Amazon Unveils Home Drone Security Camera at Their Annual Hardware Event
Graphic by Abby Miller
Amazon hosted its annual, invitation-only hardware event virtually on Sept. 24 where they unveiled six new tech products they hope to launch later this fall.
Among these products is a redesigned Echo. The Echo has been revised with a spherical shape and better sound quality than before. It will be offered with the same cost as before, ranging from $50-$100.
The Ring tech company, which Amazon purchased in 2019, has expanded from solely manufacturing doorbells to now providing an array of products, including an in-car security system that debuted at the hardware event. The system alerts the phone it is connected to if the vehicle is bumped, towed or burglarized.
The flying drone camera, called the ‘Always Home Cam’, received the most attention from the public. Amazon’s target is to get the Ring Always Home Cam out in 2021 at a price of $250.
The camera is stationed in a docking port but flies to pre-designated locations the home-owner controls from their phone. As advanced as the product looks, many have taken to Twitter to voice their concerns over how futuristic the product appears.
“New features announced at Amazon devices event today include the ability for Alexa to pick up more sounds like baby cries, snoring, barks, etc,” tweets Deirdre Bosa, a technology reporter at CNBC. “So, it's always listening.”
Amazon plans to catch the public eye with at least one of their new products and get it on the market as early as this fall or the beginning of next year. Though there are privacy concerns among consumers, Amazon plans to encrypt the drone to reduce the likelihood of hackers.
“Ring expects to have end-to-end encryption available for the security drone. Adding a layer of protection designed to deter hacking and security flaws,” Dale Smith, a journalist for CNET said, “That means, at least in theory, that you and only you will be able to access your data saved to Ring's servers, including video recordings.”
Amazon Senior Vice President Dave Limp says that the goal of Amazon is not to generate profit but to sell a good product for the consumer to keep coming back to. Amazon introduces new products every year that make it more efficient for people to be able to control their homes, and now their cars, from virtually anywhere.
“We try to price our products effectively at about what they cost to make,” Limp said. “We think that’s very aligned with customers, we don’t make a lot of money on them, we don’t lose a lot of money on them, but what we try to do is then make money both for us and developers when customers use the products, not just when they buy them.”