There are new Fire TV Omni sizes and 2-Series

Fire TV Omni QLED: More Sizes, More Capabilities, Less Widths for Smart Devices with Personalized Radio Detection

After launching last year, Amazon’s flagship Fire TV Omni QLED series is now available in even more sizes. Expansion of the existing 65 and 75 inch models to include a new 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch option will provide more options for people with smaller spaces.

Amazon is also offering this tablet in a bundle. You can get the Fire HD 8 with a Fire TV Stick for $65. You can use voice commands to search and launch shows on the Fire TV Stick, and it comes with a remote that does the same. The interface is the same as the rest of the smart devices.

Naturally, we wouldn’t blame you for being weary about a TV that can detect and listen to you at all times. Fortunately, you can disable the Omni QLED’s far-field microphone whenever you like, and customize presence detection to your liking — whether you only want it active during certain hours or not at all. During its Sept. 28 presentation, Amazon said that the Omni QLED is smart enough to turn on when you enter your living room during the day, while knowing to stay off if you’re simply roaming the house late at night for a snack.

There is now a new voice remote that could be the solution to our old problem of constantly losing our TV remotes. Ask “Alexa, find my remote,” and the accessory will start ringing — which should help you find it even within the depths of your couch cushions. The new remote also has backlit buttons, making it easier to use (and find) when watching movies in the dark or at night. Other notable features include two customizable shortcut buttons that can instantly pull up your favorite streaming apps, as well as a dedicated headphone button for quickly pairing your Bluetooth headphones for when you don’t want to wake anyone in your house up. There are a few Fire TV devices that can’t use the new remote, such as the first and 2nd generation Fire TV.

WIRED Gear: A Year-Round-Rate Survey of Speakers and Smart Displays in the US$/M$/U.S.

The WIRED Gear team tests products year-round. We sorted through hundreds of thousands of deals by hand to make these picks. Out of stock or no longer discounted are the consequences of crossed out products. Our Amazon Prime Day coverage page and our Prime Day Shopping Tips will help you avoid bad deals. You can also get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 here.

We’ve tested a wide range of speakers and smart displays, in addition to the ones below. You can read the guide for more ways to use the smart speaker. The Best Smart Displays guide and Best Smart Speakers guide are helpful for going beyond Amazon.

The Amazon Show 8 is our favorite smart display. The 8-inch screen is a great size for watching movies, reading recipes, and making video calls (it has an auto-pan and zoom feature to keep you in frame). Its compact size makes it a great addition to your kitchen counter or nightstand too. It’s $5 cheaper than it was on Prime Day.

Upgrade to this larger 10-inch smart display and you’ll get better audio quality, plus a screen that swivels nearly 360 degrees to follow you around while you’re on a video call (or when you’re reading a recipe).

The new Amazon Echo Dot is available for purchase but the new smart speaker is yet to be released. You’ll be surprised at how great this Echo sounds with its room-filling sound. It is small enough that it can be put anywhere to be used as a gateway to voice over internet protocol.

These buds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) have dipped to a lower price before, but this is still a great deal. They’re easy to pair, have good sound, and you basically get Alexa right in your ear to help you with any task. It comes with a wireless charging case and multiple size options for ear tips. Just know that the noise cancellation isn’t great, and the touch controls can be triggered by sweaty hair (during workouts).

The Echo Glow Night-Light is a solid option if you’re looking to add an extra source of light to your kid’s bedroom. You can control the lamp by pairing it with another Echo device or using the Alexa app. With speakers built in, it can be used as a sound machine too. This price is also the best price we’ve seen thus far.

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/best-amazon-device-deals-prime-day-2022-3/

Getting Your TV Ready for Outdoors: Blink Video Doorbell Cameras or Amazon Fire Tablets? The Case of the Blink TV

Interested in a new device? We don’t think you are to blame. They’re affordable, capable, and practical slates—although the software could use some improvements. You should also check out our guide to buying Amazon Fire Tablets.

The Blink Video Doorbell received an honorable mention in our Best Video Doorbell Cameras roundup, and we’re still in the process of testing it. It’s affordable, works with Alexa, and comes in both a battery-powered or tethered version. You can get a broader coverage around your home with the two outdoor cameras that come with this bundle.

Some stores are now offering competing deals that don’t require an Amazon Prime membership. Here’s a list of merchants that may be getting in on the action.

It is possible to watch TV shows and movies, and play games, like a regular TV. With its QLED display tech, it produces a decent picture. That is almost a second thought.

You can also choose from a few widgets to display info while in Ambient mode. These include showing your calendar, suggestions for things to watch and sticky notes, which let you post a note on the screen as a substitute for leaving a note on the fridge or counter. The widgets make the TV feel like a lockscreen on a phone — you’re never away from the latest info about your life.

You can make the Ambient Experience only turn on the screen when it senses someone in the room. This helps save energy and feels kind of weird. You feel like you have been watched when the TV automatically turns itself on when you walk into the room. Fortunately, you can turn off Ambient Experience if you don’t feel the need for your TV to work so hard.

The reality is that it has an average image. The colors looked flat. It had better contrast than a TV without its tech, with deep blacks, but in many scenes the dark areas overwhelmed the light. The picture quality depended on what was in the source. For example, while watching “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” the TV switched to Dolby Vision IQ mode, which resulted in washed-out backgrounds and dull greens, but reds were lively. The TV produced good contrast on a 4K Blu-ray version of “Blade Runner 2049,” though some of the colors seemed oversaturated.

There are a lot of adjustments you can make in settings to help overcome those issues, but I wasn’t even able to adjust the picture to make it look better.

The Hisense U7H is a 120Hz Refreshable Ultra-Low Power TV, and if you want to see 60Hz, why not play with it

The Hisense U7H is one of the TVs in this price range that delivers better pictures. And the U7H offers 120Hz refresh rate, while the Omni QLED is only capable of 60Hz — something gamers will want to take note of.