Amazon reveals an Alexa-powered microwave, in-car Echo device

Amazon announced a whole mess of hardware today, including several new smart speakers and devices to add smarts to your existing speakers. Rounding things out are some new devices for around your home and in your car.

The AmazonBasics Microwave is an Alexa-powered microwave. There’s an Alexa button on the microwave that will wake up your connected Echo and let you simply say the cook time or preset, like “2 minutes” or “frozen vegetables”. Alternately, you can speak to your connected Echo by saying something like “Alexa, reheat one cup of coffee” and your microwave will do just that.

This is a 700W microwave with 10 power levels and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi. It’s now available for pre-order for $59.99 ahead of its November 14th launch.

Amazon is also launching a companion wall clock. When paired with an Echo device, the Echo Wall Clock can display the time remaining on your timer as well as visual animations for alarms or a countdown to a family event. There are 60 LEDs on the battery-powered clock. It’ll launch soon for $29.99.

Amazon wants to get Alexa into your car, too, using the new Echo Auto. This small device connects to your car over Bluetooth or an auxiliary cable and is powered by a 12V power outlet or USB. You connect it to your smartphone so that it can use your phone’s internet connection, and then you can use the Echo Auto’s eight microphones to ask questions, play music, and more. The Echo Auto is now available for pre-order by invitation for $24.99.

Also introduced today is the Fire TV Recast. This device is a DVR for free over-the-air TV, letting you watch and record shows and then watch them on a Fire TV, Echo Show, or compatible smartphone. You can use an Alexa-enabled device to search for shows and schedule recordings, and you can use the Fire TV app on a Fire tablet, iOS, or Android device to watch your shows on the go.

The Fire TV Recast comes in two sizes, with the first being a 500GB model with room for 75 hours of content and two tuners, letting you record up to two shows at once. There’s also a step-up model with 1TB of storage for holding 150 hours of content as well as four tuners, which will let you record up to four shows at once. Both models are now available for pre-order and will launch on November 14th.

Sources: AmazonBasics Microwave, Amazon Echo Wall Clock, Amazon Echo Auto, Amazon Fire TV Recast

source: androidandme