![]() ![]() At no time did Astro bump into anything in its path, and it never ran into the beloved Miniature Pinscher who inhabits my home. While the out-of-the-box setup process is startlingly easy, it takes about 30 minutes for Astro to conduct its initial run to learn all the rooms on your ground floor.Īfter the setup was completed, Astro could effortlessly travel to whatever room I designated via voice command. One of the things the Amazon engineering team deserves kudos for is Astro’s navigation performance. The periscope also includes manual mute and volume buttons, though you’re unlikely to use them because it can respond to voice commands like any Alexa-class speaker. The obvious usefulness of the cameras is that Astro can travel through your home when you’re out and about to capture video and images. ![]() Astro has a periscope designed into it that rises from its pivoting head and provides additional 12 MP camera support. However, what separates Astro from a stationary Echo Show is its ability to move and alter its viewing perspective. This is noteworthy because array microphones are used traditionally for measuring and locating noise sources, an attribute critical for its home security monitoring capabilities. Like the popular Echo Show models, Astro is fully Alexa-compliant with the ability to stream TV show content, play music, answer questions about nearly any topic, and control any Alexa-based smart home devices.Īstro is equipped with several highly sensitive array-based microphones, and its listening skills are exceptional. Astro has some heft to it, weighing 20.6 pounds and roughly the size of a footstool. Two 55mm speakers embedded in the front provide surprisingly good audio with excellent bass. From a side view, it almost looks like a downsized non-passenger version of the iconic Segway personal transporter devices commonly seen in airports or shopping malls.Īstro has a motorized 10.1″ screen and a 5 MP camera that facilitates video chat and video/image capture. If one didn’t know any better, they could mistake the new Amazon Astro with the Echo Show 10 smart display on oversized wheels. Still, it will not likely find a substantial audience given its premium price point and, most importantly, limited cases with what it can be used for. Astro is a fascinating solution with significant potential. Products like this pave the way for more compelling future solutions to ultimately get to market with broader mainstream appeal. To be clear, that’s not a slam against Astro. Seven days is a meager amount of time to assess a new piece of technology, but I think it’s sufficient to form some early opinions about this ambitious piece of hardware.Īfter spending a week with the product, I’ve concluded that it largely succeeds as a luxury item, particularly for those consumers with the disposable income to check out the latest bleeding-edge robotics technology, though the usage models are limited. However, the price will eventually climb to $1,450 when it becomes open to the public. Presumably named Astro because of Amazon’s fondness for the lovable dog on the 1960s cartoon series “The Jetsons,” it is now available on an invite-only basis for $1,000. ![]() It does not store any personal data.I was fortunate to get a chance to spend some time with Amazon’s new robotic sidekick, Astro, over the past week. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. ![]()
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