Amazon brings Alexa to more devices
Last year's Echo lineup on sale in a Washington, D.C. Amazon store. Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Amazon unveiled a slew of new Alexa-powered devices Wednesday, updating its smart display and smart speaker lines and adding earbuds and other new products to the lineup.
Why it matters: Getting Alexa in more places is a key to the company's broader strategy, and competition from Google and others is increasing.
Among the hardware introduced at a Seattle event (per The Verge):
- Echo Buds, $129 Alexa-powered earbuds with built-in Bose noise reduction. Shipping in time for the holidays.
- A new Echo Dot with a built-in clock.
- A $199 high-end speaker, Echo Studio.
- Echo Glow, a $29 smart lamp/nightlight — tap it and it changes colors.
- A new 8-inch Echo Show for $129.
- A new 3rd generation Echo, the flagship smart speaker, for $99.
- A new Echo Flex "smart plug" for $25.
- A cheaper, $99 version of the Eero mesh WiFi system (Amazon bought Eero earlier this year).
Amazon also showed off new Alexa capabilities, including Amazon Guard, which turns some devices into security cameras, a la Google Nest in Home Hub Max.
On the privacy front, you can now ask Alexa to delete certain data.
The big picture: Amazon's latest Alexa lineup comes as Facebook and Google have both recently refreshed their home device offerings.
Go deeper: Amazon, Google and Facebook battle for smart speaker dominance