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Amazon has discounted its Echo Dot Max smart speaker by 25%, bringing the price down to $89.99. The device is pitched as a compact Alexa speaker with stronger bass and fuller sound compared to earlier Dot models.
Apple's new HomeView smart home hub, powered by an A18 chip, does not natively support several of Apple's own apps including Apple TV, Apple Books audiobooks, Apple Music Classical, and Apple News Plus. Instead, those services require AirPlay streaming from a nearby paired iPhone, a limitation Apple discloses only in small print on its announcement page.
Apple has begun taking preorders for HomeView, a 7-inch smart display and speaker meant to serve as a shared hub for up to six household members. The device uses voice control via Siri to manage smart home gear like locks and blinds, can show up to nine camera feeds at once, and recognizes individual users via its built-in camera to show personalized profiles. With an iCloud+ subscription and a paired Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, it can also surface Messages, Calendar, Reminders, FaceTime, and Apple Music content.
Apple announced HomeView, a $299 smart display, on October 13. The device arrives roughly nine years after Amazon's Echo Show and eight years after Google's Home Hub introduced similar wall- or countertop-mounted screens for homes.
Apple unveiled the HomeView, a $299 smart home hub with a touchscreen, speaker, Siri AI, and security camera dashboard, set to go on sale November 13 with preorders starting October 13. The device can recognize up to six individual users via facial recognition and presence sensors, switching to personalized home screens, and supports FaceTime and shared photo albums.
Amazon has removed the ability to use Alexa voice commands to control AUX line-in input on several older Echo models, including the Echo Plus (2nd Gen), Echo (3rd and 4th Gen), and Echo Studio (1st Gen). The physical 3.5mm port still works, and users can switch AUX modes through the Alexa app or use Bluetooth instead, but voice commands like 'Alexa, play from line in' no longer function.
Amazon's fall Prime Day sale includes discounts on Alexa speakers, Kindles, and Fire tablets, but WIRED notes Amazon raised prices across its device lines at the end of August before applying these markdowns. A WIRED reviewer who has tested Amazon's Alexa speakers since 2012 evaluated the sale items to identify which discounts are genuinely worthwhile versus which merely restore prices closer to pre-hike levels.
Amazon has confirmed it has discontinued the ability to use Alexa voice commands to play or pause audio through the 3.5mm aux input on older Echo devices, including the Echo Plus (2nd gen), Echo (3rd gen), Echo (4th gen), and Echo Studio (1st gen). The physical aux connection itself still works, and users can still control playback manually through the Alexa app or use Bluetooth pairing instead.
Amazon has launched its fall Prime Day sale, featuring discounts on Alexa-enabled devices. However, recent price increases across Amazon’s product lines mean that not all deals are equally advantageous, and some may not represent genuine savings. An expert with extensive experience in Amazon devices has analyzed which offers are truly worthwhile for consumers.
Amazon has announced significant discounts on a range of products for Prime Day 2026, including budget Bluetooth speakers, Android earbuds, workout headphones, and upgraded smart displays. The deals feature notable price drops on popular items like the JBL Go 5, Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, and the Echo Show 11, among others. Many of these discounts are the lowest prices seen since their respective launches.
Amazon has started discounting several Alexa-powered Echo speakers and Fire TV sticks ahead of its fall Prime Big Deal Days sale scheduled for October 6-7. WIRED's testing notes that Amazon raised prices on these device categories by about $20 at the end of August, so current sale prices—some advertised as $40 off—represent smaller real savings than they appear. Most Kindles remain full price except the three Kindle Kids models, while Paperwhite, Scribe, and Eero routers are not yet discounted.
Amazon's second-generation Echo Auto, a dongle bringing Alexa to cars without built-in smart infotainment, is now listed as 'Currently unavailable' on its product page with no restock date given. Reddit users first noticed the device had also disappeared from direct search results on Amazon.