ALEXA, YOU’VE GOT COMPANY!
Amazon’s autumn hardware event this week was chockfull of announcements about new and updated devices – with a few surprises thrown in. Updates to the popular Echo Dot speaker improve the sound quality and add a smart-home temperature sensor. There’s a new version of the car-based Alexa, Echo Auto, and a bedside sleep tracker called the Halo Rise, which is ideal if you don’t like wearing a band or smartwatch to bed. While not yet available in Europe, Amazon’s US and Canadian customers will soon be able to buy the new smart TVs with 65” and 75” QLED screens. The TVs have Alexa commands built in and can display art on their screens when you’re not watching TV. The biggest announcement was the unexpected but welcome Kindle Scribe. A 10.2” version of the Kindle, with a 300ppi glare-free Paperwhite screen, it allows you annotate books and make lists – very handy for students who want to write notes onto their digital text books and export them by email.
■ Kindle Scribe is available for pre-order and will ship before Christmas. Find out about all products at Amazon.co.uk