Amazon New Product Event Recap; 2020 iPhone Rumors

Amazon has rolled out a new model of Echo Dot with a clock, priced at $59.99 with pre-orders starting today. The previous Echo Dot will still be available. There’s also an all-new Echo priced at $99 with preorders starting today. It features improved sound and new fabric designs, including twilight blue. According to geekwire.com, a new feature called Alexa Guest Connect lets you play music on your friends Echo devices. Another new Echo device: the Echo Studio, a higher-end speaker at $199. A new Echo Show 8 has an 8-inch HD display and a privacy shutter, priced at $129.99 with preorders starting today. The somewhat explanatory New Echo Glow, targeted to kids rooms. $29.99, shipping for holidays.

The online giant also showed off a new Stick-Up Cam—the company’s first indoor-only camera. It’s also the cheapest Ring security camera to date, selling at $59.99 and available for preorder today.
Ring doorbells will get Alexa built in to interact with visitors at the door on your behalf, when you’re not home.

Shades of a Steve Jobs ‘One More Thing,’ Amazon waited until the end of the event to reveal what earlier reports hinted at: Echo Buds, priced at $129.99, compatible with Siri and Google Assistant, in addition to Alexa. The price point undercuts Apple’s AirPods, which debuted more than two years ago and range from $159 to $199.

Also a ‘One More, Even More Thing’ was dropped: New “Echo Frames”. They come with built-in mics and a small speaker so you can access Alexa on-the-go, similar to the Buds. Alexa eyeglasses. Sound directed to your ears for privacy. Work with phone. No display. Alexa reads notifications, takes reminder notes. Controls Smarthome. Priced at $179.99. Sound is directed to your ears for privacy. It will with smart phones. There is no display… Alexa reads notifications, and takes reminder notes. The Alexa specs also control Smarthome.

Amazon is using neural text-to-speech to improve make Alexa more fluid and natural. Alexa will use a “newscaster” voice when reading news and can now respond in celebrity voices.

Samuel L. Jackson will be first celebrity whose voice will be available as alternative in Alexa voice interface, for 99 cent upgrade.

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Apple’s next iPhones will have a redesign with a metal band around them similar to the one on the old iPhone 4…8 models ago! The band will be injected into a groove in the glass case, and have sapphire glass over the grooves that allow the antennas to function. Of course, all this will increase the prices! Macrumors.com reports that there will be new sizes…5.4 and 6.7 inches for the top line ‘Pro’ models, and the 6.1 inch phone will apparently finally get an OLED display. There will be a rear-facing time of flight 3D camera for augmented reality, something rumored previously. Ming-Chi Kuo says all 3 iPhones next year will support 5G…which may be a major reason for the band redesign. It will help accommodate the 5G antenna system. Kuo believes the new form factor will goose sales, from the 75 million expected this year to 85 million in 2020.