When Amazon released the Dash Button last year, it was the real life manifestation of Staples’ “That Was Easy” button. A true danger for the compulsive buyer and an indulgence for every couch potato in the world, the $5 plastic device allows you to re-order anything you want with nothing more than a push of a button. But now, Amazon is looking beyond products and towards services, introducing a limited release of the new Amazon Web Services Internet of Things Button. Because there’s absolutely no shortage of things a button can do.
Related: See here for more Amazon Dash button options
The programmable button, Amazon explains, is based upon the same hardware used in Dash Button, but with one key difference — the Wi-Fi enabled device is actually designed for developers to work with AWS IoT, AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon SNS, and other Amazon Web Services without writing device-specific code.
Essentially, it gives users the opportunity to use the button for tasks rather than purchases.”You can code the button’s logic in the cloud to configure button clicks to count or track items, call or alert someone, start or stop something, order services, or even provide feedback,” Amazon states. Moreover, the retail giant notes that your AWS IoT button can “unlock or start a car, open your garage door, call a cab, call your spouse or a customer service representative, track the use of common household chores, medications or products, or remotely control your home appliances.” Why press more than one button when you can just … press one?
There’s really no end to Amazon’s (or developers’) imaginations when it comes to the possibilities afforded by an IoT connected button. From a remote control for Netflix to a light switch to a pizza delivery service, this might just be the button you never knew you needed.
So if you’ve got $20 to spend and some time to tinker, this may be the product for you.
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.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
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.