在不久前亞馬遜Alexa活動(dòng)的伊始，亞馬遜設(shè)備與服務(wù)部門高級副總裁大衛(wèi)·林普宣布對大受歡迎的亞馬遜Echo Dot音箱進(jìn)行升級。在亞馬遜總部Spheres（由多個(gè)種滿了綠植的玻璃穹頂溫室組成），林普向聽眾們介紹了大獲成功的Echo Dot的自然進(jìn)化歷程，新Echo Dot擁有更響亮、更清晰的聲音以及更賞心悅目的織物構(gòu)造外殼。

在經(jīng)歷了一個(gè)小時(shí)的發(fā)布會(huì)之后——期間發(fā)布了十幾款新產(chǎn)品，人們可以明顯地感受到，亞馬遜各類設(shè)備的核心——語音助手技術(shù)Alexa——自面世以來經(jīng)歷了飛速的增長，在過去四年中似乎已經(jīng)進(jìn)入了人們生活的方方面面。好吧，至少這是亞馬遜的愿望。

借助Echo系列的五款新品，這位電商巨頭希望Alexa能夠成為人們?nèi)缬半S形的伴侶。

?

At the beginning of Amazon’s Alexa event recently, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services Dave Limp announced an update to the massively popular Amazon Echo Dot. Addressing a crowd in the Spheres, the collection of glass-domed, plant-filled conservatories at Amazon’s headquarters, Limp described how with louder, crisper sound and a more pleasant fabric housing, the new Echo Dot was a natural evolution of a wildly successful product.

But more than an hour—and over a dozen new product reveals—later, it became clear that Alexa, the voice-enabled assistant technology underlying Amazon’s devices, has been growing so fast in the four years since its launch that it’s approaching ubiquity. Or at least that’s what Amazon hopes.

These five new Amazon Echo products reveal how the e-commerce giant hopes to put Alexa everywhere you are.

Amazon Echo Dot

林普稱，盡管Echo Dot被公司稱之為有史以來最暢銷的音箱，但亞馬遜從零開始對Echo Dot進(jìn)行了重新設(shè)計(jì)。Dot的新織物構(gòu)造工業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)有助于其提供更大的音量（而且這也得益于Dot內(nèi)置了一個(gè)更大尺寸的喇叭單元）。與老款一樣，新Echo Dot可通過藍(lán)牙或音頻接口進(jìn)行連接。其價(jià)格依然如舊，49美元，下個(gè)月開始發(fā)售。

According to Limp, Amazon went back to the drawing board with its redesign of the Amazon Echo Dot, which the company is calling the best-selling speaker, ever. The Dot’s new fabric-based industrial design helps it to deliver more powerful sound (and the fact that they’ve crammed a larger driver in the device helps). As previously, the Echo Dot can be used to connect to other devices via Bluetooth or audio input. It also keeps the same price, $49 starting next month.

Amazon Echo Clock

在這類發(fā)布會(huì)上，新產(chǎn)品通常都會(huì)被小心隱藏，但整個(gè)上午，亞馬遜的Echo Wall Clock在出場之前都一直在以真面目示人。實(shí)際上，它是一款內(nèi)置麥克的模擬鐘表，并配備了Alexa技術(shù)，頗為適合用于定時(shí)，而這也是該平臺(tái)最常用的功能之一。然而，Echo Clock與Echo Dot這類揚(yáng)聲器的真正區(qū)別在于，其發(fā)光的刻度顯示的是定時(shí)器的剩余時(shí)間。它還有一項(xiàng)附加功能，由于與互聯(lián)網(wǎng)相連，這款29美元的鐘表可自動(dòng)調(diào)整為夏令時(shí)，或至少它會(huì)在今年晚些時(shí)候發(fā)貨時(shí)配備這一功能。

Though products are typically kept under wraps at events like these, the Amazon Echo Wall Clock stared attendees in the face all morning long—until it was beckoned. Basically, an analog clock with an embedded microphone, this Alexa-enabled timepiece is great for setting timers—one of the platform’s most-used skills. But where the Echo Clock sets itself apart from speakers like the Echo Dot, its dial lights up to show how much time remains on the timer. And as a bonus, because its connected to the internet, the $29 clock will set itself come Daylight Savings time, or at least it will when it ships later this year.

Amazon Echo Auto

Echo Auto設(shè)備是亞馬遜近期宣布的最有抱負(fù)的產(chǎn)品之一。林普在介紹這款產(chǎn)品時(shí)指出，“別被這款設(shè)備的尺寸給欺騙了?！彪m然它的尺寸只有一盒撲克牌大，但卻擁有一個(gè)八麥克陣列，能夠與湯罐大小的Echo Plus相媲美。在充斥著道路噪音、澎湃的音樂聲以及加熱器或空調(diào)風(fēng)噪的車中，這些額外的耳朵還是十分必要的。

安全、快速的系統(tǒng)啟動(dòng)同樣重要，而且這一系統(tǒng)在車輛啟動(dòng)時(shí)（或啟動(dòng)后不久）便會(huì)處于待命狀態(tài)。它能夠通過藍(lán)牙和輔助耳機(jī)插口與現(xiàn)有的汽車系統(tǒng)相連，也可以與手機(jī)相連。Echo Auto的設(shè)計(jì)初衷在于讓Alexa融入駕駛環(huán)境操作系統(tǒng)，去你想去的地方，而且能夠辨識(shí)地點(diǎn)。這款產(chǎn)品聽起來似乎十分復(fù)雜，而這也是為什么當(dāng)前僅對受邀人士開放的原因。這款產(chǎn)品的價(jià)格目前尚未公布。

?

One of Amazon’s most ambitious products announced recently was its Echo Auto device. “Do not let the size of this device fool you,” said Limp of the product, which is about the size of a deck of cards and beasts an eight-mic array that rivals the big soup can-sized Amazon Echo Plus. And with road noise, music blaring, and the heater or air conditioner blowing, those extra ears are necessary.

But also necessary was a secure, fast-booting system that is ready to go when the car starts (or shortly thereafter). Connecting to existing autos’ systems via Bluetooth, auxiliary audio jacks, and to phones (for mobile data), the idea behind Echo Auto is to make Alexa into an ambient operating system that goes where you do—and is location aware. If it sounds challenging, it is—and that’s why its currently invitation-only with no listed price as of this time.

Amazon Basics Microwave

從表面上看，將Alexa融入微波爐似乎是一件很容易的事情，但事實(shí)上并非如此。微波爐的工作波段是2.4Ghz，它會(huì)讓無線網(wǎng)絡(luò)失靈，而且微波爐的用戶界面依然在沿用上個(gè)世紀(jì)70年代的設(shè)計(jì)。新亞馬遜Basics Microwave在控制臺(tái)面上增添了語音控制，因此人們可以像戈登·拉姆齊那樣對著微波爐發(fā)號施令。

例如，只需將土豆放進(jìn)微波爐（這是亞馬遜用過的案例），然后說“一個(gè)土豆”（不是“兩個(gè)土豆、三個(gè)土豆或四個(gè)”），然后這款智能大廚便會(huì)設(shè)定最佳的烹飪時(shí)間（6分24秒，如果你就是想刨根問底的話）。如果想多烹飪一會(huì)，只需說“Alexa，讓微波爐多烹飪30秒?！?

如今，你可能認(rèn)為自己并不需要帶語音控制的微波爐，這一點(diǎn)倒是無可厚非。但亞馬遜會(huì)給你一個(gè)購買它的充分理由：“它在今年晚些時(shí)候的發(fā)售價(jià)為59美元。”

Slipping Alexa smarts into a microwave might seem easy on the face of it, but it’s really not. Microwaves work on the 2.4Ghz spectrum, which drives Wi-Fi bonkers, and they have a user interface that was conceived of in the 1970s. The new Amazon Basics Microwave adds voice control to the countertop oven, so you can bark orders at your appliances like you’re Gordon Ramsey.

For example, simply pop a potato into the microwave (that was the example Amazon used) and say “one potato” (not “two potatoes, three potatoes, four”) and the smart cooker will reply by firing up with the ideal cooking time (6:24, if you must know). Want to add time, simply say “Alexa, add 30 seconds to the microwave.”

Now, you may think you don’t need a voice-enabled microwave, and you’re probably right. But Amazon has one good reason why you do: It will cost $59 when it launches later this year.

Amazon Smart Plug

智能插座如今似乎是一抓一大把，考慮到這些插座繁瑣的安裝程序，它們倒也值那個(gè)錢。然而，亞馬遜的24.99美元的新插座并不僅僅是開關(guān)那么簡單。事實(shí)上，就亞馬遜新啟動(dòng)的簡易安裝動(dòng)議而言，亞馬遜Smart Plug智能插座可謂是真正的先行者?；旧显趤嗰R遜看來，任何智能設(shè)備的安裝都應(yīng)該采用即插即用模式。

林普親自演示了這個(gè)流程，如果這款插座真能像其所宣傳的那樣，那么亞馬遜可能會(huì)通過這一模式贏得大眾的芳心。林普將電燈插入亞馬遜智能插座，然后將其插入墻上的插座板。亞馬遜Echo Plus在不到30秒的時(shí)間檢測到了“智能插座1”，并詢問林普是否需要對其重新命名。他告訴Alexa將其命名為“臥室燈”。不一會(huì)，林普說：“Alexa，關(guān)掉臥室燈?！比缓?，電燈便順從地熄滅了。

亞馬遜希望未來一切產(chǎn)品都應(yīng)該采取這種運(yùn)行模式。但林普認(rèn)為，新推出的簡易安裝難以在全球各地立即推而廣之。他不止一次地說道：“需要一定的時(shí)間?！边@沒什么好大驚小怪的，通常這類事情無法一蹴而就。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：馮豐

審稿：夏林

?

Smart plugs may seem like a dime a dozen—and for how frustrating they can be, they ought to cost that much. But Amazon’s new $24.99 wonder packs more than just on-and-off capabilities. In fact, the Amazon Smart Plug is really a front for the company’s new frustration-free installation initiative. Basically, the company thinks that installing any smart device should be as easy as plugging it in.

Limp walked through the process himself, and if it works at advertised, Amazon might win over the masses with this approach. He plugged a light into the Amazon Smart Plug and plugged it into the wall. Less than 30 seconds later, his Amazon Echo Plus recognized the “Smart Plug 1” and asked him if he wanted to rename it. He told Alexa to rename it as “bedroom light.” Then, a moment later, he said “Alexa, turn off bedroom light,” and, brilliantly, it went dark.

Amazon hopes everything will work this way in the future, but Limp admitted that the new frustration-free installation won’t be everywhere, immediately. “It will take us a while.,” he said more than once. That’s not a surprise—usually these things take time.