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Amazon teases mystery Fire TV Cube, announces Echo Dot for kids

What's this Cube that Amazon is teasing? Plus, "Alexa, read me a bedtime story" is now a thing.
Written by Jason Cipriani, Contributing Writer

Video: The new Amazon Echo Dot is the smartest no-brainer ever

Amazon has posted a mysterious advertisement for the Fire TV Cube. At the same time, it launched a smart speaker designed for kids.

A teaser ad for a device, which Amazon is calling the Fire TV Cube, showed up on April 24. Outside of asking the question "What is Fire TV Cube?" the ad is short on details. There is a link for users to sign up to receive more details when Amazon is ready to release them, but that's about it.

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AFTVNews was the first to spot the ad. The same site published a picture of a cube-like device last year, alongside the latest Fire TV before it launched.

The Fire TV Cube could very well be a Fire TV device that doubles as an Echo, with a built-in speaker and Alexa support, as AFTVNews reported last year.

ZDNet has reached out to Amazon for comment and will update this post should we hear back.

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(Screenshot: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet)

Meanwhile, there's a new $79 Echo Dot Kids Edition, which comes with a protective case and a year of the company's FreeTime Unlimited parental control service. Included with the FreeTime Unlimited plan is access to ad-free radio, as well as music specifically for kids, children's Audible books, and premium skills.

Read also: Getting started with Alexa and smart home tech for under $100

The standard Echo Dot is $49, but FreeTime Unlimited is normally $120 per year for a family with up to four children. Prime members can pay $2.99 or $6.99 per month for FreeTime Unlimited for a single child or up to four, respectively.

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