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الوسم: Echo speakers

  • Amazon Aims to Design In-House Chips for Kindles Fire TV and Echo

    Amazon Aims to Design In-House Chips for Kindles Fire TV and Echo

    Amazon appears to be preparing to shift away from sourcing processors externally for its consumer electronics, marking a significant change after two decades. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that the company plans to adopt a customer-owned tooling (COT) model for its internally developed chips, similar to its approach with Trainium AI chips. This means Amazon will now design its own processors in-house instead of purchasing from third-party suppliers. The transition is expected to start around 2027 and will impact a broad range of products, including Kindle, Fire TV, Echo, Alexa-enabled devices, Blink cameras, and Ring doorbells.

    Amazon has reportedly selected Alchip as its exclusive partner for backend chip design and testing. Once fully implemented, the company anticipates producing approximately 40 million units of these in-house processors annually.

    The move comes at a strategic time, driven by financial factors. Amazon’s cash flow over the past year experienced a 95% decline, plunging to about $1.2 billion, partly due to its substantial investments in AI. In a CNBC interview, Panos Panay, Amazon’s hardware head, confirmed that the company already designs complete silicon solutions for products like the Echo Show 8, Echo Show 11, and Fire TV. These chips, including the AZ3 and AZ3 Pro launched in October 2025, are designed to run AI models locally, reducing reliance on cloud processing. While Amazon still utilizes third-party chips where appropriate, Panay emphasized that some key devices are moving toward proprietary silicon, with hints of a broader roadmap that extends beyond smart home products to mobile and portable devices.

  • Amazon Turns Echo Speakers Into Home Theater with Surround Sound

    Amazon Turns Echo Speakers Into Home Theater with Surround Sound

    What’s new? If you already own Echo speakers and have been wishing for a home theater setup free from messy wiring, Amazon has something for you. The company is expanding its Alexa Home Theater system for Echo devices, transforming them into a true surround-sound system for your television.

    • Instead of the previous two-speaker limitation, you can now connect up to five Echo Studio or Echo Dot Max speakers along with a subwoofer to a Fire TV Stick 4K or 4K Max for authentic surround sound.
    • Thanks to built-in spatial awareness, you can position the speakers anywhere in your room where they look best, and Alexa will automatically fine-tune the audio balance.
    • According to Engadget, this Alexa Home Theater feature is now widely available.
    Chris Hall / Digital Trends

    Why this matters: This upgrade transforms Amazon Echo speakers from standalone smart devices into an integrated, room-filling surround system.

    • It eliminates one of the main challenges of surround sound—speaker placement and wiring.
    • You can position the speakers wherever they look best, and Alexa will automatically optimize the audio based on their placement using spatial awareness.
    • The supported speaker count has more than doubled, resulting in a richer, more immersive surround sound experience.

    Why should I care? If you’re already an Echo user, this offers an easy way to upgrade your TV and movie nights.

    • Instead of purchasing a separate sound system, you can create a home theater setup within Amazon’s ecosystem.
    • If you don’t have five speakers now, don’t worry—this system can grow with you, starting small and expanding over time.
    • Setup remains straightforward with fewer cables, less technical hassle, and a more plug-and-play experience.

    What’s next? Amazon has also introduced two upgraded speakers alongside the home-theater expansion:

    • The new Echo Studio, delivering immersive spatial sound in a chassis 40% smaller than its predecessor.
    • The first-ever Echo Dot Max, offering three times the bass of previous Dot models.
    • Both models feature spatial-awareness tuning, allowing them to adapt to your room’s acoustics automatically for optimal sound quality.