Amazon-branded TVs could hit U.S. market in October

By Trevor Mogg Published September 3, 2021

Amazon is preparing to launch its own TVs as early as October, a report has claimed.

Specs are scant, but sources with knowledge of the matter told Insider the Amazon-branded TVs will feature screen sizes of between 55 and 75 inches and be compatible with Alexa, its digital voice assistant. There’s no word on if they’ll incorporate Amazon’s Fire TV software, nor any information on how much they’ll cost.

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One of the televisions will reportedly be built by TCL, while another will be developed by Amazon itself, sources told Insider. It’s not clear if the Amazon-built TV will be part of the range expected to launch next month.

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The report said work on Amazon’s TV project has been going on for almost two years and involved cooperation between the company’s Amazon Devices and Lab126 units, the latter being the company’s California-based R&D division that came up with Amazon products such as the Kindle e-reader and Fire tablet.

If Amazon does launch its own TVs, it’ll be hoping the new products gain the kind of popularity achieved by its smart speakers, e-readers, and tablets and avoid the calamitous outcome suffered by its poorly received Fire smartphone.

The e-commerce giant wouldn’t be entering the television market completely cold, either. At the end of 2020, it launched 50- and 55-inch 4K LED TVs in India under its AmazonBasics brand, with its Fire TV software already installed. It also has a deal with Best Buy to sell Toshiba and Insignia-branded TVs with its Fire software already installed.

But the U.S. television market is highly competitive and launching Amazon-branded TVs would pit the company against industry powerhouses such as Samsung, LG. and Sony.

Digital Trends has reached out to Amazon for comment on Thursday’s report and we will update this article when we hear back.

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Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Cars

The UK’s Wayve brings its AI automated driving software to U.S. shores

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It might seem that the autonomous driving trend is moving at full speed and on its own accord, especially if you live in California.Wayve, a UK startup that has received over $1 billion in funding, is now joining the crowded party by launching on-road testing of its AI learning system on the streets of San Francisco and the Bay Area.The announcement comes just weeks after Tesla unveiled its Robotaxi at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California. It was also in San Francisco that an accident last year forced General Motors’ robotaxi service Cruise to stop its operations. And it’s mostly in California that Waymo, the only functioning robotaxi service in the U.S., first deployed its fleet of self-driving cars. As part of its move, Wayve opened a new office in Silicon Valley to support its U.S. expansion and AI development. Similarly to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) software, the company says it’s using AI to provide automakers with a full range of driver assistance and automation features.“We are now testing our AI software in real-world environments across two continents,” said Alex Kendall, Wayve co-founder and CEO.The company has already conducted tests on UK roads since 2018. It received a huge boost earlier this year when it raised over $1 billion in a move led by Softbank and joined by Microsoft and Nvidia. In August, Uber also said it would invest to help the development of Wayve’s technology.Just like Tesla’s FSD, Wayve’s software provides an advanced driver assistance system that still requires driver supervision.Before driverless vehicles can legally hit the road, they must first pass strict safety tests.So far, Waymo’s technology, which relies on pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), is the only of its kind to have received the nod from U.S. regulators.

Cars

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

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Costco, known for its discount gas stations, has left EV drivers in need of juicing up out in the cold for the past 12 years. But that seems about to change now that the big-box retailer is putting its brand name on a DC fast-charging station in Ridgefield, Washington.
After being one of the early pioneers of EV charging in the 1990s, Costco abandoned the offering in 2012 in the U.S.
While opening just one station may seem like a timid move, the speed at which the station was installed -- just seven weeks -- could indicate big plans going forward.
Besides lightening-speed installation, Electric Era, the Seattle-based company making and installing the charging station, promises to offer “hyper-reliable, battery-backed fast charging technology in grid-constrained locations.”
Its stalls can deliver up to 200 kilowatts and come with built-in battery storage, allowing for lower electricity rates and the ability to remain operational even when power grids go down.
If that sounds like it could very well rival Tesla’s SuperCharger network, it’s no coincidence: Quincy Lee, its CEO, is a former SpaceX engineer.
Costco also seems confident enough in the company to have put its brand name on the EV-charging station. Last year, the wholesaler did open a pilot station in Denver, this time partnering with Electrify America, the largest charging network in the U.S. However, Costco did not put its brand name on it.
In an interview with Green Car Reports, Electric Era said it was still in talks with Costco about the opening of new locations. Last year, Costco said it was planning to install fast chargers at 20 locations, without providing further details. It has maintained EV-charging operations in Canada, the UK, Spain, and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the wholesaler’s U.S. EV-charging plans might very well resemble those of rival Walmart, which last year announced it was building its own EV fast-charging network in addition to the arrangements it already had with Electrify America.

Audio / Video

Spotify’s AI Playlist creation tool lands in the U.S., Canada, and beyond

Screen images of the Spotify AI Playlist feature.

Spotify today announced that its new AI Playlist feature that allows you to use text prompts to generate personalized playlists is now available to Spotify Premium subscribers in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

First made available in beta form in April to Spotify Premium users in Australia and the U.K., the AI Playlist feature uses generative AI and allows users to either choose from a range of premade suggested playlist ideas or to use a text prompt to type in whatever they want.

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