Amazon launches the Alexa Photo Frame smart photo frame
Amazon unveils Alexa Photo Frame, a smart photo frame with voice control, AI-powered photo selection, and Amazon Photos integration.
The frame with a 10-inch screen syncs photos from Amazon Photos, while Alexa+ selects images based on people, events, and the season. Prices start at $199.99.
Amazon unveils Alexa Photo Frame with voice control and AI
Amazon’s new digital frame is designed to work with Amazon Photos and automatically refresh its selection of images. The company positions the device as a way to see more of the photos at home that usually stay on people’s phones.
Amazon Photos lets Amazon Prime members store unlimited photos in the cloud. Alexa Photo Frame is the only digital photo frame on the market with built-in Alexa and native integration with the service.
Users can select specific people or albums in the Amazon Photos app for the frame to display. Photos sync automatically: new images appear on the screen after they are uploaded to Amazon Photos.
Alexa+ curates the selection
Built-in Alexa+ analyzes the library and selects images based on faces, timing, and emotional content. According to Amazon, the system favors photos where people are smiling and the lighting is good, and also takes the season and date the photos were taken into account. For example, Christmas photos will be shown during the holiday season, not in June. The system can also skip screenshots and photos of receipts.
You can interact with the frame using your voice. For example, you can ask it to show photos from a beach trip with your mom or pictures of your children. You can also add a voice note to an image sharing the story behind it, or browse photos directly on the device.
Alexa+ also finds visual and narrative connections between photos. Amazon gives the example of the system placing side by side a photo of a child eating ice cream at age four and a later photo of them in almost the same pose. When selecting images, Alexa considers not only when a photo was taken, but also the people, places, and events captured in it.
Display and finish options
Alexa Photo Frame has a 10-inch high-definition touchscreen specially tuned for displaying photos. According to Amazon, a semi-matte, anti-glare coating helps photos look more like prints than images on a display. An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts brightness. The screen is surrounded by a textured, matte frame in soft white.
The device is available now: the black version starts at $199.99, while versions with genuine birch or walnut wood finishes cost $229. Amazon Photos is free for Amazon Prime subscribers and includes unlimited cloud photo storage.
