Alexa, just how many new Alexa devices will we see today? 🤔 wired.com/story/get-read…
First product: Alexa mugs 
Amazon’s head of devices, Dave Limp, just kicked things off and said they have 70 things to talk about in an hour
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Dave Limp says he uses Alexa Blueprints to program personal messages for wedding anniversaries; “it’s a big help.” Dave, dude, how many wedding anniversaries do you have
Alexa will now whisper back to you if you whisper a command
There's an emphasis on kids content today, too. Parents can program "routines" through Alexa so that it reads bedtime stories to kids. Kids podcasts are coming to Alexa; as well as more than 1k kids books from Audible.
Now: on to streaming music. We’ve got a trend line here
Amazon says Echo Dot is best selling speaker *ever*. And so, a new Dot, one that’s supposed to have better sound. (The Dot gets often dinged for having weak sound). Shipping next month.
Also this Echo input device. First speaker-free Echo. Connects with other speakers via BT or line out.
Amazon rolling out a multi-room audio SDK. What does this mean for @Sonos?
As reported earlier by CNBC - an Echo Sub.
Good lord the Echos keep on coming
Here’s another one in case you were like “You know what I’d really like to see right now? Another Echo”
Amazon is hardly bothering to describe the build of these new things. There’s no Jony Ive-like voice of god or glossy videos. This whole event underscores that Amazon is really about volume and just getting Alexa *everywhere* it can.
Got that?
An Amazon-made smart plug. And these search results will change in 3, 2.....
Later this year Alexa will respond with “Hunches.” If you say goodnight to Alexa and it has a hunch that you left some connected product on, or the door unlocked, it will tell you that. (These aren’t really hunches; it knows already, it’s just being programmed to tell you this.)
Heeeeeere it is.....
Alexa isn’t built directly in to the microwave. It uses a nearby Alexa speaker.
Today I learned you can microwave a potato. I have never microwaved a potato in my life.
It just keeps on coming
This is the part of the presentation where I realize Limp wasn't joking when he said "70 announcements in an hour"
A new outdoor security camera coming from Ring, which Amazon acquired in February
Also a new Echo Show, the oddball display gadget that Amazon first rolled out in May 2017. This one is redesigned: Fabric back. Bigger screen - 10 inch HD display. Better sound, they say. And an 8-mic array. $230.
The Echo Show creeped some people out because of front-facing camera and “drop in.” Understandable. But I’ll be honest - I really like my Echo Show. Bought it used off of @backlon. Have tape over the camera.
The new Echo Show has a browser. That’s one way to get around that YouTube spat. (YouTube still doesn’t run natively on Amazon devices.)
Limp is now using Alexa on an Echo Show to get cooking instructions for an Amazon Meal Kit, Amazon's Blue Apron killer. And it all comes full circle: Echo and Alexa and groceries in the same demo.
Now he's asking Alexa to play @GMA on his Echo Show. Streams the program through Fire TV recast.
What is Fire TV recast, you ask? Well it's another new product!!! It's a DVR. Over the air television delivered directly to an Echo Show or a Fire TV.
Fire TV Recast starts at $229 for 2 tuners and a 500GB DVR. There's also a 4-tuner, 1TB version for more $. Shipping before the holidays.
A smart screen SDK will let other manufacturers add Alexa to anything with a screen. Lenovo will do this with its tablets; Sony will do it with its Alexa-capable TVs.
Now it's time for "Alexa on the go" Limp says. Reminder that for Amazon this does not mean phones. Amazon did not succeed in its smartphone efforts. For Amazon "on the go" means giant rolling screens with four wheels otherwise known as cars.
Here’s this New Thing. It goes in your car. It’s available by invite only.
Limp gives a demo of asking the New Thing in the car to add items to his grocery list, to find the nearest Starbucks. If Alexa on the New Thing can find me the nearest, most convenient gas station, I might be sold. Siri is still....not good at that.
New Thing (Echo Auto) will ship for $50 but if you get The Invite it will be less than that. "Later this year."
So much fabric.
And that's a wrap - for now. We're going to get some hands on time. Stay tuned.
Here’s @WIRED’s @tsimonite on how Alexa will whisper, remind you to turn off your smart home products before bed, tell you when someone is breaking in - and how Amazon is experimenting with giving Alexa emotional awareness wired.com/story/amazon-a…
Here’s every single piece of hardware that was announced and also, what Amazon *didn’t* talk about at today’s event wired.com/story/amazon-e…
Here’s @brbarrett’s very smart take on how Amazon’s virtual assistant approach differs from Google’s. “In terms of competing as a voice assistant? Amazon still hasn’t quite managed to fill the smartphone-sized hole in Alexa’s offerings.” wired.com/story/everythi…
So since I’m here in Seattle: I also went to Go, Amazon’s cashier-less grocery store, yesterday. Twice.
The first time, I walked in, scanned the Amazon Go mobile app, walked around (it’s small), grabbed a bottle of water, and walked out. Within a couple minutes I had received an app notification. Receipt was ready, plus - and this was interesting - time spent in store. 1m, 44s.
The second time I picked up a couple items - a sandwich, a jar of peanut butter - then “changed my mind” and put them back on different spots on the shelves. Then I picked up toothpaste and left. I was only charged for the toothpaste.
There was a Real Live Human in there, by the way - someone checking IDs in the part of the store where alcohol is sold. But you can still walk out without having to pay a human.
It is a wild, and bizarre, glimpse of the in-store future.
