Amazon Lab126

Last updated
Amazon Lab126, Inc.
Company type Subsidiary
Industry
Founded2004;20 years ago (2004)
Headquarters1100 Enterprise Way, ,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Products
Number of employees
3,000 [3]
Parent Amazon
Website lab126.com

Amazon Lab126 [4] (sometimes known as Lab126) is an American research and development and computer hardware company owned by Amazon.com. [5] It was founded in 2004 by Gregg Zehr, [6] previously Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Palm, and is based in Sunnyvale, California. [7] It is widely known for developing Amazon's Kindle line of e-readers and tablets. [8] [9] [10]

Contents

Name

Lab126's name derives from the arrow in Amazon's logo, which points from A to Z—the 1st and 26th letters in the English language alphabet. [11] [6]

Products

In 2007, after three years of research and development by Lab126, the Amazon Kindle e-reader was released. Newer models of the Kindle continue to be released, with the latest model called the Kindle Oasis in mid-2016. [12]

In 2011, Lab126 released the Kindle Fire tablet; in 2012, they released two new models of the Fire tablet called the Kindle Fire HD. [13] In 2013, it released the Fire HDX, a high-end tablet. [14]

In 2014, Lab126 released the Amazon Fire TV digital media player; in late 2014, they released the smaller Fire TV Stick. Lab126 also released the Fire Phone that was not commercially successful. [15] [5]

In 2015, Lab126 released the Amazon Echo, a voice command device. [16]

In 2016, it released the Echo Dot, which is a hockey puck sized version of the Echo; they also released the Amazon Tap, a smaller, portable version of the Echo. [17] [18]

In 2021, it announced Amazon Astro, a brand of domestic robots developed by Lab126. [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

A closed platform, walled garden, or closed ecosystem is a software system wherein the carrier or service provider has control over applications, content, and/or media, and restricts convenient access to non-approved applicants or content. This is in contrast to an open platform, wherein consumers generally have unrestricted access to applications and content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E Ink</span> Electronic paper manufactured by E Ink Corporation

E Ink is a brand of electronic paper (e-paper) display technology commercialized by the E Ink Corporation, which was co-founded in 1997 by MIT undergraduates JD Albert and Barrett Comiskey, MIT Media Lab professor Joseph Jacobson, Jerome Rubin and Russ Wilcox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tablet computer</span> Mobile computer with integrated display, circuitry and battery

A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers, have similar capabilities, but lack some input/output (I/O) abilities that others have. Modern tablets largely resemble modern smartphones, the only differences being that tablets are relatively larger than smartphones, with screens 7 inches (18 cm) or larger, measured diagonally, and may not support access to a cellular network. Unlike laptops, tablets usually run mobile operating systems, alongside smartphones.

Mobipocket SA was a French company incorporated in March 2000 that created the .mobi e-book file format and produced the Mobipocket Reader software for mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA) and desktop operating systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E-reader</span> Device for reading e-books

An e-reader, also called an e-book reader or e-book device, is a mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital e-books and periodicals.

Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance, though its most widely used version is primarily developed by Google. It was unveiled in November 2007, with the first commercial Android device, the HTC Dream, being launched in September 2008.

Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store. The hardware platform, which Amazon subsidiary Lab126 developed, began as a single device in 2007. Currently, it comprises a range of devices, including e-readers with E Ink electronic paper displays and Kindle applications on all major computing platforms. All Kindle devices integrate with Windows and macOS file systems and Kindle Store content and, as of March 2018, the store had over six million e-books available in the United States.

This is a list of tablet computers, grouped by intended audience and form factor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazon Appstore</span> App store by Amazon

Amazon Appstore is an app store for Android-compatible platforms operated by Amazon.com Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazon Fire</span> Amazon Fire tablet timeline

The Amazon Fire, formerly called the Kindle Fire, is a line of tablet computers developed by Amazon. Built with Quanta Computer, the Kindle Fire was first released in November 2011, featuring a color 7-inch multi-touch display with IPS technology and running on Fire OS, an Android-based operating system. The Kindle Fire HD followed in September 2012, and the Kindle Fire HDX in September 2013. In September 2014, when the fourth generation was introduced, the name "Kindle" was dropped. In later generations, the Fire tablet is also able to convert into a Smart speaker turning on the "Show Mode" options, which the primary interaction will be by voice command through Alexa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire HD</span> Amazon Fire tablet timeline

The Fire HD, also known as Kindle Fire HD in the generations prior to 2014, is a member of the Amazon Fire family of tablet computers. Fire HD refers to Amazon Fire family tablets with HD resolution. The many generations Fire HD subfamily includes: 7" and 8.9", 7", 6" and 7", 8" and 10.1", 8", 8" and 10.1", 8", 10.1", 8", 10.1", 8", 10.1" and 11". These devices run the Fire OS operating system.

The iPad Mini is a line of small tablet computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a sub-series of the iPad line of tablets, with screen sizes of 7.9 inches and 8.3 inches. The first-generation iPad Mini was announced on October 23, 2012, and was released on November 2, 2012, in nearly all of Apple's markets. It featured similar internal specifications to the iPad 2, including its display resolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire OS</span> Tablet operating system for Amazon devices

Fire OS is a mobile operating system based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). It is developed by Amazon for their devices. Fire OS includes proprietary software, a customized user interface primarily centered on content consumption, and heavy ties to content available from Amazon's storefronts and services.

iPad Mini (1st generation) Tablet computer made by Apple (2012–2015)

The iPad Mini is the first generation, known retrospectively as the iPad Mini 1, of the mini tablet computer designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It was announced on October 23, 2012, as the fourth major product in the iPad line and the first of the iPad Mini line. It features a reduced screen size of 7.9 inches (20 cm), compared to the 9.7-inch (25 cm) display on standard iPads at that time. Its internal specifications resemble that of the iPad 2, including its display resolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazon Fire TV</span> Line of digital media players and microconsoles by Amazon

Amazon Fire TV is a line of digital media players and microconsoles developed by Amazon. The devices are small network appliances that deliver digital audio and video content streamed via the Internet to a connected high-definition television. They also allow users to access local content and to play video games with the included remote control or another game controller, or by using a mobile app remote control on another device.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire Phone</span> 2014 smartphone by Amazon

The Fire Phone is a discontinued 3D-enabled smartphone developed by Amazon and manufactured by Foxconn. It was announced on June 18, 2014, and marked Amazon's first foray into the smartphone market, following the success of the Kindle Fire. It was available for pre-order on the day it was announced. In the United States, it launched as an AT&T exclusive on July 25.

Amazon Echo, often shortened to Echo, is an American brand of smart speakers developed by Amazon. Echo devices connect to the voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant service Alexa, which will respond when a user says "Alexa". Users may change this wake word to "Amazon", "Echo", "Computer", and other options. The features of the device include voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, and playing audiobooks, in addition to providing weather, traffic and other real-time information. It can also control several smart devices, acting as a home automation hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Assistant</span> AI-powered digital assistant from Google

The Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile and home automation devices. Based on artificial intelligence, The Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations, unlike the company's previous virtual assistant, Google Now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Amazon</span>

Amazon is an American multinational technology company which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, and digital streaming. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world", and is one of the world's most valuable brands.

References

  1. "Contact Lab126 - Sunnyvale, CA". Lab126. Archived from the original on 25 November 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  2. "David Limp". LinkedIn .
  3. Yu, Howard. "On Cyber Monday, Jeff Bezos Has Made Amazon Echo Sound Better Than Google Home". Forbes .
  4. "Lab126 Designs and Engineers Hand-held Consumer Electronics in Sunnyvale, CA". Amazon Lab216. Archived from the original on 2016-11-19. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Following Fire Phone Flop, Big Changes At Amazon's Lab126". Fast Company. 5 January 2015.
  6. 1 2 García Vega, Miguel Ángel (April 27, 2022). "What is Lab126, Amazon's secretive research laboratory?". El Pais. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  7. "Amazon research unit Lab 126 agrees to big lease that could bring Sunnyvale 2,600 new workers". 19 September 2012. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  8. Catherine Shu (4 January 2013). "Amazon's R&D Group Lab126 Embarks On Hiring Spree As Kindle Business Expands". TechCrunch. AOL.
  9. "Amazon Kindle Product Page". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  10. "Amazon Grows A Startup In Cupertino". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  11. "Work with Us § Our Story". Amazon Lab126. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  12. Amazon's Kindle Oasis is the funkiest e-reader it's ever made The Verge Retrieved April 13, 2016
  13. Amazon preparing 'up to six' new Kindle Fire tablets 23 July 2012
  14. Byford, Sam (2017-05-16). "How is Amazon's 2013 tablet still the best one it ever released?". The Verge. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  15. "Amazon Fire Phone Flops". TechCrunch. AOL. 23 October 2014.
  16. "The Real Story of How Amazon Built the Echo". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  17. "Amazon adds the $130 Amazon Tap and the $90 Echo Dot to the Echo family". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  18. Rey, Jason Del (2016-03-03). "Amazon unveils two new versions of Echo, including one you can take to the beach". Vox. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  19. McCracken, Harry (2021-09-28). "Amazon's Astro home robot is 'Alexa on wheels'—and much more". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  20. "Amazon Reveals the Science Behind Astro, Its New Robot". Digital Trends. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2022-07-12.