Amazon Echo and Fire TV 2023 upgrades – smarter, faster
The Amazon Echo and Fire TV 2023 upgrades reflect the increased use of AI in Alexa to simplify smart home device management, safety features, accessibility improvements and more.
It is all about Amazon’s vision for ambient intelligence: technology that’s smart enough to learn, adapt and be there when you need it and fade into the background when you don’t. Note: The blog post mentions products, services, and features we may not see in Australia.
Amazon Alexa is its smart assistant ecosystem like Google Assistant is for Android and Apple’s Siri. At present, there is not a lot of interoperability between ecosystems.
Amazon Echo and Fire TV 2023 upgrades and more for Australia
Echo Hub (new 2023): $329
The new Echo Hub is an Alexa-enabled smart home control panel to give customers a simple and intuitive way to manage disparate smart home devices.
It is easy to install and features
- A thin, 8”, 1200 x 800, touch-enabled display with a customisable dashboard
- Stereo top ported speakers
- Passive Infrared sensor and ambient light sensor
- Wi-Fi 5 AC, Bluetooth Low Energy Mesh, Zigbee, Thread and Matter
- Simpler for customers to group and manage smart home devices
- View multiple feeds at once
- Start a Routine
- Organise widgets
- Manage volume
- Media streaming.
- Compatible with over 10,000 connected cameras, lights, locks, plugs, thermostats, speakers, and more.
- Can be Wall mounted, placed on a stand (optional) or via Power over Ethernet (POE). Not intended for handheld use.
- Uses a 12.5W USB-C charger with a 1.8m cable.
Fire TV Stick 4K Max (new 2023): $119
- Wi-Fi 6E AXE
- 4K Ultra HD inc Dolby Vision/Atmos, plus HDR, HDR 10, HDR10+, HLG
- Fire TV Ambient Experience and Live View PiP.
- 2/16GB
- Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced
Fire TV Ambient Experience (new feature for Fire TV 4K Max):
Transforms the TV into a smart display with art from a collection of over 2,000 free artworks, including renowned Indigenous Australian artist Biddee Baadjo and Australian contemporary artist Nicole Blake. The Ambient Experience also displays personal photos or personal information by syncing calendars and reminders, leaving sticky notes for family members, or playing audio from Amazon Music or Spotify.
Fire TV Stick 4K (new 2023): $79
- Wi-Fi 6 AX
- 4K Ultra HD inc Dolby Vision/Atmos, plus HDR, HDR 10, HDR10+, HLG
- 1/8GB
- Live View PiP.
Top Connections for Echo Show 15 (new feature)
Top Connections widget lets users quickly see their favourite contacts and most frequently used devices within the household, enabling them to quickly initiate a call or drop in with a single tap.
It will extend to the Echo Show 5, 8, and 10 in the coming months.
Adaptive Content for Echo Show 8 (new feature))
Adaptive Content is a fresh home screen experience that uses on-device computer vision technology to adjust on-screen content based on a customer’s proximity to the device. This new feature allows customers to view content easily across a room, such as a large clock display with the screen automatically transitioning to a more detailed view as they approach the device.
Adaptive content will be available in Australia on Echo Show 8 (2nd generation) in October and roll out to other Echo Show devices next year.
