Amazon Astro: two prices, date of sale, privacy, more to know about the Alexa robot

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Amazon’s Astro robot reminds us of the Disney Pixar character Wall-E.

Amazon / screenshot from James Martin / CNET

Astro, Amazon’s new autonomous home robot, made a surprise debut at the tech giant’s product launch event on Tuesday. As we’re discovering, there’s a lot more to the little bot than its beatboxing abilities (yes, really). We’ll tell you everything we know so far about Amazon’s robot assistant, including two different pricing (starts at $ 1,000), what we know about the date of sale, Astro’s limits and technical specifications, and what Amazon is saying about privacy in this moment.

We will continue to update this story as we learn more about your burning questions – we’ve reached out to Amazon for more comments and information.

How much does Amazon Astro cost and how do I buy it?

Amazon Astro is a Day 1 Edition product, which means it’s available via pre-order by invitation only. You can sign up for an Amazon Astro pre-order invitation today. The domestic robot will initially cost $ 1,000. After a broader release, the Astro price will rise to $ 1,450. Amazon also allows free returns.

Now playing: watch this: Amazon unveils Astro, a robot on wheels for your home

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Can I buy Amazon Astro outside the US?

No. So far, Astro can only ship to addresses in the 50 states.

When will Amazon release its Astro robot?

So far, Amazon has only said that Astro will be available later this year. We will update this story when we have a clearer date. Presumably, the Astro robot will be shipped to pre-order customers before January 1, 2022.

Yes, Astro winks and is precious.

Amazon / Screenshot by James Martin / CNET What does the Amazon Astro robot do?

Very. Amazon said that Astro, which is like Alexa on wheels, can monitor home security, keep an eye on your elderly and young family members, and generally be at your complete disposal and request Alexa commands.

The bot is designed to learn your habits to make it more useful in your everyday life. For example, Astro uses Intelligent Motion to navigate your home, avoid furniture and pets, and learn how you use it. This means that when you’re not using the Astro, it will stop in a low-traffic area nearby and charge.

The robot can follow you around playing podcasts and music, as well as control others in the house remotely. Astro can also make calls, send messages and set timers, alarms and reminders. The robot also has a small detachable compartment to carry and deliver items, such as a water bottle, to specific people in the house by creating a visual ID. You can also video chat on Astro and the robot will move with you, keeping you in the frame, like the Facebook portal.

Astro can also integrate with Ring’s security alarm system (below), capture video clips of events, and send them to the Ring cloud. Read on to find out everything Astro can do with a subscription to Ring Protect Pro and Alexa Guard.

The robot can detect sounds such as broken glass or smoke detectors and alert you. If you think you forgot to turn off the stove, you can send Astro to the kitchen to check.

In terms of remote aged care, Astro can reportedly recognize faces, search for an elderly person, and deliver status notifications to healthcare workers. Plus, with futureAlexa Togetherintegration, you can set up drug reminder routines, write shopping lists, get activity alerts or check your blood pressure.

What does Amazon say about Astro’s privacy?

On its product page for Astro, Amazon says you can turn off microphones, cameras, and motion at the push of a button. You can also use the Astro app to set “out of bounds” zones that Astro cannot enter. We are currently digging more into Astro’s privacy guardrails, including what its camera will or won’t see, and will update this section when we have more details.

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How does Amazon Astro work with a Ring Protect Pro subscription?

If you activate a six-month free trial of Ring Protect Pro, Astro will patrol your home with its periscope camera, investigate any unusual activity and save the videos in Ring’s cloud storage for 60 days. If Astro detects something wrong, an unidentified person or sound, it will notify you remotely.

Without a Ring Protect Pro subscription, Astro only allows live viewing from the app, remote robot control and two-way conversation.

If you return or unregister Astro, you will lose your trial version of Ring Protect Pro and possibly the access that comes with it.

Here’s what Amazon says if you’re an existing subscriber:

If you are already subscribed to the monthly or yearly Ring Protect plan, your subscription will continue to renew automatically. If you allocate your Astro to the same location as your existing Ring Protect plan, after the trial period begins, you will automatically receive a credit on your Ring account equivalent to 6 months of payments (excluding taxes), prorated based on your subscription current. If you are currently on a free trial period for a Ring Protect plan in the same location you allocate your Astro to, your existing trial will end in favor of your 6-month trial and you will not receive any credit.

How does Amazon Astro work with an Alexa Guard subscription?

Using Alexa Guard with Astro means you’ll get smart alerts for smoke detectors, broken glass noise, barking dogs, and movement outside. It can turn smart lights on and off, offers hands-free emergency calls, and can play a siren when activity is detected inside.

Without an Alexa Guard subscription, Astro can still send smart alerts about smoke or carbon monoxide detection or glass breakage and can operate your smart lights.

As with Ring Protect Pro, if you return or unregister Astro, you will lose the Alexa Guard trial and functionality. Here is Amazon’s policy for Alexa Guard subscriptions:

For existing Alexa Guard Plus subscribers, the subscription will be canceled when you activate the Ring Protect Pro trial. After the 6 month trial period, you can subscribe to Ring Protect Pro or Alexa Guard Plus to keep access to the benefits of Guard Plus.

You can suspend your Ring Protect Pro trial benefits by unlinking your Amazon and Ring accounts on Ring.com or using the Ring app. If you cancel your Ring Protect Pro subscription during the 6 month trial period, no refunds will be issued.

What can’t Amazon Astro do?

There are some limitations. Astro is reportedly unable to climb stairs or go out, for example. Amazon says Astro cannot send smart alerts for activity sounds while it is investigating, patrolling, or otherwise on the move. We will update this list as we learn more.

What we still don’t know about Amazon Astro (and we’re finding out now)

Amazon has provided quite a bit of information to investigate, but we still have questions. Here is a list of what we are digging. We will update as we know more.

Battery and charger details Settings and privacy policies How the Astro app will work If a manual control mode is available

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