Anyone who has struggled to keep kids engaged with distant relatives via traditional screen interactions has certainly felt that strain during the past year and a half. Amazon announced a device Tuesday that looks to go beyond the video call and make chats interactive.
Amazon Glow — which looks a bit like a stretched out Viewfinder toy or vintage Polaroid camera — combines video calling with connected activities. The device has a dedicated 8-inch display so kids can see friends or family. It also projects a 19-inch touch-sensitive image onto the surface in front of the device.
Using a special mat, kids can play a game, follow along in a story, build a puzzle or do art activities in that projected space, using physical items, while users on the other end can use their own tablet to interact digitally in the shared virtual space in real time through the Amazon Glow app.
Courtney Holoszyc, program leader for Amazon Kids & Family, said during Tuesday’s devices and services event that Glow is not passive screen time.
“It’s collaborative and interactive, and it lets kids be kids,” Holoszyc said. “We took projection, audio sensing and video technologies to create an experience like no other, an immersive experience that makes kids and their loved one feel like they’re playing together.”
Amazon says privacy and parental controls are integral to Glow’s design. Kids can only call contacts that are pre-selected by adults and a privacy shutter on the device (below) disables cameras and microphones.
Amazon is partnering with Disney, Mattel, Nickelodeon, and Sesame Workshop on content, and the device comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+.
Glow is available at an introductory price of $249.99 to customers who request early access. The device will begin shipping to those customers in the coming weeks.
‘Hey, Disney!’
Staying on the theme of kids and families interacting with Amazon devices, the company also announced a Mickey Mouse-endorsed voice assistant called Hey, Disney! that will work alongside Alexa at home and at Walt Disney World Resort hotel rooms.
Disney fans and guest will be able to interact with popular characters on supported Echo devices. Picture being in a Disney hotel room and asking Goofy what time the park opens.
The feature also allows access to Disney more than 1,000 storytelling experiences and interactions, including jokes, fun facts, soundscapes, trivia and more.
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