Amazon’s biggest device event yet delivered a dizzying array of 13 new products, nine new or updated developer tools and countless Alexa capabilities.
RELATED: Here’s everything Amazon announced Thursday, from microwave to subwoofer to Alexa capabilities
The releases further Amazon’s ambition to put Alexa everywhere. Following the event, GeekWire got a chance to walk through a staged setup of a house, showing how each device fits in the home. Along with Geared Up’s Andru Edwards, we talked to Amazon leaders to find out the strategy behind some of these new devices and what they mean for the company.
Arguably the weirdest thing to come out of Thursday’s event was the AmazonBasics Microwave. The new $60 WiFi-enabled device can connect with Alexa, but it does not have the digital assistant built in. That means to run it you will need an Echo device for microwave pairing.
The microwave also comes integrated with the Amazon Dash order replenishment service.
Daniel Rausch, vice president of smart home for Amazon, demonstrated the device and talked about why, of all things, Amazon decided to make a microwave.
Next, we chatted with Ring CEO and Chief Inventor Jamie Siminoff, who will speak at the 2018 GeekWire Summit. Siminoff was on hand to show off the new $180 Ring Stick Up Cam, the company’s first hybrid indoor/outdoor offering.
Siminoff provided details about the camera and about what life has been like under the Amazon umbrella.
Finally, our Geared Up podcast host Edwards went hands-on with the newest Amazon audio devices. On its own, the announcement of a subwoofer and amplifiers tied to Alexa would be a huge deal. It means Alexa fans can set up a high quality sound system run by the digital voice assistant.
Shipping later this year, the $199 Echo Link connects with other receivers and speakers, and the $299 Echo Link Amp comes with a built-in amplifier. The $130 Echo Sub works with Echo speakers to create 1.1 or 2.1 pairing for stereo sound.
