Amazon’s 2020 hardware event: all of the news and announcements – The Verge

Ring’s Traffic Stop feature is about bringing more accountability to policing

2020-09-25T12:57:06-04:00

On Thursday, Ring, the home security subsidiary of Amazon, released a new dashcam embedded with a novel feature called "Traffic Stop" that could help bring more accountability to policing. That could be a powerful thing, especially as tens of millions of people have poured onto the streets in cities across the country to demonstrate against systemic racism, white supremacy, and police brutality. It could also be a privacy nightmare.

The Ring Car Cam, which will cost $199, has two cameras: one pointed out the front windshield and one that points toward the car's interior. The camera can send alerts whenever an event such as a break-in, towin …

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The Ring drone is just the latest Amazon privacy puzzle box

2020-09-25T10:30:00-04:00

"I'd be more worried about the camera on your phone than I would be about a drone," Amazon devices SVP Dave Limp told me in an interview a few hours after yesterday's big Echo event. The drone in question is the Ring Always Home Cam, an autonomous indoor drone that can use a map of your home to independently fly around to check out strange noises or run a patrol when you're not home.

The drone was just one of well over a dozen product announcements Amazon made yesterday - including a full-on game streaming service to compete directly with Microsoft and Google. But everybody's visceral reaction to the idea of an Amazon-powered drone flitting …

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How Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service compares to Stadia, xCloud, and GeForce Now

2020-09-25T09:00:11-04:00

Amazon has just taken the wraps off its long-rumored Amazon Luna, meaning the company is officially jumping into the cloud gaming ring - one that has become increasingly crowded over the past year. Google launched Stadia last November, Nvidia's GeForce Now left beta in February, and Microsoft's cloud gaming offering (formerly known as xCloud) is included with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription as of September 15th, though it only works with Android right now.

The race is on to see which (if any) of those cloud gaming services takes off with customers, and each company is tackling cloud gaming in a slightly different way. If you're trying to …

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Yes, Amazon Luna dodges Apple’s cloud gaming rules — when will Nvidia and Google?

2020-09-25T00:43:59-04:00

You might be wondering: "Did Amazon just break Apple's App Store guidelines by bringing a cloud gaming service to iPhone?" And I can understand why, given that I told you just last week how Apple doesn't permit Google Stadia in anything close to its current form, and Amazon's just-announced Luna is a lot like Stadia. Wouldn't the same rules apply?

But the truth is that Amazon has a simple way to get around Apple's App Store rules entirely - and it's making me wonder how long it'll be before Google, Nvidia, Microsoft and others follow suit.

Hello, PWA

The short version: Amazon Luna on iOS is not a traditional app. It'll never appear in the A …

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Don’t worry, you can still buy a dot-shaped Echo Dot

2020-09-24T19:40:21-04:00

Amazon unveiled a radically redesigned $49.99 fourth-generation Echo Dot smart speaker today that doesn't look like a dot at all - instead, the new Dot is shaped like a ball, or maybe an orb. The new design is a notable departure from the look of previous Echo Dots, which were short, puck-like cylinders that could be said to resemble, well, dots.

If you just can't get on board with having a ball-shaped smart speaker but are in the market for a new Dot, I have good news for you: Amazon is still selling that dot-shaped third-generation Echo Dot. Amazon confirmed to The Verge that it's keeping the older Dot in its lineup in part to provide an …

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Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service sounds an awful lot like the cable of video games

2020-09-24T17:20:36-04:00

Amazon revealed its new cloud gaming service, officially called Luna, at its annual Alexa hardware event today. That makes it an immediate competitor to Google's Stadia, Microsoft's xCloud, Sony's PlayStation Now, and a number of other services from major game publishers all eager to try the code on how to stream video games over the internet.

But in a revealing interview with Protocol published after the event, Amazon's Marc Whitten, the company's vice president of entertainment devices and services, clarified one of the most vital questions around Luna that wasn't answered during the reveal: what's the business model? And from what we can …

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How to preorder all of the new Amazon products

2020-09-24T14:49:19-04:00

Amazon announced a load of new devices today at its hardware event, as expected. The new Echo Show 10 smart display, shown above, that can follow your movements around the room and Ring's new Always Home Cam drone are just a sampling. And now, we found out when you can buy them and how much they'll cost. We'll be reviewing most, if not all, of these products before they make their way onto store shelves, but if you want to place an order ahead of time, here are the links. Best Buy is also offering preorders for these products.

If Amazon's Prime Day 2020 goes on in mid-October, as is rumored, it's possible that we'll see a few of these produ …

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Amazon’s fall hardware event: the 13 biggest announcements

2020-09-24T13:59:24-04:00

Amazon just wrapped up its fall hardware event, and it was packed with a number of big announcements. There are a number of new Echo devices, such as a spherical redesign of the tried-and-true Echo. Amazon also showed off improvements for Alexa, including new security features. We saw a bunch of new Ring devices - one of which was a drone that can autonomously fly around inside your home. And Amazon finally took the wraps off its long-rumored cloud gaming service, Luna.

If you want the play-by-play, check out our live blog with commentary from Dieter Bohn and Nilay Patel. And if you want the rundown of the biggest news from the show, check …

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Amazon announces $29.99 Fire TV Stick Lite and upgraded Fire TV Stick

2020-09-24T13:45:12-04:00

Amazon has announced its latest video streaming devices for the TV: today, the company introduced an upgraded Fire TV Stick for the same $39.99 price, which now supports Dolby Atmos audio. But Amazon is getting even more aggressive on price with the launch of the new Fire TV Stick Lite at just $29.99, which it claims has the "most processing power" among streaming devices under $30. Both are capable of HD-quality streaming with expanded HDR color and will be released on September 30th.

Both new Fire TV models will be equally fast at opening apps and starting your video streams. But one difference is that the Fire TV Stick's remote has volum …

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Amazon’s Echo Show smart displays will soon stream Netflix video

2020-09-24T13:43:27-04:00

Fans of Amazon's Echo Show smart speakers will be glad to know that the company is finally adding Netflix capabilities to the device. Although Echo Show users were previously able to watch networks such as Hulu and Prime Video, the absence of the popular Netflix service could be frustrating for movie enthusiasts. Now, with the new Echo Show 10, that particular problem has been solved.

According to Amazon, you will be able to use your voice to search for and start Netflix shows or movies on the Echo Show's 10-inch screen. And if you're cleaning the house, cooking, or otherwise busy while your Netflix video is playing, don't worry about it. T …

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