Amazon Glow is a video chat device for kids

Source: Amazon

Amazon's new video chat device is its take on Facebook's Portal, but it's specifically designed for kids to video chat with remote family and friends. The Amazon Glow is equipped with a vertical smartphone-like 8-inch LCD screen with a 19-inch touch-sensitive area and a giant speaker case. As Gizmodo describes it, the Glow looks like a big large '90s-era cellphone.

Kids can share their "virtual space" via the Amazon Glow app, and those on the other end (like grandparents) can use Alexa on Android and iOS to interact with the child. Strangely enough, Amazon hasn't brought compatibility to its Fire OS at launch. That's coming at a later date.

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Amazon refreshes Halo View, introduces Halo Fitness service

Amazon wants to take on Fitbit and Apple with its new fitness tracker and service. The new Halo View even reminds us of Fitbit's Charge trackers. Amazon equips the Halo View with an AMOLED display but decides to forego the always-listening microphone. So, the emotion detecting feature is dropped from the band but still lives in the app. 

The Halo View gets a seven-day battery life, and it takes 90 minutes to charge fully. It will retail for US$80 and will ship in time for the holidays. 

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Amazon Astro is a new robot that can follow you around at home

Amazon has just launched a new home/companion robot that can follow you around the house thanks to it being on wheels. The Amazon Astro will map out your floor plan and do things like following voice commands, help you or your family stay in touch with others via voice calls, and even serve as an aid for eldercare.

With its computer vision, it can also check on your home while you're away. It won't be able to play with your pets just yet, but it has a dedicated periscope cam that pops up from its head to check things out. Think of it as a roving security bot.

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Amazon adds bigger screen, longer battery life to Kindle Paperwhite

Amazon recently announced new Kindle Paperwhite models that bring essential improvements to the series. The new Kindle Paperwhites get a larger 6.8-inch display with adjustable colour temperature, longer battery life, and faster charging via USB-C. 

Similar to the three-year-old Kindle Paperwhite, this new model still gets a flush-mounted display, built-in backlight, IPX8 waterproofing, and 300ppi resolution. Amazon reduced the bezels a bit to accommodate the bigger screen, which may or may not be a good thing given that you hold onto these bezels when you read.

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