Amazon turns its most capable smart speaker into a smart camera, too
Since debuting in 2019, Amazon’s Echo Studio targeted users who wanted superior audio quality from their Alexa-based smart speaker. The latest Echo Studio adds another less-expected differentiator: an integrated camera.
自 2019 年首次亮相以来，亚马逊的 Echo Studio 一直瞄准那些希望从 Alexa 智能音箱中获得卓越音质的用户。最新的 Echo Studio 增加了一个意想不到的差异化功能：内置摄像头。
The Echo Studio with Home Camera, released alongside a pile of other Alexa devices today, doesn’t have many audio upgrades over the standard Echo Studio. Each speaker has one 3.75-inch high-excursion woofer and three full-range drivers. They both support Dolby Atmos and Amazon’s proprietary algorithm for adding a surround sound-like effect to stereo audio.
今天与一系列其他 Alexa 设备一同发布的 Echo Studio with Home Camera，在音频方面相较于标准版 Echo Studio 并没有太多升级。每台音箱都配备一个 3.75 英寸的高冲程低音单元和三个全频驱动单元。两者均支持杜比全景声（Dolby Atmos）以及亚马逊专有的算法，可为立体声音频增加类似环绕声的效果。
Per the devices’ product pages, the speakers have lossless HD audio, Advanced Room Adaptation, and features for fighting noise distortion. Amazon announced the Advanced Room Adaptaion today, saying that the feature “continuously tunes the sound to your space, automatically adapting to the room’s acoustics.”
根据设备产品页面显示，这些音箱具备无损高清音频、高级空间适配（Advanced Room Adaptation）以及抗噪声失真功能。亚马逊今天宣布了高级空间适配功能，称该功能“可持续根据空间调整声音，自动适应房间的声学环境”。
Both speakers have four-microphone arrays and the same AZ3 Pro processor that Amazon introduced a year ago. The processor has an AI accelerator for using Amazon’s Alexa+ generative AI chatbot. The devices also have the same dimensions, even though the new Echo Studio With Home Camera fits in a 13MP camera.
两款音箱均配备四麦克风阵列，并搭载了亚马逊一年前推出的相同 AZ3 Pro 处理器。该处理器内置 AI 加速器，用于运行亚马逊的 Alexa+ 生成式 AI 聊天机器人。尽管新款 Echo Studio With Home Camera 内置了一颗 1300 万像素的摄像头，但两款设备的尺寸保持一致。
The speaker can use the camera to see where you are and adjust audio volume “so your music or audiobook maintains the same volume as you move about.” Beyond audio capabilities, Amazon sees people using the speaker as a smart camera, allowing them to remotely check on a room in the home to see, for example, “how the dog is doing or make sure you didn’t leave the lights on.”
该音箱可以利用摄像头识别用户位置并调节音量，“确保您在走动时音乐或有声读物的音量保持一致”。除了音频功能外，亚马逊还设想用户将其作为智能摄像头使用，允许用户远程查看家中房间的情况，例如“看看狗狗怎么样，或者确认是否忘记关灯”。
“Alexa can also see and understand what’s in front of the camera and help you in real time. Pull out a board game box and ask Alexa+ to explain the rules or hold up a cereal box, and Alexa can recognize it and help you reorder more flavors,” Amazon’s announcement says. One day, users will be able to pair the smart speaker-camera with an Amazon Fire TV for video calls, Amazon’s announcement said, without confirming when.
亚马逊的公告称：“Alexa 还能看到并理解摄像头前的事物，并实时为您提供帮助。拿出棋盘游戏盒让 Alexa+ 解释规则，或者举起麦片盒，Alexa 就能识别它并帮您回购更多口味。”亚马逊的公告还提到，未来用户可以将这款智能音箱摄像头与亚马逊 Fire TV 配对进行视频通话，但未确认具体时间。
Regarding user privacy, Amazon’s announcement said: Like all of our Echo devices, a dedicated button turns off the microphones and any included cameras. There are clear visual indicators whenever Echo devices with a camera are streaming images or video to the cloud to provide transparency—on Echo Studio with Home Camera, a built-in LED turns on. The standard Echo Studio remains available for those who prefer no camera.
关于用户隐私，亚马逊公告表示：与我们所有的 Echo 设备一样，专用按钮可关闭麦克风和任何内置摄像头。每当带有摄像头的 Echo 设备向云端传输图像或视频时，都会有清晰的视觉指示以确保透明度——在 Echo Studio with Home Camera 上，内置的 LED 灯会亮起。标准版 Echo Studio 仍可供那些不想要摄像头的用户选择。
Echo Studio With Home Camera users can disable the camera via the Alexa mobile app and “continue interacting with Alexa when the camera is disabled,” the device’s product page says.
设备产品页面显示，Echo Studio With Home Camera 的用户可以通过 Alexa 移动应用程序禁用摄像头，并且“在摄像头禁用时仍可继续与 Alexa 互动”。
Amazon has a notable past when it comes to smart cameras, including previously giving cops access to data from Ring smart cameras without user consent and allegations from the Federal Trade Commission that its employees illegally spied on Ring users (Amazon eventually settled the FTC’s lawsuit for $5.8 million without admitting any wrongdoing). These incidents may lead some privacy-focused customers to opt for camera-less alternatives.
亚马逊在智能摄像头方面有着一段值得注意的过往，包括此前在未经用户同意的情况下向警方提供 Ring 智能摄像头的数据，以及联邦贸易委员会指控其员工非法监视 Ring 用户（亚马逊最终以 580 万美元与联邦贸易委员会达成和解，但未承认任何不当行为）。这些事件可能会导致一些注重隐私的客户选择无摄像头的替代品。
The new gadget indicates where Amazon is going with gadgets since launching Alexa+ in a bid to transform its AI assistant from a money pit into a lucrative tool. With standard Alexa said to have cost Amazon billions of dollars, Amazon’s newest devices aim to boost capabilities for more advanced tasks, especially ones leading to purchases on Amazon’s website or with its partners through Alexa+.
这款新设备表明了亚马逊自推出 Alexa+ 以来的硬件发展方向，旨在将其 AI 助手从一个“烧钱坑”转变为盈利工具。据称标准版 Alexa 已让亚马逊损失了数十亿美元，因此亚马逊最新的设备旨在提升处理更高级任务的能力，特别是那些通过 Alexa+ 在亚马逊网站或其合作伙伴处引导购买的任务。
Those added capabilities come at costs that extend beyond potential privacy concerns. The Echo Studio With Home Camera is $250, which is $30 more than the camera-free version.
这些新增功能带来的成本不仅仅是潜在的隐私担忧。Echo Studio With Home Camera 的售价为 250 美元，比无摄像头版本贵了 30 美元。