Amazon unveils $199.99 Echo Time with optional sleep tracking
Amazon has announced the Echo Time, a $199.99 smart alarm clock with a touchscreen and an optional feature that estimates sleep stages to try to wake users at a better point in their cycle. The device combines a larger, always-prioritised clock display with bedside features, and is available to order now.
Its 3.2-inch round screen can be dimmed below 0.3 nits and returns to the clock after Alexa tasks. Ultrasound sensors estimate breathing and movement; sleep sensing can be switched off, and the alarm may sound up to an hour before the set time. Other features include touchscreen alarm setting, gradually brightening sunrise lighting and alarm tones that build when snoozed.
In short
- Amazon’s Echo Time costs $199.99.
- Optional sleep sensing aims to improve wake-up timing.
- A 3.2-inch display keeps the clock prominent.
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The case for
A dedicated bedside clock with sleep tracking could offer a more convenient way to use Alexa and tailor wake-up times to a person’s sleep patterns. Its dimmable display, sunrise lighting and option to switch off sensing give users practical features and some control over how the device works.
The case against
Sleep-stage estimates from a bedside device may be imprecise, so waking up to match them could offer less benefit than users expect. The always-present smart speaker also raises reasonable questions about privacy and whether the convenience justifies the price, even though sleep sensing can be switched off.
Explained simply
Amazon makes Echo devices, which pair an internet-connected speaker with Alexa, its voice assistant. People use Alexa to set alarms, check the weather, play music and control compatible smart-home devices.
Sleep tracking uses sensors to estimate patterns such as movement and breathing; it does not directly measure every stage of sleep. On a bedside clock, this information can be used to adjust when an alarm sounds, while the clock and alarm functions can work without sleep sensing.
The device sits between a conventional alarm clock and a smart speaker, bringing Alexa and bedside lighting and display features into one product. Its optional sensing also raises familiar questions about what data a connected device collects and how users can control it.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Spending time with the Echo Time — a smart clock that senses you sleeping”.