New Echo Products and Other Amazon Alexa Announcements
Amazon announced an array of new programs, devices, and features that it says will make it easier than ever for customers to find, setup, and enjoy connected devices in their homes. Amazon is making smart home simpler with Certified for Humans, a new program that helps customers find products that are tested to be simple to setup and work dependably with Alexa, and new devices like the Amazon Smart Oven that make cooking easy. New Alexa Guard capabilities help customers keep their home safe, and new features like WiFi access and easy reordering of household supplies with Alexa make homes even smarter and more convenient.
Certified for Humans—Smart Devices for Non-experts
Certified for Humans is a new program that helps customers find smart home products that are easy to set up and work seamlessly with Alexa. Every device that carries the Certified for Humans badge offers Frustration Free Setup, which cuts down on the number of steps needed to connect to Alexa. In many cases, it’s as easy as plugging it in. And after that, it only gets better. Certified for Humans devices are tested against over a dozen requirements to help ensure they offer a dependable Alexa experience; no more waiting around for software updates or unresponsive devices. Customers can find the Certified for Humans badge on select smart home devices starting this fall from brands including Amazon, Philips Hue, Hamilton Beach, Kasa Smart by TP-Link, and more.
New Smart Home Devices for Convenience and Fun
Amazon Smart Oven is a combination convection oven, microwave, air fryer and food warmer. When paired with an Echo, customers can ask Alexa to preheat the oven, start or stop cooking, and be notified when the oven is preheated or their favorite lasagna or fresh-baked cookies are ready. Amazon Smart Oven supports 30 cooking presets and comes with a temperature probe to make it easy to get great, crowd-pleasing cooking results. Customers can also use the convenient scan-to-cook feature to make a great meal, every time. Using the Alexa app or, in the future, a compatible Echo Show device, customers can simply scan the barcode on packaged foods and the Amazon Smart Oven will cook them just right. Scan-to-cook will work with hundreds of packaged foods from brands including Whole Foods Market, 365 Everyday Value, Gardein, Marie Callender’s, and more.
85,000 Smart Home Choices for Customers and Growing Today customers can choose from more than 85,000 Alexa-compatible products designed for every room and outdoor space around their homes, with new brands and devices being added every week. Later this year, customers can enjoy even more convenient, voice-controlled cooking and small kitchen appliances from top brands including Crock-Pot, GE Appliances, Hamilton Beach, Instant Pot, June Oven, LG, and Whirlpool; new support for garage door openers from beam Home and Nexx; and smart blinds and shades from IKEA, Legrand, Lutron, Schellenberg, and Somfy. Other Alexa-compatible devices coming soon for the home include new products from Procter & Gamble, Dyson, Mr. Christmas, Traeger, and more—all Alexa controlled and designed to make your smart home even smarter.
More Convenience and Peace of Mind with New Alexa Features
With Alexa Guard, customers can keep their home safe when they’re away. When you set Guard to Away mode, if an Echo device detects the sound of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, or glass breaking, Alexa can send you Smart Alerts, via notifications to your phone. Starting this fall, Guard will begin supporting a new Smart Alert that can notify customers if the sound of activity like footsteps, talking, coughing, or a door closing, is detected while Guard is in Away mode. Customers can also create Alexa Routines that include Guard to provide even more peace of mind and convenience: set Guard to Away mode, lock the back door, and turn on the porch light with a simple phrase like “Alexa, I’m headed out.” And, Amazon will add additional support for Guard integrations with home security systems from Abode and Scout Alarm.
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