In an interview with Bloomberg, Amazon's head of consumer electronics, Panos Panay, confirmed the company would phase out the Fire brand in favor of Alexa Tablets.
The new lineup runs proper Android, instead of the custom Fire OS, and has full access to the Play Store, which wasn't available on Fire tablets. To make matters worse, Gmail, Google Calendar, YouTube, Google Drive, and other services were only available via the browser on Fire tablets; the official Google apps were not available in the Amazon Appstore.
The Fire tablet line "wasn't giving customers what they were asking for," Panay told Bloomberg, which appears to be access to …
Amazon's Fire tablets are notable for being dirt cheap. While they're great for kids, they don't offer a premium Android tablet experience. The company's new $499 Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is an attempt to build a device someone might actually want to use. It's one of a few new Android tablets Amazon announced today, and it's the one you need to know about.
Unlike the Fire Tablet lineup, the Alexa Tablet doesn't run some hobbled version of Android stuck with Amazon's app store with ads for Amazon services at every turn. It has full access to the Google Play app store. It's powered by 8GB or 12GB of RAM with a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 8-core CPU. T …
Amazon is launching a new lineup of tablets that bear almost no resemblance to any tablet Amazon has ever launched before. They're not even called Fire, the name Amazon has used for its tablets for the last 15 years. They're called Alexa Tablets, and they're designed to do two things: bring Alexa Plus to the center of your whole computing life, and be straight-up excellent tablets.
The most important thing about these new tablets' software? They run Android. Full, Google Play-supported, all-the-apps Android. There are plenty of preloaded Amazon apps, of course, and some built-in ways to quickly access Prime Video content or shop for basica …
Amazon announced its first smart lock that eliminates the need for a physical backup key should its rechargeable battery die while you're away from home. While other smart locks lean on hidden USB ports or metal contacts for connecting a 9-volt battery to replenish a dead battery, the new Ring Smart Lock incorporates a more convenient charger right into its thumb-turn dial. Amazon doesn't specify how many turns are needed but claims just "a few times" can generate enough power to unlock the door so you can gain access to your home and fully recharge the lock's battery.
The Ring Smart Lock is expected to be available in the US sometime in ea …
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