SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Starting today, Amazon Glow is now available for all customers in the U.S., arriving with a growing library of Amazon Kids+ games, visual arts activities, books, and immersive features that add magic to video calls and help build rich family connections. The Glow experience, powered by Amazon Kids+ activities, combines elements of a game system, a children’s library, and an arts-and-crafts center with video chat and an interactive projected space. The result creates a new way for kids and remote loved ones to have fun enjoying the same content at the same time.
Glow is Amazon’s first device built specifically for kids from the ground up. Originally available via a limited “invite only” release, Glow now arrives with improved performance, expanded app compatibility with smartphones and tablets, and new games that allow siblings in the same house to have fun together on the device.
“We know a majority of parents say it’s challenging for their kids to stay engaged on traditional video calls, and, let’s be honest, stay in one place,” said Joerg Tewes, General Manager, Amazon Glow. “Glow is like a giant virtual recreation room bursting with fun, creating a magical experience that captivates kids and delights the entire family. Customers have told us that ‘Glow Time’ happens all the time in their homes as kids embrace the new direct access they have for fun with distant family members.”
A whole new device, a whole new way to connect
Working with children’s product and child development experts, Amazon designed Glow as a unique device that combines projection, video, and sensing technologies to create an immersive experience and remove the feeling of physical distance keeping kids and family members apart.
During video calls on Glow, kids connect with pre-approved loved ones that parents invite to the experience, and see them on a built-in 8” HD touchscreen display. In turn, Glow’s front-facing camera ensures those using the free Glow app on a mobile device can see and interact with the little ones in their lives. Using Glow’s large, 19.2” projected touchscreen, kids play games, read stories, create art, scan physical objects, and learn together simultaneously with remote loved ones. With this unique combination of features, Glow Time does what a traditional video call on a mobile device simply can’t do.
“For parents who are miles or minutes away from home for work, Glow provides a new way to say good morning or good night to keep those important relationships strong,” says Tewes. “For grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members, Glow provides an effective way to build connections and strengthen bonds with the kids in their lives in between traditional family gatherings.”
More games, more books, more fun to have together
Since its limited early access release, Glow has continued to grow its catalog of Amazon Kids+ games, visual arts activities, and books, packing in loads more content to enjoy. These updates have added even more fun for kids and grown-ups to have together with Glow.
- Nearly 100 games and visual arts activities – Through Amazon Kids+, Glow now offers nearly double the number of games and many more visual arts activities since the device debuted. The fun includes classic games like Chess, Checkers, and Go Fish, as well as new additions like Whac-A-Mole, Chip Drop, Cake Monsters, and Rocket Racers. Ready to get creative? There are dozens of visual arts activities to choose from too.
- Thousands of books – From beautifully illustrated picture books to imaginative chapter books and Animated Storybooks, reading Amazon Kids+ books on Glow includes rainbow pointers, word bubbles, and animated page turns enhancing reading adventures.
- New play options – Kids can enjoy games and activities when connected on video calls with remote loved ones or sitting side-by-side using the device together with a sibling or parent.
- Expanded remote device compatibility – Remote family members and friends can download the Glow app on compatible devices they already own, including now both Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, as well as the 2021 Fire HD 10 tablets.
- Improved performance and features – Since launch, Glow has received updates to improve overall performance and the call experience, and the ability to now increase or decrease projector brightness to align with various environments.
The fun and excitement of Amazon Kids+ content 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 F.U.N. with SpongeBob SquarePants and go on an adventure with Dora the Explorer from Nickelodeon. And from Sesame Workshop, Elmo, Zoe, and many more of their friends on Sesame Street are also on Glow.
“Amazon has done it with another incredible product that serves so many purposes. Not only has Amazon Glow made the bonds stronger between my daughter and her grandparents who live in another state but it has been a lifesaver for me when traveling for work,” said mother of three, Xiomara Roman. “Glow is the absolute perfect solution to help my kids feel closer to their grandparents, and for me to not miss a moment no matter where work takes me across the country.”
Exploring the benefits of Glow
Glow is already helping to create meaningful connections between kids and their loved ones, but the opportunities for Glow do not stop there. Amazon is exploring collaborations with children’s hospitals as well as education experts and organizations focused on autism therapy, to understand additional benefits and use cases for Amazon Glow outside the home.
Pricing & availability
Glow is now available for $299.99 at amazon.com/glow, BestBuy.com, and Target.com, and comes with a mat and mat case, and a 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ (with new games and activities arriving regularly). Glow comes with a 2-year worry-free guarantee—if it breaks, return it, and we’ll replace it for free. The free companion Glow app is available on compatible smartphones and tablets, so remote loved ones can connect and interact seamlessly with the kids in their lives, on devices they already own. Glow is also available as a bundle with an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet at a special price of $379.99.
The physical-meets-virtual world comes to life with Glow Bits, a series of learning kits with physical pieces that unlock even more fun. Tangram Bits are also available starting today, sold separately for $29.99, with kids using physical pieces and remote loved ones using digital pieces to solve puzzles together. More Glow Bits will be announced soon.
Amazon Kids+, a content subscription designed just for kids, provides access to thousands of kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games to enjoy on compatible Glow, Fire, Fire TV, Android, iOS and Kindle devices. Plus, kids can enjoy hundreds of hours of fun with ad-free radio stations and playlists, and a growing list of premium kid’s skills available on compatible Echo devices.
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.
