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Everything Amazon just announced and how to buy it all

Here's a brief recap of everything Amazon just announced, including a new Kindle Scribe, new Ring cameras, and a new Halo device that watches you sleep.
Written by Jason Cipriani, Contributing Writer
Person in kitchen next to Amazon Astro.
Image: Amazon

Amazon's annual fall event just wrapped up. The online retail giant announced a bunch of new hardware and software improvements for various products, including its Ring, Blink, Echo, Fire TV, Eero, and Kindle lines. Prior to the event, the company has already announced a new Kindle and Fire HD 8 tablets

Also: Trade in your old devices for Amazon gift cards: Here's how

Below we'll recap all of the announcements, and detail when and where you can buy what's new.   

A Kindle with a stylus: The Kindle Scribe

The Kindle Scribe just made its debut. It's the first time Amazon has added a stylus to what's normally a device dedicated to reading, but now you can jot notes, draw sketches, and more directly on the Scribe's large 10.2-inch Paperwhite display

Preorders start today for $339.99, and shipping will begin in time for the holidays. That price includes a stylus, which magnetically connects to the side of the Kindle Scribe.

Halo can now watch you sleep

Amazon's fitness and health initiative, Halo, as seen in the Halo Band, is expanding beyond your wrist with a bedside sleep tracker. The Halo Rise looks like a futuristic alarm clock, complete with a light and a digital clock. However, in addition to showing the time and waking you up, the Rise uses radar sensors to monitor your sleep and track the various sleep stages we all go through each night. 

Also: The 4 best sunrise alarm clocks

The Halo Rise uses the wake-up light to gently wake you up in the morning when you're in a light sleep stage, which should mean that you wake up feeling more rested. If you prefer a more traditional alarm sound, the Rise can do that as well. 

The Halo Rise comes with six months of Amazon's Halo subscription and will launch later this year priced at $139.99. 

New Echo devices

Amazon's new Echo devices don't include the Echo Show line of smart displays, but instead, the online retail giant has updated its previous Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock offerings, adding Eero mesh Wi-Fi functionality, and a new Echo Dot Kids edition that comes in owl or dragon designs. The new Echo Dots now feature a temperature sensor that you can use with Alexa automations. New gesture controls mean users can just tap on the Echo Dot to control various activities, such as ending a call or playing and pausing music. 

Also: Here are all the Echo devices Amazon just announced

The new Echo Dot comes in charcoal, deep-sea blue, and glacier white for $49.99. The new Echo Dot with Clock is $59.99 and comes in cloud blue or glacier white. Preorders start now, with deliveries arriving next month. 

The Echo Studio -- Amazon's biggest and most powerful speaker -- has been updated with improved sound, enhanced Spatial Audio, and an upgraded frequency range through a software update. The hardware is remaining unchanged; however, Amazon is improving on the sound quality and overall audio experience via an update. That same update is already used on the Echo Show 15 and will eventually make its way to more Echo devices in the future. You can read more about the new Spatial Audio processing on Amazon's Science website

Finally, the Echo Auto has been redesigned with a smaller form factor and a new adhesive mount. The Echo Auto is, as its name implies, an Echo device for your car. It uses the Alexa app on your phone for connectivity. The new Echo Auto has five microphones, instead of eight like the first-generation model had. You can even use an Echo Auto to ask Alexa to call for roadside assistance -- which could be handy. The new Echo Auto will cost $54.99. 

Eero Built-in comes to the Echo Dot

Eero, the company that arguably kicked off the mesh Wi-Fi craze, announced a new Eero Built-in platform that integrates Eero's mesh technology into existing devices. First up? The new fifth-generation Echo Dot and the fourth-generation Echo Dot

That means that if you have an Eero mesh system right now, or add one to your home, your Echo Dot will automatically act as an Eero Wi-Fi extender for your network. The tech in the Echo Dot is limited to Wi-Fi 5 speeds of around 100Mbps, but that's more than enough for most online activities. 

Also: From Echo to Astro, what Amazon's device strategy is really about

A software update will roll out on Oct. 20 to add the feature to existing fourth-generation Echo Dots, while the latest Echo Dot models will arrive with the new feature. 

Eero also launched new power-over-Ethernet devices and rebranded its subscription service -- it's now Eero Plus and costs $9.99 a month, or $100 a year. It now includes an Internet Backup feature that allows your Eero system to automatically connect to your phone or tablet's hotspot and provide internet connectivity to your Wi-Fi network during an outage by your internet service provider.

Blink goes hardwired with new hardware

Blink's affordable camera lineup is gaining a hardwired floodlight and a Pan Tilt mount for the existing Blink Mini indoor camera. 

The Blink Wired Floodlight Camera uses the same design and setup as the wireless version, but is designed to be hardwired into your home's electrical setup. The entire setup is $99, which is $40 less than the wireless version. 

The Blink Wired Floodlight Camera doesn't have an exact release date, but will be available in the coming months. 

Alongside the new floodlight camera, Blink also announced the Blink Mini Pan Tilt. The new $59.99 combo kit includes the Blink Mini indoor camera and the new Pan Tilt mount that allows you to rotate the camera up to 360 degrees when using the Blink mobile app. 

If you already have the Blink Mini, you can get the Blink Mini Pan Tilt mount on its own for $29.99.

Ring's new products and services

Ring announced two new Spotlight Cam products, a new second-gen Ring Alarm Panic Button, and services and products for business users. 

The new Spotlight Cam Pro features 3D Motion Detection and Birds Eye View for improved motion detection and mapping the movements someone -- or something -- is making across your property. The Spotlight Cam Pro also has a new design, with a meshlike covering on the bottom of the unit. You can order the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro now for $229 in plug-in or battery-powered configurations, or $249.99 for the solar-powered version. All three will begin shipping on Oct. 26. A wired version of the Spotlight Cam Pro will start shipping later this year.

The new Spotlight Cam Plus has a new design and adds color nighttime video to its feature set. The Spotlight Cam Plus will come in solarbatterywired and plug-in models for $199, all of which arrive on Oct. 26. 

Ring also announced a second-generation Ring Alarm Panic Button that you can program to immediately call for police, fire, or medical help. The panic button works with any Ring Alarm system and costs $29.99. It'll ship on Nov. 2. 

Ring also added a new software feature to its Alarm systems for business users, including a Virtual Security Guard feature that will use motion detection to alert Ring's Rapid Response team. A member of the team will then view the camera's footage and live feed and, if needed, call for help or use the two-way talk feature to interact with anyone in the business. The feature also works with Amazon Astro, which could be fun. Maybe?

New Fire TV products and software updates

All-new Fire TV Cube

The Fire TV Cube has been updated with 4K Ultra HD support and a faster processor. It includes the same hands-free voice control features and capabilities using its four-microphone array as its predecessor. 

The new Fire TV Cube has a fabric exterior, which is a nice touch over the all-black plastic housing. As for Wi-Fi support, you're looking at Wi-Fi 6E support, and multiple ports on the back, including an HDMI input port, Ethernet, and USB. 

The Fire TV Cube with 4K starts shipping on Oct. 25 and costs $139.99. It's available for preorder today. 

Alexa Voice Remote Pro

The all-new Alexa Voice Remote Pro has a backlight for easier use and to help you find it in the dark, and has two programmable buttons. It's $34.99, available to preorder right now, and will begin shipping in November. 

The Fire TV Omni QLED Series

Amazon is updating its Fire TV Omni lineup with its own Omni QLED Series. In addition to a new QLED display that will improve the overall picture quality, the Omni QLED series will have support for Dolby Vision IQ, HDR 10+, local dimming, and adaptive brightness. Amazon added various sensors to the TV to detect when someone is in the room so it can display photos. The Omni QLED series will also gain Alexa widgets to surface information at a glance. 

The Fire TV Omni QLED Series TV will come in 65- and 75-inch options and is available for preorder today starting at $799.99. 

The Fire TV experience comes to the Echo Show 15

The Echo Show 15 will receive an update in the coming weeks or months that adds a Fire TV-like interface to the screen, allowing Show 15 owners to stream content through various streaming services just like they would on a Fire TV Stick or similar streaming device.

Amazon's Astro gets fair share of software updates

Alexa Together is getting improved features for checking in on your loved ones, and it's coming to Astro -- Amazon's autonomous robot that can traverse through your home on its own.

Astro will soon be able to act as a security guard, meaning it will be able to detect and then tell you if doors or windows were left open. Astro can already recognize people, but a future software update will add pet detection as well. 

Amazon also announced a software development kit for developers to build out features for Astro. It will slowly roll out the SDK to partners before being made fully public. 

Astro is currently available via an invite-only program and is priced at $999. 


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