SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced Amazon Glow, a new interactive device that brings a new magic to video calls and transforms the way kids connect with remote loved ones by participating in activities together. During video calls on Glow, kids see remote loved ones on a dedicated 8” display while reading stories, playing games, and creating art on a 19” touch-sensitive, projected space. At the same time, remote family and friends see the child on a tablet and participate in the same activities using the free Glow app. Glow creates a virtual experience that feels like being together in the same room.
“Glow brings an entirely new level of fun that lets kids be kids and welcomes grown-ups into an exciting new way to connect and bond, even when they’re far away,” said Joerg Tewes, General Manager, Amazon Glow. “We’ve created an unbreakable, supersized, projected surface like no other, fusing digital and physical fun that excites kids and delights grown-ups with all they can do together.”
So much fun, together, with Glow
Activities on Glow create engaging, immersive experiences with audio, video, and tactile elements. And, with the included 1-year of Amazon Kids+, Glow provides access to thousands of books and dozens of interactive games and art activities. With Glow, kids can have fun and hone their skills with remote family members and friends, who in return, can share real-time encouragement. New interactive content, including more games, will arrive for Glow later this year. Together kids and remote loved ones can:
- Read: Pick from thousands of children’s books to read on the 19” projected virtual space, and delight in engaging with rainbow pointers, spotlights, and word bubbles for added reading excitement
- Play: Have fun with classic games like Chess, Checkers, Go Fish, and Memory Match with new creative twists, and new games like ABC Charades and Paddle Battle
- Draw: Create art using a palette of colors with digital pencils, crayons, paint brushes, or spray paint on a variety of themed art packs. Add stickers to amp up the creativity and use the vacuum eraser for a fresh start
- Discover: Find hidden magic with animations and sounds that will delight kids and grown-ups alike; and unlock levels in games to continuously challenge young minds
These activities on Glow are made even more memorable when beloved characters join in on the fun. Glow brings the magic of Disney to life with friends like Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen, Woody and Buzz from Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story, and more. Fans of Hot Wheels and Barbie will love seeing those characters from Mattel. Kids can have fun with SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer from Nickelodeon. And from Sesame Workshop, Elmo, Zoe, and many more of their friends on Sesame Street are also on Glow.
Glow blends digital and physical worlds to provide even more fun
The best of digital and physical worlds come together on Glow to fuel creativity and develop problem-solving skills for kids.
- Object scanning. Childhood dreams of turning everyday objects into digital fun are now a reality with Glow’s object scanning feature. Kids can turn a favorite toy into a custom jigsaw puzzle by smashing the digital scan of the toy into virtual pieces to reassemble. Or, scan a favorite school art project and transform it into a new masterpiece with the help of a remote loved one.
- Glow Bits. Kids and families can experience a new way to have fun with physical objects with Glow Bits learning kits. The first Glow Bits learning kit is the Tangram puzzle game, where kids use physical shapes and their remote family member uses digital shapes to solve challenges together. Tangram Bits is bundled with the purchase of Glow, and additional Glow Bits coming soon will be sold separately.
Worry-free virtual fun
Like all Amazon Kids products, Glow is built with parental controls front and center. Kids can only call pre-approved contacts that parents select. With the Amazon Parent Dashboard, parents can see who their kids are contacting. Parents can instantly disable cameras and microphones on the device by simply closing the visible privacy shutter.
“This category-defying product has been created with safety as a priority,” said Stephen Balkam, founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). “By combining an ad-free, walled garden experience within the device and app, Amazon Glow will bring kids, parents, and grandparents together safely in new and highly interactive ways during these unique times.”
Pricing & Availability
Glow is available at an introductory, early access price of $249.99 (MSRP of $299.99), and comes with a mat, a mat case, 1-year of Amazon Kids+, and is bundled with Tangram Bits. Glow also comes with a 2-year worry-free guarantee—if it breaks, return it, and we'll replace it for free. Glow works with a free mobile app on Android and iOS tablets, with Fire OS coming soon, so remote loved ones can connect and interact seamlessly with the kids in their lives, on devices they already own.
Customers can request an invitation to be part of the early access Glow program starting today at www.amazon.com/Glow. Glow will begin shipping to U.S. early access customers in the coming weeks.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
