Smart home
Amazon Prime Day 2022: Early Deals You Can Grab From July 20
Ahead of the upcoming two-day Amazon Prime Day 2022 sale event, here are some of the discounts and bundled offers available as part of the early deals on the e-commerce website.
Amazon Prime Day 2022: Best early deals on Amazon devices
Echo Dot (4th Generation)
Released in 2020, the fourth generation Echo Dot will be priced at Rs. 2,249, down from the listed price of Rs. 4,499. The smart speaker supports voice commands in English and Hindi and lets users stream audio from services like Amazon Prime Music, Spotify, JioSaavn, Gaana, and Apple Music. The Echo Dot also allows users to control their smart home devices with their voice and schedule them to turn on at a specific time every day.
Buy now: Rs. 2,249 (MRP Rs. 4,499)
Echo Show 5 (2nd Generation)
Like the fourth generation Echo Dot, the Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Generation) allows users to stream music from their favourite services. It is also equipped with a 5.5-inch display that can be used to stream movies and TV shows from Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. The inbuilt 2-megapixel camera can also be used to remotely monitor your home via the Alexa app, or as an “intercom” feature for friends and family who also use the Echo Show smart display, and according to the company.
Buy now: Rs. 3,999 (MRP Rs. 8,999)
Fire TV Stick Lite
For customers who don’t want to buy a new smart TV to replace their existing television, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick Lite is one of the most affordable ways to add internet connectivity and support for streaming services. The device offers full-HD streaming and comes with the Amazon Voice Remote Lite. Users can gain access to streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, ALT Balaji, Discovery+, ZEE5, SonyLIV, and Sun NXT. They can also access free services like YouTube, YouTube Kids, MXPlayer, TVFPlay, and YuppTV.
Buy now: Rs. 1,799 (MRP Rs. 3,999)
Kindle (10th Generation)
Equipped with a 6-inch glare-free display that is designed to look like paper, the Kindle (10th generation) features adjustable lighting that lets users read in different types of lighting. Amazon Prime members can access several books and comics, according to the company. The reader also allows users to highlight passages, look up specific words, and translate text without exiting the content they are reading. It is equipped with 8GB of storage, offers Wi-Fi connectivity, and comes with free cloud storage for Amazon content.
Buy now: Rs. 6,499 (MRP Rs. 7,999)
In addition to the deals on specific Amazon devices, the company will also offer combo offers with its smart speakers, along with smart bulbs. Customers can pick up the Echo Dot with a Syska 12W smart bulb, which will be priced at Rs. 2,349, down from the retail price of Rs. 6,698. Similarly, another combo offer features the Echo Show 5 paired with a Mi LED smart bulb, that will cost Rs. 4,049, instead of the combined retail price of Rs. 9,998. Meanwhile, you can also check our handy guide on how to find the best deals during the upcoming Amazon Prime Day 2022 that begins on July 23.
Apple Smart Camera Could Identify Physical Characteristics in Addition to Facial Recognition
According to the patent document, Apple’s security camera technology can store facial recognition information about a person — functionality that is also offered on some other similar devices available today. However, the company also describes the use of a feature that will store information about a person’s physical characteristics.
Apple’s security camera system could offer notifications
Photo Credit: USPTO/ Apple
The Cupertino company says the purported security camera would be able to generate a “bodyprint” of a person, which would work in tandem with the facial recognition (or Face ID) feature. As a result, a person’s face would be associated with their bodily characteristics.
The patent reveals that an individual can be recognised by the system, even if the camera cannot see their face. Instead of relying on facial recognition, Apple’s security camera technology would identify a person using other “bodyprint” details such as their torso or clothing.
In order to learn the physical characteristics of various people coming to a user’s residence, the security camera system would need to capture and store images (temporarily) on a regular basis. These will be analysed using deep learning models, according to the patent document.
Apple’s patent describes the use of “bodyprint” recognition
Photo Credit: USPTO/ Apple
After the system has identified a potential match, it will provide the user who is indoors with a notification, as per the details in the patent. Users will be able to access these details, and view a live feed of the security camera using an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV.
The arrival of this patent comes shortly after Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that Apple is considering the development of a privacy focussed home camera as well as several other smart home devices. The first of these devices is expected to be a smart home hub that can control other devices in a user’s home, while offering support for Apple’s apps like FaceTime.
Apple TV Set Could Compete With Offerings From Popular TV Manufacturers
Gurman writes that Apple is “evaluating” the development of an “Apple-branded TV set” in his newsletter, which suggests that the company is at a very early stage. However, MacRumors points out that this is not the first time that word of Apple’s plans to make its own TV have surfaced online — the company was rumoured to be developing its own TV as early as 2009.
Apple’s purported TV set would arrive as part of several smart devices being developed by the company, according to Gurman. The journalist previously revealed that the first of these devices would be a wall-mounted smart home hub that could control other devices and offer support for features like video calling.
However, Gurman says that if the smart home hub fails, Apple could “rethink its smart home ambitions once again”. The company is said to be working on a more advanced version of the smart home hub, equipped with a robotic arm, that could arrive with a higher $1,000 (roughly Rs. 84,400) price tag.
If the company is thinking of developing its own TV set, the company would face competition from several manufacturers such as Sony, Samsung, LG, and Sharp — these firms offer a range of TVs across price models, while Apple can be expected to introduce a model with high-end specifications.
Apple’s TV set could also offer support for features available on its TV box that include Siri, HomeKit, and more. It’s currently unclear whether Apple will use the same operating system — tvOS — on the purported TV set.
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Apple’s Wall-Mounted Display Might Not Support Third-Party Apps
According to the report, Apple’s first smart home device powered by Apple Intelligence will comprise a 6-inch display that appears to resemble two iPhone units placed next to each other. It will reportedly be equipped with a camera and built-in speakers that enable support for video calls, and it can be used with optional bases that are equipped with speakers.
Apple is also developing a new operating system for the new wall-mounted display that is codenamed “Pebble”, according to Bloomberg. It will reportedly feature a customisable home screen that shows icons for various apps, while widgets will provide information at a glance.
The first-generation smart home device, codenamed J490, is expected to feature support for the company’s applications such as Apple News, Apple Music, FaceTime, and Safari, but it is unlikely to include an App Store, as per the report.
While the wall-mounted display is expected to operate independently, it will reportedly require an iPhone to be set up. There’s no word on the hardware powering the device, but we can expect to offer performance on par with Apple’s A17 Pro chip or an M1 chip, along with 8GB of RAM.
Apple has spent over three years on developing the new wall-mounted display and the company plans to launch the device in March 2025, according to the report. It could be available in black and silver colourways.
Meanwhile, another advanced smart home device that is equipped with a robotic arm that can move a display is reportedly in development. It is unclear when Apple plans to launch this device, but it could be priced as high as $1,000 (roughly Rs. 84,400). Meanwhile, the wall-mounted display is expected to have a much lower price tag, according to the report.
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