Today in Gear: Amazon’s Most Hi-Fi Smart Speaker Gets Its Biggest Upgrade in Years
Amazon debuts two new Echo devices with enhanced smart home capabilities. Plus, a new grail Aston Martin, some NASA-approved shades get a sleek new finish and more.
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Today in Gear: The most important news in the product world, independently curated by our editors. Catch up on other key releases across all the topics you care about .
Amazon Echo Studio with Home Camera
Amazon has unleashed a new version of its biggest and best-sounding smart speaker. As its name gives away, the all-new Echo Studio with Home Camera has a built-in camera that allows it to double as a smart home camera for your home; you can get a live feed in the Alexa app. As for the Alexa-powered smart speaker, it's still optimized for playing immersive spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos. Additionally, it has a new room-tuning feature, called Advanced Room Adaptation, so it sounds best for the space that it's in. It costs $250, which is $30 more than the 2025-released Echo Studio. read more
Amazon Echo Time
Amazon's Echo Time is a smart speaker with a built-in display, designed specifically to sit on your nightstand. In essence, it's the company's new smart alarm clock. It features a 3.2-inch circular touchscreen that you can customize with different clock faces. The display can also adapt throughout the day, mimicking a natural sunrise in the morning and gradually dimming in the evening. It comes in three finishes: Graphite, Glacier White and Coral Pink. A matching adjustable stand is also available for $40. read more
Aston Martin Valhalla Spider
The Valhalla Spider is Aston Martin's first mid-engined open-cockpit production supercar and, the brand says, the fastest open-cockpit car it's ever made. The vehicle carries over its coupe sibling's 1,064 horsepower plug-in hybrid powertrain (a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with three e-motors) and can hit an electronically limited top speed of 217 mph with the optional carbon hardtop. Revised active aerodynamics and ESP calibrations maintain more than 1,322 lbs of downforce with the roof fitted. However, even without it, it's no slouch — Aston Martin claims the 124 mph top speed of the fabric top makes the Valhalla Spider best in its class. read more
American Optical Original Pilot Hunter's Moon
The Hunter's Moon is the final chapter in American Optical's Moon Series. A limited run of just 700 pieces, built on the storied FG-58 Original Pilot frame that flew with Apollo 11 astronauts. It pairs an antique burnt bronze finish with Calobar Green SkyMaster glass lenses for exceptional clarity and scratch resistance. read more
Toor Knives Bateman T
This low-profile EDC folder is built around Toor's TwinFrame construction — a two-piece aluminum platform that cuts weight and eliminates the failure points of traditional three-piece designs. The Bateman T's 3.5-inch MagnaCut modified tanto blade deploys via ambidextrous thumb studs and retracts single-handedly thanks to the crossbar lock. At 3.8 ounces and just 0.65 inches thick, with titanium hardware and a deep-carry tip-up titanium clip, the San Diego-made blade is perfect for the pocket. read more
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Goat
Vacheron continues its tradition of paying homage to the Chinese Zodiac through its Métiers d'Art collection with this Year of the Goat model. The 40mm platinum case holds a multi-colored enamel dial depicting foliage, which serves as the backdrop for a hand-carved goat appliqué in white gold. The goat is given plenty of room on the dial thanks to the in-house Calibre 2460 G4 automatic movement, which replaces hands with four apertures at the edges of the dial showing the hour, minutes, day and date. Pricing is available upon request. read more
Matic Serene Robot Vacuum
The Matic Serene is the quieter sibling in the Matic lineup, running at 52 dB during a deep clean — three decibels below the standard model and low enough to disappear into the background of a dinner party or a work call. It shares the same vision system, cleaning system and app as its counterpart, so the upgrade is purely about noise. If you've been putting off deep cleaning cycles because the sound is intrusive, this is the version built for you. read more
