Amazon to launch wearable products, smart-oven

Online marketplace Amazon unveiled a number of new products overnight, including a new smart speaker, Alexa-powered glasses, earphones, ring, and an oven.

“Customers want their smart home technology to make everyday tasks easier, but not at the expense of spending their whole weekend, or hiring an expert, just to get everything setup,” said Daniel Rausch, Amazon Vice President of Smart Home. 

“We think customers will be delighted with what we have coming this fall—more ways to find smart home devices they can set up in minutes, new Alexa features that take the stress out of being away from home, and new products that help families enjoy great meals together or just have a little fun.”

The largest departure for the business is the Amazon Smart Oven –a combination microwave, convection oven, air fryer and food warmer, that features voice controls by way of Alexa-enabled devices. 

According to Amazon, a user can ask Alexa to cook common foods and the enabled device will announce when the food needs stirring, and when it has finished cooking. 

Amazon also said that hundreds of packaged foods will be able to have their barcodes scanned in the Alexa app, which will pre-load cooking instruction directly to the oven.

The Amazon Smart Oven. Source: Amazon’s Day 1 blog

The tech giant also announced a more advanced version of its Echo smart-speaker, the Echo Studio, which will feature the ability to utilise higher definition sound than previous Echo devices. 

Amazon also announced the first Echo wearable: a set of wireless earphones called the Echo Buds. The earphones will allow a user to access Alexa in a hands–free manner, and are made in partnership with Bose. 

Day 1 Editions

Additionally, Amazon announced a new method for it to launch products with limited volumes in order to get faster feedback: Day 1 Editions.

The first Day 1 Edition product are the Echo Frames, Alexa enabled glasses, which can utilise prescription lenses.

The frames don’t feature a camera or display in order to keep the weight down, and ensure they remain comfortable to wear for prolonged periods.

According to Amazon, the frames are “all about all-day access to Alexa on-the-go while keeping your hands, ears and eyes free to engage with the world around you”.

This drive seems to also have led to the creation of the second Day 1 Edition product, the Echo Loop – an Alexa-enabled smart ring that vibrates when receiving a call or a notification. It will also feature two microphones and a speaker, allowing the wearer to perform simple tasks using Alexa.

All in all, Amazon announced 15 products during the September event, which may point to a more direct, product focused future for the Amazon ecosystem moving forward.



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