In what is reported (but unconfirmed) to be a $1 billion dollar deal, Amazon has acquired the company Ring, a company that manufactures video cameras, smart doorbells, and other smart home technologies. While there has not been an official comment from both companies regarding how much the acquisition was, a spokesman from Amazon said that they want to help keep their customers’ houses safe and secure. Amazon recently introduced a service that would allow their delivery people to leave packages inside the customers’ doors.
Ring was initially conceived to keep neighborhoods safe by letting people have access to affordable home security tools for those who cannot afford the more extensive and expensive surveillance systems. Some of their products include doorbells equipped with cameras that send videos to users’ tablets or smartphones and allow them to interact with whoever is at the door even if they’re not at home. Amazon has actually previously invested in the company through the Alexa Fund.
Amazon meanwhile unveiled its own Cloud Cam that works with smart locks to help owners deal with deliveries, house cleaners, dog walkers, etc. Ring’s products are also integrated with Alexa, Amazon’s digital assistant, so the acquisition doesn’t really change much about the current products. What we may see is new products that will enhance the product lineup and also Amazon’s services.
There are no details yet of course as to how this would affect Ring, but what will probably happen is similar to previous acquisitions like Zappos, Twitch, Audible, etc. There will be products and feature integrations but they will maintain the Ring brand and continue operating as it is right now.
VIA: Geekwire
