1-minute news: Amazon launches next-gen Echo Frames with 6 hours of playback

What's nan story?

The Amazon Echo Frames were breezed past reasonably swiftly astatine Amazon's September motorboat event (check retired our live blog for much details), but pinch truthful overmuch caller worldly announced, it's hardly a surprise. Nevertheless, this caller procreation of Amazon's audio glasses looks beautiful good. 

For those not successful nan know, nan Echo Frames are an Amazon Echo device, conscionable for illustration nan best Alexa speakers, disguised successful a brace of glasses. These smart, prescription-friendly glasses connection hands-free, open-ear audio pinch calls and Alexa functionality built-in. 

Originally debuting successful 2019, nan latest type of Echo Frames starts from $269.99 successful nan US, pinch UK and AU pricing TBC. Neither nan position nor nan charismatic property merchandise mentioned a imaginable merchandise date.

What do I request to cognize astir it?

For starters, it's better. The redesigned Echo Frames person boosted artillery life, offering "up to six hours of continuous media playback aliases talk clip connected a afloat charge". That's a acold outcry from nan erstwhile model, which offered 2 hours of calls and 4 hours of listening. 

Revamped speakers present 3 times much bass than nan erstwhile gen, and much accurately present sound to nan ear, minimizing sound leakage and offering "up to 10 times" amended nickname successful large aliases windy environments. It's each hands-free, of course: conscionable inquire Alexa to move up your playlist aliases make a telephone to your contacts. 

It helps that they look good, too, arsenic nary one's going to want to locomotion astir pinch a brace of glasses that look very evidently tech-heavy. Five caller styles are disposable including sunglass, prescription-ready (perfect for existing glasses wearers, for illustration me), aliases bluish ray lens options. The glasses' arms are 15% slimmer, and premium eyewear marque Carrera is getting successful connected nan enactment pinch 2 unsocial Alexa-enabled framework designs, ensuring nan statement remains fashion-forward.

What do we deliberation of it?

Echo Frames person ne'er really caught on, contempt nan ubiquity and usefulness of smart assistants for illustration Alexa successful nan home. Most phones and earbuds already person virtual assistants enabled, making nan frames a small redundant, particularly astatine a premium price. 

However, open-ear audio is coming connected successful leaps and bounds successful nan headphones world. With air-conduction workout headphones specified arsenic Shokz OpenFit popping up each complete nan place, nan clip whitethorn beryllium correct for Amazon to beryllium capable to minimize ambient audio leakage from those frame-side speakers and present a really useful, stylish product. 

Stylish is nan cardinal here. Wearable tech is slow becoming fashion-forward, but it's still very overmuch successful nan trial-and-error stage, pinch concepts for illustration nan Honor V Purse being experimented pinch by brands. At first glance, nan caller Echo Frames genuinely look beautiful good, and partnerships pinch manner brands for illustration Carrera mightiness promote much group to make nan jump. 

We've not been fixed galore specifications different than a starting value constituent – nary specs, and nary merchandise day – truthful it's intolerable to opportunity really overmuch nan high-end Carrera specs will cost. 

Further reading

• Amazon's September Event unrecorded blog
• The champion inexpensive Amazon Echo deals and sales
• Hands connected pinch nan Echo Frames (1st Gen) backmost successful 2019