Amazon's best announcement yesterday isn't what you think

Never mind the new Kindle, sleep tracker, Echo Auto... the real news is an Echo Dot update. Wait, what?

Apologies for the short, late issue today, folks. Turns out there aren’t enough hours in the day for Covid booster shots, busted-furnace repairs, Amazon product-launch events, checking on Florida friends 😢, and, you know, actual work.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold type), meaning if you make a purchase via one of them, I may get a small commission. I promise you, now and forever, that I won’t choose deals based on whether there’s an affiliate option available.

Don’t make this mistake on your next vacation

Whenever I travel, I learn something. For example, did you know that the Denver International Airport won’t let you bring hiking poles in carry-on? Other airports don’t seem to have a problem with it (I mean, we got them out of Detroit that way, and to and from Tennessee prior to that), but Colorado is taking a brave stance against folded aluminum rubber-tip poles!

I also learned that Keystone, CO, is a lovely place to visit in September. Great hikes, breathtaking natural beauty, super-friendly people, relatively easy drive from Denver. It’s also very peaceful, as it’s not ski season yet.

Cords like this can be great, but they may not work if plugged into a low-power USB port.

Finally, I learned the hard way that the 4-in-1 charging cords I prize around the house aren’t good for travel, because they don’t work in places that have 1-amp USB charging ports: most cars, hotel rooms, airport seating lounges, etc. I found I couldn’t juice my phone in my rented Nissan; not good when you’re navigating mountain roads. I also couldn’t charge while waiting to board my flight home; not good when your phone contains all your in-flight entertainment. Note to self: Always pack at least one dedicated charging cord. (My mobile charger, which I always pack, saved the day both times.)

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5 learned-idiot insights from yesterday’s big Amazon event

Amazon just unveiled a bunch of new products and upgrades, some interesting, some meh. My thoughts:

1️⃣ I should probably just get this tattooed already: Never, ever pay full price for Amazon products. Everything announced yesterday will get discounted at some point — probably soon, and then over and over again. Do not, repeat, do not preorder anything Amazon announced yesterday. If you’re willing to wait not very long, you’ll get a lower price.

For example, the latest Amazon Echo Dot (5th-generation, if anyone’s keeping score) lists for $50, just like its predecessor. In the past 12 months, the latter has been discounted 14 times, occasionally dipping as low as $28.

The new Echo Dot has a super-cool secret feature: It can also function as a Wi-Fi extender.

2️⃣ There’s something very newsworthy about that new Dot: It can function as a Wi-Fi extender as part of an existing Eero mesh network. In theory, you could pick up the Eero 6 router (currently selling for a very reasonable $75), then deploy a couple Dots around the house to spread out the Wi-Fi. But, wait, there’s more: 4th-generation Dots (and the 4th-gen Echo) will gain this same capability as part of an upcoming software update! I’ll withhold judgement until I’m able to test it, but on paper that’s amazing.

3️⃣ The Echo Show 15, a product I found fairly useless, is getting Amazon’s Fire TV OS, meaning it’s now basically a smart TV. A 15-inch smart TV. For $250. Um, still no thanks.

4️⃣ Arguably the most interesting announcement: Halo Rise, a contact-free bedside sleep tracker, alarm clock, and wake-up light. Amazon says the device can accurately track your sleep stages and measure your room's temperature, humidity, and light levels. Then you get a bunch of sleep metrics and insights in the Halo app. My take: Love the idea (because wearing a sleep-tracker to bed blows), but I wonder how accurate it can really be. Plus, if Amazon’s insights are of the “you need more REM sleep!” variety, this could prove as useless as other sleep gadgets. Anyway, it’s coming soon for $140. (Think I’ll wait for it to dip below $100. Which it will.)

The new Kindle Scribe has a big screen… that you can write on. Right on!

5️⃣ Second most-interesting announcement: The Kindle Scribe, a 10.2-inch e-reader that’s also an e-writer. Using the included battery-free pen, you can journal, jot notes, and more. It’s coming in late November for $340. Honestly I’m not sure there’s a big market for this, but I do like the idea of large, lightweight e-reader.

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