Amazon has revealed a brand new $329 Echo Hub that is specifically designed to be used as a smart home controller.
A slimline version of an Echo Show 8 or a shrunken version of a Show 15 the neat part about Amazon’s new offering it is that it can be flush mounted on a wall or stood up on a kitchen top or desk with the introduction of new mount.
On board is eight-inch touchscreen similar to the Echo Show smart display. However, this device is packed with a bucketload of new capability including support for Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth, and Matter—and it’s compatible with more than 10,000 connected cameras, lights, locks, plugs, thermostats, speakers, and more.
Echo Hub also supports wireless or wired internet connectivity, with a compatible power-over-ethernet (PoE) adaptor.
Dave Limp, Amazon’s head of devices revealed that the new Amazon offering has a different processor than prior models,
The Echo Hub shares the same DNA as an Echo Show but is fundamentally a new device.
Instead of a camera, the Echo Hub has an IR sensor that it uses to wake up as you approach, so there’s no need to tap once and then tap again to activate any of the smart home widgets on the touch screen — such as turning on the lights or viewing a security camera.When not actively in use, Echo Hub seamlessly blends into the home by transitioning to an idle screen that can be personalised with a rotating collection of photos and glanceable information such as the weather and time.
The new Echo Hub delivers a new home screen experience with the introduction of Adaptive Content.
This technology delivers a fresh home screen experience for the Echo Show range that uses on-device computer vision technology to adjust on-screen content based on a customer’s proximity to the device.
With the new Adaptive Content experience, a customer positioned across the room will see content that is easily viewed from a distance—such as a large clock display—with the screen automatically transitioning to a more detailed view as they approach the device.
If the customer is enrolled in visual ID, the content will also be personalised, highlighting things like a recent playlist.
The new adaptive home screen also includes shortcut icons that make it easy to access most used widgets, which can be opened with just a tap.
In Australia and New Zealand, Adaptive Content will be available on the Echo Show 8 (2nd generation) next month and will roll out to other Echo Show devices next year.
Pricing and Availability
Echo Hub [www.amazon.com.au/echohub] is AU$329 and customers can sign up to be notified when pre-orders are available in Australia.
