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Amazon is reportedly working on a better-sounding Echo
Despite an influx of new models last year, Amazon's Echo probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of high fidelity. The company wants to change that by introducing a higher-quality version of the Echo to better compete with the like of Sonos, according to Bloomberg. Amazon's Lab126 research division has reportedly produced prototypes that are larger than the current Echo in order to pack in at least four tweeters.
Amazon is reportedly working on a TiVo-like DVR for live TV
Amazon is working on a new device to record live television in a bid to compete in a market dominated by TiVo, a source told Bloomberg. The ecommerce titan's Lab 126 R&D division is reportedly building the DVR, which is internally called "Frank" and will connect to Amazon's Fire TV box.
Bloomberg: Amazon wants to build a home robot
Bloomberg is claiming that Amazon is looking to build a home robot that would do for personal androids what the Kindle did to reading. The website's sources-in-the-know claim that the giant's hardware division, Lab126, is working on some sort of domestic droid, codenamed "Vesta." Apparently, project Vesta has been in development for some time, but this year the company began aggressively hiring roboticists. It's thought that the first tests of Vesta, in select employees' homes, will come at the end of this year.
WSJ: Next Amazon Kindle comes with rechargeable cases
Amazon Kindles can already last for weeks on a single charge, but the upcoming "top-of-the-line" model could last even longer than that. According to The Wall Street Journal, it will come with a rechargeable protective casing for extra juice. The publication says this case allows it to be slimmer than its predecessors, which could mean that the device alone will have a battery life shorter or similar to older models. Amazon is reportedly working on a solar-powered casing, as well, though that one won't be ready in time for the new e-reader's launch next week.
Google Glass is now 'Project Aura,' welcomes ex-Amazon engineers
Looks like Google Glass really isn't dead like the company promised. Mountain View has been hiring engineers and software developers out of Amazon's Lab126 for the initiative now dubbed "Project Aura," according to Business Insider. The company has reportedly signed up at least three people from the e-retailers' secret hardware facility, which recently went through an overhaul -- Amazon laid off a bunch of folks and shelved a number of ambitious projects -- due to the Fire phone's failure to sell. Business Insider says Project Aura will work on other wearables, as well, and will remain under Google's supervision instead of being established as a separate entity under the Alphabet umbrella.
Amazon's eyeing wearables and automated homes next
One of the nice things about operating the world's biggest online retail store, besides the money, is that you can get a real-time picture of what consumers around the globe want. Amazon's used that insight to launch its own e-readers, tablets and a smartphone in the past, and it's certainly not stopping there. According to Reuters, Jeff Bezos is investing heavily to boost the headcount of its secretive Lab126 division, the designers of Amazon's mobile devices, so that it can begin exploring new trends in smart homes and also wearables.
Amazon is hiring to build a product that's 'bigger than Kindle'
Amazon sure knows how to pique our interest -- it recently posted an invitation to a Boston recruiting event that, until an edit, teased the possibility of working on something "even bigger than Kindle." The original pitch (preserved by Boston.com) is all too short on details, but it hints at a first-generation digital media product co-developed by the hardware-focused Lab126 team in Sunnyvale, California. It's not just a souped-up Kindle Fire, then. So, what is it? A smartphone? A wireless network? We don't know; all that's certain is that Jeff Bezos has more surprises up his sleeve than just delivery drones.
Amazon Kindle alum overseeing Ouya production, hiring
Muffi Ghadiali, an alumni of Amazon's internal Lab126 (the team responsible for developing Amazon's Kindle line of products), has been keeping an eye on every aspect of Ouya's production according to an update to the project's obscenely successful Kickstarter campaign."My job at OUYA is to ensure that we meet the needs of gamers and developers," Ghadiali said in a missive to supporters in the update. He cites the Ouya's inexpensive build design and his own personal experience bringing products to market as reasons that "this can be done."Ghadiali also updated on the device's forthcoming SDK, saying that the company wants it available as quickly as possible, and that it'll be "pretty simple to start, using the existing Android SDK and adding the ability to promote your game, and to charge OUYA customers." In one last note for supporters concerned about wireless connections, Ghadiali added: "And we heard your feedback: yes, yes, we'll add an Ethernet jack. We have a lot of consoles to make, so I wouldn't expect too many more changes to the spec."Ouya's Julie Uhrman concluded the update by saying "Muffi is also hiring some engineers to join our team. So if you know the Android OS well, and want to help us make OUYA, hit us up." No specific contact information was given, though she did say that "you can figure out a way to get in touch with him." Our professional suggestion: carrier pigeons.
Report: Amazon building prototype hardware other than Kindle
The New York Times' Bits blog is reporting that "people with direct knowledge" of Amazon's plans say that Lab 126 -- the division of the company which designed the Kindle -- is currently looking into other hardware, i.e. devices that are not the Kindle. One unnamed source reports that such devices would be a "means to an end," meant to enable easy purchasing of Amazon's content, which currently includes music, movies, and digital books. The source said that CEO Jeff Bezos' intent for Lab 126 was initially to build multiple devices -- including apparent discussions to enter the mobile phone market -- but that the Kindle eventually became the main hardware focus. The report also notes that Amazon's hardware division currently has about 80 job openings, which would lend credence to the idea that more devices could be on the way.
Further signs point to an international Kindle
If last night's unveiling of a suspiciously SIM-shaped blank space on the Kindle 2's circuit board wasn't enough proof for you that our little reader is set for a big international journey, this might just be the ticket. Lab126, the company that developed the Kindle -- which also happens to be owned by Amazon -- has posted a job listing for a "Wireless Software (Firmware) Manager" with "competency in 3G wireless technology (HSPA, EVDO)," experience in "working with one or more 3G wireless chipset solutions and Linux-based devices," and who doesn't mind engaging in a little overseas travel themselves. Granted, this could be in regards to some other wireless, Linux-powered mobile device under development by the company, but we'll let you draw your own conclusions. Oh, and if you're a globetrotting wireless guru you'd better hurry up and get that resume in -- haven't you heard we're in a recession?