In conjunction with the release of the Echo Dot Kids Edition, Amazon is bringing FreeTime to existing Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Plus devices. FreeTime is what Amazon calls their advanced parental control options and family-focused features found on their hardware devices, like Fire tablets and Kindle ebook readers. A paid subscription called FreeTime Unlimited will also be available, which primarily adds access to kid-friendly content, but FreeTime features are free for all. Read more ›
Amazon has introduced the Echo Dot Kids Edition. The hardware is identical to the regular Echo Dot but, much like the Fire Kids Edition tablets, it comes with extras oriented towards kids. Those extras include a kid-friendly case, which is available in blue, green, or red, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee. If anything should happen to the Echo Dot, Amazon says they’ll replace it with no questions asked. Read more ›
Image Credit: Engadget
A reader of Engadget has sent the website the above image of the user manual that came with their Fire TV Ethernet Adapter. Depicted in the updated manual is none other than the Fire TV Cube that was teased by Amazon yesterday through an information signup page. With a clear shot of the ports on the back, there is a lot we can assume about the upcoming Fire TV. Read more ›
Amazon has, for the first time, acknowledged the existence of the next-generation Fire TV that leaked last year. I’ve just discovered a new information mailing list page where customers can sign up to learn more about the “Fire TV Cube”. The page says details are coming soon but does not yet reveal new information about Amazon’s next streaming device. Read more ›
In an unusual move, Amazon has announced that they’ve already renewed their upcoming original series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan for a second season, despite the fact that the first season as yet to debut. The eight-episode first season, starring John Krasinski as a CIA analyst, will premiere August 31st on Prime Video. Amazon seems to be heavily backing this show, especially since they paid millions to run a Super Bowl ad for the series. With this announcement, Amazon is likely hoping to ride the media wave currently surrounding Krasinski. His latest film, A Quiet Place, which he directed, produced, co-wrote, and stars in, has topped box office charts for a second week in a row.
Amazon continues to expand Whole Foods grocery deliveries to additional markets. They’ve just announced that Prime members in Denver, Sacramento, and San Diego can now use Prime Now to order groceries from Whole Foods and have them delivered in 2 hours or less. This brings the total markets with Whole Foods delivery to 10, including Austin, Cincinnati, Dallas, Virginia Beach, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Amazon now allows owners of compatible cars the option to deliver packages to the trunk of their cars. This is an expansion of Amazon Key, which launched as a service that allowed customers with smart locks on their homes, or ones willing to install one, the ability to allow delivery drivers to place packages inside their homes, instead of on their porch. While many people may be uncomfortable giving a delivery person the ability to unlock their home, access to one’s car is a lot less worrisome. Read more ›
Adult Swim, the adult-oriented nighttime side of Cartoon Network, has just released a new app for all Amazon Fire TVs, Fire TV Sticks, and Fire TV Edition televisions. The app a healthy mix of free ad-support content as well as content that requires logging in with a TV provider. A marathon feature within the app lets you select a single show and watch an endless stream of episodes from that show that you have little control over. There is, of course, regular on-demand access to select episodes as well. If you activate the app, you’ll also be able to access live streams of what is airing on the network’s cable channel, called a TV simulcast, as well as an all-day stream of content. A program guide for both streams is available to see what is scheduled to air in the future.
Amazon is reportedly working on a mobile robot for the home, according to Bloomberg. While Amazon does own separate robotics companies that develop robots for their warehouses, the home robot project, codenamed “Vesta,” is being worked on by Amazon’s Lab126 hardware research and development division. Lab126 is responsible for all consumer products, like the Fire TV, Echo devices, Fire tablets, and Kindles. Read more ›
An app called DroidAdmin had been gaining in popularity recently on the Fire TV and other Android-based devices. The app’s intended purpose is a bulk downloader which lets you download multiple files to your Android device at once. While that sounds innocent enough, it has recently surged in popularity among the piracy community as a way to sideload pirated apps and apps that are not allowed in the Amazon Appstore or the Google Play Store. As a result, Google recently banned the app from the Google Play Store and Amazon just followed suit by banning it from the Amazon Appstore. Read more ›
