Amazon is taking a deeper dive into the growing ecosystem of smart home gizmos with the new availability of its Alexa Gadgets Toolkit, which will enable both device manufacturers and smart home users with the do-it-yourself touch to enable sounds, movements, and other actions that are triggered through Echo commands.
First of all, what’s an Alexa Gadget? This is the umbrella for the growing line of accessories that pair to compatible Echo devices via Bluetooth. Some examples Amazon says are coming soon include a variety of dancing plush animatronics and an updated Big Mouth Billy Bass from Gemmy Industries.
The Alexa Gadgets Toolkit offers self-service APIs (application programming interfaces) that extend Alexa’s capabilities to trigger motors, lights, sound chips, and other device features. Early adopters of the new platform include Hasbro, WowWee, BabyPlus, and eKids (an affiliate of iHome). The toolkit, released as a beta rather than a full-fledged product, includes technical documentation and sample code that facilitate direct pairing and connectivity, communication and over-the-air updates between an Alexa Gadget and its paired Echo device.
The toolkit can also be used enable more than one Gadget Interface. Amazon says the list of currently available interfaces continues to grow but offers some examples — many of which seem to be intriguingly geared toward retail functions rather than home use.
Another shot across the retail market is expected to come from the company’s partnerships with companies that have been working on Alexa Gadgets for kids. Just a few forthcoming products include WowWee Group’s Brushbots (smart toothbrushes that encourage healthy habits), BabyPlus’ Waddles the Smart Duck, lending a hands-free helper to parents on the go, and Novalia’s Touchscapes, an interactive touch-sensitive table mat.
If you’re intrigued by all these new playthings, you can sign up to be notified when these products are available on Amazon.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.