Processing of new local languages is apparently 40% faster.
With generative AI, a “superhuman assistant” is “at our fingertips,” Limp says. A billion devices have connected to Alexa over the past decade, with tens of millions of uses per hour.
AI has already been mentioned, drink up! I bet we’ll hear a lot about a smart Alexa today.
Oh, I just saw a cat interacting with Amazon Astro! It’s here in spirit, at least.
Dave Limp from Amazon is on stage now and starts us off.
The event begins! With kids asking for an Echo Dot for Baby Shark and dogs pressing a Ring doorbell. Classic tech event stuff.
What odds do you put on the return of Amazon Astro here, folks? Maybe it will finally go on sale? What if there was a smarter, more advanced Astro 2? Does this mean the adorable original is being left on the smart home scrapheap, perhaps to play in its own Wall•E-like an adventure of redemption? We can only assume.
Speaking of our man, here he is. Lance was at Apple headquarters last week, spent the entire time writing our review of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and has now gotten his hands on the latest from Amazon. Man is tireless when it comes to technology.
This is where the magic will happen, starting at 10 minutes. This event is not available for public streaming, so you’ll have to follow along here for all the hot gossip from our man on the ground.