Amazon announced the addition of a new member to its Echo family at the company’s fall devices event in Virginia. The Echo Hub, a wall-mountable smart home hub, aims to seamlessly connect various Amazon products and all connected devices. Powered by Alexa, the Echo Hub features an 8-inch touchscreen with a customizable dashboard that allows users to group and manage smart devices, monitor security systems, initiate routines, and view camera feeds. Priced at $179.99, this device marks a rare introduction of a completely new product among Amazon’s offerings, with many other unveiled products being updated versions of existing lines or improved Alexa capabilities. The timing of this event paves the way for the upcoming holiday shopping season. Equipped with Zigbee, Sidewalk, Thread, Matter, and Bluetooth support, the Echo Hub is compatible with over 140,000 connected devices. By utilizing infrared technology, the device detects the presence of individuals and transitions its screen display accordingly. Daniel Rausch, the vice president of Alexa and Fire TV, emphasized the increased engagement with Echo devices and how customers rely on Alexa for various tasks such as managing smart homes, staying updated on the latest news, setting reminders, and facilitating home essentials replenishment. Rausch also expressed excitement for the future generative AI capabilities that will be introduced to Alexa soon, providing customers with more ways to experience the world’s leading personal AI both at home and on the go.
