Echo is Going Flat Out
Amazon is supposedly developing a new Echo device – in a large, wall-mountable touchscreen format – designed to serve as a smart home control panel, video chat device, and media player. The device is supposed to come in two variations, one with a 10” screen and one with a 13”, both, of course, with Alexa. The company plans to launch the new display either at the end of 2021 – or even further out, at the end of 2022, with prices ranging from $200-$250.
The NPD Take:
- A launch in 2021 will be well within the timeframe to ride the wave of smart display popularity, but pushing out the launch to the end of 2022 seems quite late in the game. There are already a number of smart home panel controls circulating – though none from end user, consumer brands like an Amazon. Rather, they come from luxury smart home automation systems integrators like Savant and Control4.
Wyze is Getting Colorful
Wyze is continuing on its new smart home product introduction bender, this time with color bulbs. The new bulbs are 1100 lumens and can produce 16 million colors. They connect via WiFi or Bluetooth, do not need a hub, and are compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. Wyze says that app improvements are coming, as well, to allow users to do things like create time-based color events. A pack of four costs $35 (plus shipping from Wyze.com), and they will start shipping in April.
The NPD Take:
- $35 for a pack of four puts the Wyze Bulb Color way below competitor pricing, not surprisingly, and will appeal to consumers who have not yet invested in another lighting brand. The proof of success will be largely impacted by their retail availability and being able to expand beyond direct sales.
Ring Adds Geofencing
Ring has announced a geofencing feature that will add capabilities such as automatically sending reminders to homeowners to arm their doorbells, cameras, and alarms when they leave home, and enable users to automatically snooze motion alerts when they’re arriving back home (hopefully cutting down on false alerts). All settings can be enabled or disabled from within the Ring app. Ring says that the company does not store GPS data related to your movements, and that the app only identifies when you cross the boundary based on the automations you have enabled.
The NPD Take:
- Geofencing will definitely make Ring security systems easier to use and more reliable, as it eliminates that element of human error when you forget to arm your systems. Arm/disarm reminders are a great start, but it would be fun to see that go a step further with automatic arming and disarming. Maybe coming soon?