On Monday Patently Apple reported on a project that Amazon is reportedly working on regarding wireless earbuds with Alexa and a built-in fitness tracker. Well that rumor is now a reality which we cover at the end of this report. 

Amazon kicked off its annual hardware event today where it unveiled several new Echo devices, alongside new Alexa capabilities and more.

As confirmed in our cover graphic, Amazon launched a new Echo Dot, which starts at $59 and includes an LED display with a clock underneath the device’s fabric casing. It’s available for pre-order today, while the existing Echo Dot will continue to be available for purchase. As you can see in the photo below, users will be able to tap into their favorite streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify and others.

In addition to new hardware, Amazon also revealed new Alexa features, including one that uses neural engines to allow the digital assistant to mimic celebrity voices. For 99 cents, users can choose from a range of celebrities. The feature is set to roll out later this year.

You could read more of the original CNBC report here with their follow-up update this afternoon here in summary, and/or read the 6-page blog report from C/Net which followed the presentation step-by-step starting here that presents many key photos of products and services introduced today. One of the photos, as shown below, shows that Amazon's presentation covered the issue of privacy.

On the Amazon blog of the event today, they covered privacy by stating at the 10:06 mark: "Taking it a step further - starting today - we're adding an auto delete option for customers to our Privacy Hub. Customers can now opt in to have their voice recordings older than three months or 18 months automatically deleted on an ongoing basis." Read more about this on the Amazon Blog here.

Amongst other things presented at today's event, Amazon introduced their new smart home network device called "eero." We found a video on this device that you could review below which explains what it all. Amazon acquired Eero earlier this year for $97 million.

One More Thing: Echo Buds

Oh, and about that rumor we reported on at the top of our report, well, it's rumor no more. Amazon introduced Echo Buds which Amazon claims are helpful in so many ways, including shopping. We worked with the Whole Foods team to make this experience really delightful in store. For example, you'll be able to ask Alexa if Whole Foods has canned tomatoes in stock as well as where you can find canned tomatoes.

Echo Buds are available for pre-order starting today for $129.99 and will start shipping in October.

When talking with customers, something came back consistently. Easy-to-use noise reduction was critical. We're excited to be working with Bose to incorporate Bose Active Noise Reduction technology into Echo Buds for customers.

To help you navigate your everyday life, with a double tap, you can turn on and off the noise reduction for pass through mode if you want to clearly hear the world around you.

You can also tap and hold to access your phone’s voice services like Siri or Google Assistant.

Meet Echo Buds, the first Echo wearable to offer customers hands-free access to Alexa, on-the-go. When we set out to build Echo Buds, we looked at what customers would want from earbuds and first and foremost it was excellent sound. To do that, each earbud has two premium, balanced armature drivers, inspired by those used by professional musicians. These deliver crisp, clear vocals, and dynamic bass.

Echo Buds have 5 hours of battery life with just the earbuds and up to 20 hours of battery life with the case.

Below are a few photos of other Amazon products introduced today.

You'll find a few details about the new products in the photos above and a few others over at USA Today and Business Insider.

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