Amazon launch event recap — Kindle Scribe, Halo Rise, Fire TV, Echo and more

So what do we expect to see this year? 

Let's start with what won't be here: Last week, Amazon announced four Fire 8 HD tablets, which start at $100 and feature "Tap to Alexa," so you don't have to say the magic word to summon Amazon's voice assistant. All of them are available to preorder, and will ship in October. We're in the middle of testing them to see where they rank on our list of the best Amazon Fire tablets, and to see if any rate high enough for our best tablets picks. 

Will new Echo speakers be announced today? It's been two years since Amazon released the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) and Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen), which are some of the best Alexa speakers and best smart speakers overall. 

It's possible we'll see these popular smart home devices refreshed, though there's no telling what new features they could offer. 

At past hardware events, Amazon has unveiled inventive devices through Day 1 Editions programs. A Day 1 Edition program is somewhat of a test run, with users able to request invitations to test out new products. Some of these products end up progressing to full availability, while others don’t make the cut. 

The two devices currently offered by invite-only through Day 1 Edition programs are the Amazon Astro robot and Ring Always Home Cam security drone. At today’s event, we could get availability updates for both those products as well as announcements for new Day 1 Edition devices.

It’s important to note that the Amazon event today is separate from the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale event taking place on October 11 and 12. 

That said, it’s possible some of the new devices will be discounted for the first time during the deals event, which is being dubbed the second Prime Day. At the very least, we should see older versions of Amazon devices go on sale as the online retailer clears stock. 

If there’s one thing you can expect from today’s Amazon event, it’s lots of announcements. Here’s a quick recap of the biggest announcements from the company’s 2021 event:

• Amazon Astro: Smart home robot with wheels, a periscope and digital eyes
• Amazon Echo Show 15: Mountable smart home display
• Amazon Glow: Interactive projector for Kids
• Amazon Smart Thermostat: Affordable Alexa thermostat
• Amazon Halo View: Company's first fitness tracker with a display
• Ring Always Home Cam: Availability update for indoor drone security camera
• Ring Alarm Pro: Updated home security system with Eero Wi-Fi 6 mesh router
• Ring Virtual Security Guard: New professional monitoring service
• Blink Video Doorbell: Affordable video doorbell

Last week, Amazon launched four new Fire HD 8 tablets. It’s possible the company will remind us of the announcement, or tack on some Fire HD tablet updates. 

Furthermore, last year’s Amazon event featured some Amazon Kids Plus programming announcements for those with Kids Editions of Fire tablets. New shows and games could be highlighted during event once again.  

Kindle fans, we're afraid that Amazon is unlikely to announce any new e-reader devices at the event today. And arguably its tablets can serve as perfectly good platform for digital books and magazines. 

But we know some people do love a Kindle as a dedicated reading device, so in that case check out our list of the best Kindles you can buy right now. As an aside, an updated Kindle app would be appreciated, perhaps with some more intuitive controls. 

While Amazon will be focusing on new hardware, we really hope it'll show off some new smart features for Alexa. 

Alexa has gained numerous 'skills' over the past few years, arguably making the virtual assistant a great controller of smart home features. But more integrations and better capabilities, as well as the scope to better deal with all manner of regional accents and natural speech would be a welcome upgrade. 

Amazon, being the huge international conglomerate it is, also owns a number of other companies, some of whom also make smart home devices. Ring, Blink, and Eero are three of the most notable names; at these events, they often announce new devices alongside Amazon's products. While Ring generally saves its video doorbells for separate events, it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility to hear about some other products. 

Ring and Blink compete in similar arenas — both make some of the best video doorbells and best home security cameras — though Blink's offerings tend to focus on the budget market. Ring also has a more developed ecosystem of devices that also include DIY home security systems, solar lights, and even mailbox sensors. 

While Apple hasn't done the "one more thing" at its launch events in years, Amazon tends to have one far-out product at each of its events, which may not always be the most practical, but get people talking. 

Several years back, it was a microwave you could control with Alexa. Then there was an Alexa smart ring, and more recently, the Ring Always Home Cam and the Amazon Astro. 

Each of these products was used to extend Alexa further into your home in an innovative — if not entirely practical — way.  So, we're curious to see what crazy sort of device gets announced today.

Another big seller during Black Friday are Amazon's Fire TV devices, which includes some of the best streaming sticks as well as some of the best budget TVs. We've seen Amazon's Fire TV integrated into a bunch of sets, including Xiaomi and Hisense (Roku is its chief competitor in this space, having made its way into Hisense, TCL and Philips sets, among others). 

But it's the streaming sticks which have remained very popular, most likely due to their low price. The least expensive model — the Fire TV Stick Lite — costs just $29.99, and the most expensive device is the $119.99 Fire TV Cube. During the holidays, these devices often go on sale, or are bundled with other Amazon gadgets. 

The most recent of the bunch was the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which was launched last year at this time, so it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that we could see a newer device today. Of all its streaming sticks, the Fire TV Cube is the longest in the tooth — it was last released in 2019.

It's not just devices; Amazon has been making a bigger push into streaming content this year, too. One of its biggest shows is Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson. In some ways, Rings of Power is Amazon's answer to HBO Max's House of Dragon — itself a prequel to the very popular Game of Thrones. 

While Rings of Power has been criticized by some — including our own staff — for not adhering to Tokien's original vision, people are watching it, according to Parrot Analytics. 

The other big acquisition by Amazon this year was for Thursday Night Football, for which it paid the NFL $1 billion for the exclusive rights. The investment looks to be paying off — an Amazon memo says that the company recorded a record number of Amazon Prime signups during a three-hour window, according to CNBC. 

The gateway device, as it were, for Amazon's Alexa voice assistant has been the Echo Dot smart speaker, which typically retails for $50, but can often be found for much less, or bundled with some other smart home device. 

First introduced in 2016, the Echo Dot originally was hard plastic and looked like a hockey puck. In 2018, the third-generation Echo Dot was changed to have a fabric covering its sides, which made it look a bit friendlier, albeit more like the Nest Mini smart speaker. 

Two years ago, Amazon redesigned the Echo Dot to a spherical design, which allowed the company to add a larger speaker inside, which improved audio quality. 

The Echo Dot with Clock, which was first launched in 2019, was also changed in 2020 to the new, spherical design. In some ways, we prefer the Clock model, as the miniature display really adds a lot of functionality. If you just need a smart speaker tucked away in a room, get the Echo Dot (3rd gen) while you still can — its puck-like design makes it far less obtrusive, and you can now get it for less than $30. 

While there are usually few leaks prior to an Amazon event, it looks like there was just a major one just an hour before the event itself. The Twitter account SnoopyTech just leaked a ton of potential product information. We can't verify anything, but we should know fairly soon if it was accurate.

The biggest surprise looks to be a massive 10.2-inch Kindle Scribe, an E-Ink tablet that comes with a stylus. It looks similar to the reMarkable tablet, and would be the first Kindle with this sort of input.  According to SnoopyTech, it will have a resolution of 300ppi; the pen will be included.

Other leaks from SnoopyTech include a redesigned Amazon FireTV Cube, which looks to have both HDMI in and out ports, and a 5th-generation Echo Dot, which will come in several colors, including a dark blue. 

Stay tuned to see if these are legit!

We're nearing the start of the event, and an Amazon product category we've yet to talk about is Amazon Halo. Halo is Amazon's health and wellness service that offers advanced fitness tracking, workout programs and even nutritional guidance. The membership is grounded in two devices — the Amazon Halo Band and the Amazon Halo View.

As some of the best fitness trackers, Amazon could push ahead with another Halo device. Smart rings are all the rage these days, after all. The display-less Halo Band could also be due for an update to leverage the advancements in wearable technology since it debuted in 2020.

As a reminder, today's Amazon event isn't being broadcasted to a public audience. Some events we at Tom's Guide live blog have an online stream that anyone can access, but Amazon has limited access to members of the media as far as we can tell. A few of our team members will be watching the presentation and relaying the big announcements as they happen. That's why it's important to follow along here if you want to know everything Amazon has in store!

Get settled in, the event is starting now!

Starting off with Kindle! Kindle Scribe is the first Kindle you can write on. So not only is it an e-reader, but you can use the Scribe for drawing, note-taking and annotations. It sounds similar to the ReMarkable, but with maintained access to Kindle's massive book library.

The Kindle Scribe features a 10.2-inch, 300 ppi front-lit display and comes with the Kindle Scribe pen. This stylus pen features a dedicated eraser, shortcut button and other features, without needing to sync or charge. The Kindle device itself also apparently last weeks on a charge.

Finally, next year users will be able to send docs to scribe directly from Microsoft Word. In other words, Kindle Scribe isn't just another e-reader — it's a portable note-taking device.

The Kindle Scribe costs $339.99 and available for pre-order today, and shipping before the holidays.

Amazon is sharing updates on eco-conscious efforts, describing how devices are shipping in a new paper-based material. This is a trend we've seen take hold in the tech industry this year, and we love to see it.

Time to talk about Ambient Intelligence, or what Amazon calls the core of the smart home experience. Ambient Intelligence is supposed to make the smart home distraction-free, with the help of Alexa routines and intuitive devices. Think: proactive devices that work together, with minimal effort on your part.

Amazon Halo Rise isn’t used like the Halo Band or Halo View fitness trackers — instead of introducing another wearable to the Halo lineup at today's Amazon event, Amazon’s in-house wellness brand has launched a contactless sleep-tracking device that also happens to be a sunrise alarm clock.

In the Halo app you can review your sleep score, sleep stages and even get advice on what you could do to improve your sleep quality. The Halo Rise reads ambient light, light and humidity levels in the location it’s set up as well, so you may be encouraged to make environmental changes for the benefit of your rest. 

$139.99 does seem like a lot to pay for an alarm clock, though. Perhaps the Halo Rise will be one of the Amazon devices that receives a discount during the Prime Early Access Sale next month, that is if it comes out in time. Amazon says it's "coming soon."

While the Amazon Echo Studio’s hardware isn’t getting an upgrade (aside from a new white version), Amazon is tweaking the software in its premium smart speaker with new spatial audio processing technology and a frequency range extension. What this means for you is that you’ll get more immersive sound when listening to music and movies. Amazon didn’t provide a timetable for when the update would roll out, only that it would come in the next few months.

Both colors of the Echo Studio  cost $199.99, which is the same price it's been for a long while now. There's no additional cost for the upgrade for existing Echo Studio users. 

The Echo Dot has been the gateway device for Amazon to get its Alexa voice assistant into millions of homes around the world. Now, the 5th-generation Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock keep the spherical design, but sport some improved internals: Both have a more powerful speaker that should provide double the bass of the previous generation. 

They also have a newer processor, which enables new tapping gestures: You can now tap the top to pause and play music, hang up calls, and dismiss alarms. The Echo Dot with Clock also has a higher resolution display, and will now show things such as the name of music tracks, more detailed weather, and more. 

In addition, both can now act as extenders for Eero Wi-Fi systems (Eero is another company Amazon purchased a while back). So, while the performance may not be as strong as dedicated satellites, it's a way to get whole-home Wi-Fi on the cheap. This Eero update will come to some current Echo Dot devices later this year via software update, too.

The Echo Dot is available for preorder for $49.99, and the Echo Dot with Clock will cost $59.99 — the same price as they've been for years. If you don't want to pay that much, I expect the 4th generation Echo Dot will go on sale on or before Black Friday.

Here's something for the kiddies — Amazon is releasing two new versions of the Echo Dot for Kids: An Owl model and a Dragon model. Like previous Echo Dots for Kids, these will be painted to look like their namesakes, but in a new twist, the Dragon model will talk like a dragon, and the Owl model will talk like an owl. What a hoot. 

Both will come with a two-year warranty and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids Plus; they'll cost $59.99, and will be available next month.

An additional announcement for kids — younger users will be able to create stories with Alexa. There were already many Alexa skills targeted towards children, but this one looks to channel some creativity. Animations on Echo Show smart displays add to the experience.

Amazon also has a new and improved Echo Auto with a slimmed down design and an adhesive mount so you can stick it in more places in your car. It will connect to your audio system via Bluetooth or an audio jack, and five microphones will be better able to isolate your voice from road noises.

In addition to the new hardware, Amazon is rolling out Roadside Assistance; if you hit a bump (literally), you can ask Alexa to call for on-demand support, such as if you run out of gas or get a flat tire. 

The 2nd-gen Echo Auto will cost $54.99; Amazon hasn’t set a release date or preorder information, but you can sign up to get that info at Amazon.

Amazon and BMW have teamed up for a customized, Alexa-centric experience in the car. Alexa can help control music, make calls and more while you're driving. Ambient Intelligence isn't just for the home, apparently. BMW is also emphasizing a commitment to user privacy. 

What we've been waiting for! Updates on Amazon Astro, the robot announced last year. First, a reminder that Astro works with Alexa Together, a platform to help caregivers give virtual assistance to their loved one. 

Next, now customers can add a new room without having to remap their whole home. And a new multi-modal AI capability lets Astro learn about certain things in your home that you want it to. Based on what you say around Astro, the robot can learn your home's objects. This will start with doors and windows, so Astro can alert you when these fixtures have been left open. Astro will also check these points while patrolling, sending you an alert if anything is awry. 

The next objects Astro will be able to detect are furniture and pet bowls. Speaking of pets, with a new pet detection feature, Astro will be able to identify your cats and dogs soon. Astro will then send you a short video clip of what you're doing. This could be helpful while you're away.

The new Ring Spotlight Cam Pro uses the same radar technology that debuted a few years back in some of Ring's video doorbells. You'll get 3D Motion Detection, Color Pre-Roll, and Bird’s Eye View, which will show on a map the tracks of people and objects the camera spotted. Color Pre-Roll should be especially useful; the camera constantly records a 4-second loop, and when it detects something or someone, it adds that loop to the front of the video, which in theory should ensure that you see more of when a person walks into the frame. The Spotlight Cam Pro will be available in both Battery and Plug-In options for $229.99; the Spotlight Cam Pro Solar will cost $249.99. 

The Ring Spotlight Cam Plus  is an iterative upgrade to the current Ring Spotlight Cam. The biggest difference is that the new model will have an updated design, and will be available in four configurations — Solar, Battery, Wired, and Plug-in. It will be available soon, and start at $199. 

Next up, we have two new Blink security cameras.

The Blink Wired Floodlight Camera is the company's first wired outdoor camera (the company already makes a battery-powered outdoor floodlight). Because this new model is hardwired, it has much more powerful lights — 2600 lumens, versus 700 for the battery-powered model — and on-device processing for features such as person detection. 

Like Blink's other cameras, you can connect it to a Blink Sync Module 2 to store videos locally; a Blink Subscription Plan ($3/month) is required to store videos in the cloud. The Blink Wired Floodlight Camera will cost $99.99, and will be available in the next few months.

Blink is also launching an accessory for the Blink Mini; the Blink Mini Pan Tilt is a motorized mount that lets you remotely pan and tilt the camera using the Blink app. The mount connects to the camera via micro USB, and can be placed on a table or mounted on a wall or ceiling. The Blink Mini Pan Tilt can be preordered today for $29.99, or as a bundle with the Blink Mini for $59.99.

There's also quite a few Eero updates. First, Amazon is bringing eero Built-in to the latest generation of Echo Dots to increase the coverage and range of your eero network. Eero Built-in enabled Echo devices can add up to 1,000 square feet of coverage to your existing eero network and support speeds up to 100 Mbps.

As for hardware, we have the Eero PoE 6, a Wi-Fi 6 Power over Ethernet access point that can provide up to 2,000 square feet of coverage and support up to 100 devices. It's coming early next year for $299.99.

There's also a the eero PoE Gateway. It'll be available early next year through select ISP partners for $649.99.

The Echo Show 15 is about to get a major improvement that will make its $249 price more palatable. In the coming months, Amazon will roll out an update so that the Echo Show 15 will become a Fire TV device, turning it into a bona fide smart TV for your kitchen or wherever you happen to want a small TV. In addition, you'll not only be able to control it via voice, but also with a third-gen Alexa voice remote.

Other software improvements coming to the Echo Show 15 will be the ability to view the feeds from two smart home cameras simultaneously on the screen; Video Sticky notes will allow you to record video messages for other family members that can be viewed on the Echo Show 15 or in the Alexa app.

The Echo Show 15 will also be able to act as a hub for other Echo devices on the same network; that way, if your Internet connection goes down, you'll still be able to control smart home devices through a central node.

Yep, Amazon has a new Fire TV Cube (3rd Generation) — something of a surprise, though it hasn't been updated in a while. We just didn't know how Amazon would make its priciest Fire TV device (outside of a Fire TV) better. The answer? Super Resolution Upscaling, a feature that will crisp up your HD and grainier content to look better on your 4K TV. 

It's also gained HDMI-in and USB ports, so you can piggyback other devices, such as consoles, and add on a webcam. We bet some folks will want to use that USB port for local storage of media files, though. We're curious if this $139 model will be enough of an upgrade to justify its $20 price hike, and to see if it rises or falls on our best streaming devices list.

It’s not exactly an earth-shattering announcement, but Amazon has just debuted the Alexa Voice Remote Pro, a rival to the Roku Remote Pro. Some neat features on Amazon’s remote are the Remote Finder feature, customizable Buttons, and backlighting to make it easier to see in the dark. 

To track it down when it’s lost in the couch cushions, simply say, “Alexa, find my remote” or use the dedicated Remote Finder button in the Fire TV app. The customizable customizable buttons can be programmed to create one-touch shortcuts to favorite apps, channels, or an Alexa Routine. Finally, the Voice Remote Pro offers motion-activated backlighting that will illuminate the buttons when the remote is picked up in the dark. It’s available for pre-order today for $34.99 on Amazon’s website.

Up next we’ve got the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series – the successor to the Amazon Fire TV Omni that was released in 2021. 

The big marquee addition this year is the quantum dot filter that offers wider color gamut and a nice uptick in brightness and contrast. The additional contrast control zones (up to 96 in the 75-inch model) with the full array local dimming lighting will play a part in that, too.

In terms of technical specs, Amazon says that the TV will be limited to 4K/60 but it uses a built-in ambient light sensor that enables Dolby vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive and a new built-in presence sensor to detect when a person enters the room and switch to the new Ambient Experience that will show either photos of your family or the gallery images alongside Alexa widgets.

We’ll know more once we get the new Fire TV Omni QLED Series in for testing but, if it’s anything like the last model, expect decent performance at a great price.

Availability for the Fire TV Omni QLED starts in October for $799 and $1,099, respectively. 

That wraps up all the announcements! It was a jam-packed event, so be sure to keep it locked to Tom's Guide for all our follow-up coverage. 

If you own an eero mush router you're really going to love Amazon's upgrade smart speakers. And that's because the new Echo Dot and Echo Dot with clock can add up to 1,000 square feet of coverage to your network and support speeds up to 100 MBps. 

The feature is slated to arrive on 5th Gen Echo Dots and 4th Gen Echos on October 20th, and you'll be able to enable the feature through the eero app. 

If you've been thinking about getting Amazon's Echo Show 15 but you've been waiting for a bit more versatility from this $249 smart display, we have good news. Amazon is rolling out an update that enables this device to double as a Fire TV. That means you can watch live TV on the display and access all your favorite streaming apps.

This is why our own U.S. Editor in Chief Mike Prospero says the Amazon Echo Show 15 is finally becoming the device is should be. You'll also be able to view feeds from up to four home security cameras, and it will even be able to act as a hub for other Echo devices should your internet go down. 

Amazon has updated its site with official release dates for the products it announced yesterday:

Echo Dot (5th Gen): October 20

Echo Dot with clock (5th Gen): October 20

Echo Dot Kids edition: October 20

Echo Studio (Glacier White): October 20

Blink Mini Pan-Tilt Camera: October 20

Fire TV Cube: October 25

Ring Spotlight Cam Pro: October 26

Ring Spotlight Cam Plus: October 26

Amazon Fire TV 65" Omni QLED Series: October 27

KIndle Scribe: Nov. 30