Amazon Fire TV Soundbar and AI Art: A Simple Solution for Streamers and TVs Using Artificial Intelligence and Imgur, and an Ambient Experience

There have been signs of a pending Fire TV 4K Stick refresh over the last few weeks, with dwindling stock of the previous Fire TV Stick 4K Max at many retailers — and from Amazon itself.

The company has announced a new Fire TV Soundbar that will be compatible with the company’s existing streamers and TVs. He didn’t make any big claims about sound quality, so it sounds like this is being positioned as a simple solution for anyone who wants to step up from their TV’s built-in speakers. The Soundbar is available on Fire TV.

Amazon’s intelligent machines will help you decide what to watch. Fire TV complex requests can be made using hundreds of millions of facts, data and points from Imgur and your knowledge of your watching habits, and you can even see Better Call Saul right away. The search is completely personalized, which allows you to say things like “Hey, resume that sci-fi show I was watching,” or “Show me new action movies that are free to stream.”

The new Fire TV stick is going to have a “ambient experience” which will allow you to use the tv screen as a smart display while not using it. Customers will be able to create generative background with the help of Artificial Intelligence later this year.

Customers can also create artwork using just their voice with AI Art. This free feature, which will begin rolling out to customers in the U.S. by the end of this year, allows customers to easily generate a personalized background by giving Alexa an imagination-driven prompt, such as, “Alexa, create an image of cherry blossoms in the snow,” and watch as that prompt is translated into a unique display on the Fire TV screen.

Amazon Hardware Event 2023: Everything Announced: Echo Dot Kids for Children’s Science-Based Conversations with Amazon and Eero

There’s a new audio architecture to optimize what you can hear, minimize what everyone around you can, and minimize audio distortion in windy conditions. There are two Carrera eyewear styles in the frame styles with blue light lens. The smart frames start at $270 and customers are able to sign up to be notified when they are on sale. —Adrienne So

The Echo Pop is a sibling to the Echo devices and now the Echo Pop Kids is for the little people in your household. Instead of the rounded animal design, the hemispherical speaker has been reimagined by Amazon’s partnership with Disney. You can pick either Marvel Avengers or Disney Princesses themes for the design. The kid-optimized voice assistant inside will be able to hold engaging science-based conversations with your children with a new feature called Explore with Alexa. Amazon’s science team drew content from the World Wildlife Fund and AZ Animals for age-appropriate, fact-filled information. The cheapest variant of the Echo Dot Kids is $50, and will be shipping in October, but it only has six months of Amazon Kids+) content, rather than the full year the Dot offers. The Dot’s owl and dragon are very sharp. —Nena Farrell

Source: Amazon Hardware Event 2023: Alexa, Echo Hub, Echo Frames, Eero, Fire TV

Amazon Home Security Camera Review: Why We Don’t Recommend You to Buy a Role of Eero, Fire TV, Echo Hub, Echo Frames, Amazon Eye Gaze, and More

We might not have a house full of capable device until the final Wi-Fi 7 certification and even then, there are still some ways to go, but there are some new products in the market that support the new spec. Amazon’s new Eero Max 7 is the latest Wi-Fi 7 mesh device to hit the market (expect it in time for the holidays). This tri-band mesh modem can download a 4K movie in less than 10 seconds and has four Ethernet ports, which is more than any other modem on the market. A single Eero Max 7 costs $600, but future-proofing comes at a premium. You can read more about the Eero Max 7 right here. Simon Hill.

There are several accessibility features for the voice-operated Amazon device, known as the Amazon device. The Eye Gaze feature allows folks with mobility issues and speech disabilities to use Alexa with their eyes. By gazing at the screen, they can trigger preset actions for playing music, calling loved ones, or controlling smart home devices. Looks like it’s confined to the new Fire Max 11 for now, and will land later this year. People who are hard of hearing can useCall Translation to translate audio and video calls. Finally, a new Alexa Emergency Assist service provides a 24/7 urgent response triggered by saying “Alexa, call for help.” The service costs $6 a month or $59 per year, but trained agents can share things with first responders. —Simon Hill

Amazon announced the Blink Outdoor 4 security camera last month, and it just unveiled a few additions. The Blink Sync Module Pro ($50) is designed to extend your Wi-Fi service, so you can get a strong signal from a distant camera, even if your backyard is huge. The Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera ($160) is a wireless camera that can light up your backyard, and the Battery Extension Pack ($30) provides extra power. Amazon announced that the Ring stick Up cam pro will come with 3d motion detection and gives you more control over what your camera does. Before you buy a home security camera, you should read about why we don’t recommend Ring. Simon Hill.

Source: Amazon Hardware Event 2023: Alexa, Echo Hub, Echo Frames, Eero, Fire TV

Playing with Fire Kids: Amazon’s latest Smart Home Standard, Echo Show 8 ($149.99), Echo Show 4 ($169.99), Map View, and Room Adaption Tech

There are two new Fire HD 10 Kids tablets: the regular model for kids under 7, and a new Pro model for older kids. The new tablets are 25 percent faster than the previous ones and lighter, making them easier for kids to hold. The screen remains at high resolution even with the addition of 3 gigabytes of RAM. Both models are $190 and available for preorder now. The new tablets will arrive next month, according to Amazon.

Two new apps are due to be launched by Amazon to complement the updated Kids Fire tablets. The first is Music Maker, a kid-friendly music editing app. Think GarageBand, but simpler. The other is what Amazon calls Play Together Games, which enable Fire Kids tablets to connect to and play games across devices. —Scott Gilbertson

Map your house in the name of smart home control with the new Map View feature, which allows you to create a map of your home and where each smart device is located within it. You will be able to choose which rooms on the map to use, and it will show you your home and its devices at a glance. It will be available on some phones later this year.

There are a few options for the new smart home standard Matter that fully support it, but the one with a lower price point is a good one.

The third-gen Echo Show 8 ($149.99) also has Amazon’s latest AZ2 processor, which makes it 40 percent faster, Amazon’s Dave Limp said at the fall hardware event this week. And it certainly felt snappier in my minute or so of playing with it in the demo room at Amazon’s new HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia.

The smart display has a new look with glass and speaker that is better for audio. It’s getting spatial audio processing technology to boost its music capabilities, which will be similar to the Echo Studio’s sound capabilities, Heather Zorn, VP of Alexa, told me.

Amazon’s post stated that the room adaption tech Senses the acoustics of the room and fine-tunes the play for optimal sound. However, we weren’t able to put this to any test in the demo room.

The current version does well for a smart display, but the new camera is more usable for zoom calls due to being moved to the middle. The camera also enables a neat new feature called Adaptive Content, which changes how it displays content based on how close you are. It should be more effective as a touch screen if you get close to it, as it will show a more touch friendly interface.

New quick-access buttons on the homescreen will help with this, too. They are like mini versions of the show’s Widget, bringing up weather and other info with one tap. The widgets didn’t seem to be fully optimized for the display yet, though, looking a bit like iPhone apps on an iPad screen.