The competition within the smart home market has intensified recently. Leading companies including Amazon, Google, and Apple have each unveiled new smart speakers, with a key objective being to strengthen their roles as the central control point for users’ interconnected homes.

In addition to the launch of a wide range of new Echo devices, Amazon is also enhancing the capabilities of its affordable Fire tablets. The company is now releasing a complimentary software update to certain tablet models, introducing a dedicated dashboard for managing smart home devices. This system functions as a centralized location for controlling devices compatible with Alexa.

This feature mirrors the control interfaces provided by Google and Apple through their respective Home applications, granting access to a variety of connected devices such as intelligent lighting, power outlets, security cameras, and climate control systems. Comparable features are also available on Echo Show devices. Fire tablets present a cost-effective method for accessing this functionality, and Fire TVs may offer similar capabilities in the future. Amazon has also focused on refining Alexa’s performance on these devices, effectively transforming them into budget-friendly smart displays.

A particularly significant development is the integration of smart home hub capabilities into the latest Echo model. While this feature was not widely publicized (Amazon initially incorporated this functionality into earlier Echo Plus versions), including Zigbee support in the $99 device is expected to significantly reduce the cost of entry for consumers.