Amazon announced the Echo Show 16, a large smart display priced at $499.99 with a wall mount, or $569.99 for a Nanomatte screen option, available for preorder now with a $100 discount ahead of a later release this year. The device introduces customizable homescreens called Screen Styles, letting users choose a family organizer, smart home dashboard, Alexa widgets screen, or photo frame, with screens able to stay on continuously or activate on approach.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-28
Amazon unveiled an updated Echo Studio with Home Camera, a $249.99 speaker featuring a built-in camera for room monitoring, showing items to Alexa, and eventually video calls on Fire TV. The speaker also adds 'Advanced Room Adaptation' and 'Adaptive Volume' audio features, while the standard camera-less Echo Studio remains available at $219.99. Amazon also refreshed the Echo Dot, now $99.99, with a custom AZ3 chip, a fourth microphone, a built-in Zigbee/Matter/Thread smart home hub, and an Eero Wi-Fi extender.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-28
Amazon has released the Alexa Photo Frame, a 10-inch touchscreen digital picture frame with a built-in Alexa Plus smart speaker, starting at $199.99 for a black version or $229 for wood finishes. The device pulls photos from Amazon Photos, supports voice-recorded notes attached to images, and Amazon says it will never display ads, unlike its Echo Show devices.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-28
Crkd's new $59.99 Nitro Deck 2 accessory works with both the original Switch and Switch 2, using a twisting vice-grip mechanism to fit either console instead of the original's slide-in design. A reviewer at The Verge found the right analog stick sits too close to the ABXY face buttons, making fast inputs awkward, and says the clamp-style mount feels less secure than the original Nitro Deck's.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-25
Amazon Echo devices always listen for their wake word, but users can mute the microphone entirely using the mic-slash button on top of the device, which triggers a red light when active. Alternatively, users can adjust data retention settings in the Alexa app under Alexa Privacy to choose how long voice recordings and transcripts are kept, including options to delete them by voice command on supported devices.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-18
A flashing yellow light on an Amazon Echo device signals that Alexa has a pending message or notification, a feature introduced in 2017. Users can clear it by asking Alexa questions like 'What notifications do I have?' and can navigate multiple alerts using commands such as 'next' or 'repeat'.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-17
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-15
Apple unveiled HomeView, its first smart home display with Siri integration, on Tuesday, with availability starting Nov. 13. CNET's reviewer, who has tested Echo Show and Nest Hub devices for years, got hands-on time with HomeView and found its design similar to Amazon's Echo Show 11, but with a notably smaller 7-inch screen and a stationary base rather than a rotating one.
cnet.com
· 2026-10-15
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.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-14
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.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-13
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.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-13
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.
zdnet.com
· 2026-10-13
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