How is the Amazon Glow a device and part projector at the same time?

In a piece of recent news, Amazon has introduced the new Amazon Glow which is a part video calling device and part projector.

The curious-looking Amazon Glow

The curious-looking device is meant to connect kids with distant family members in a unique, dual-screen way: one built-in screen for the remote caller’s face, and another beamed onto the table below via a not-so-obvious projector, to act as a big ol’ touchscreen for games and books. Everything the kid sees on their tabletop touchscreen is, generally, mirrored on the remote caller’s iOS/Android tablet; when Mom/Dad/Grandma/Grandpa turns the page a thousand miles away, the kid’s page turns too.

“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 Glow GM Joerg Tewes. “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.”

Activities Included in the Device

The device comes with “nearly 100 games and visual arts activities” through Amazon Kids+, Amazon said. These include Chess, Checkers, go Fish, Whac-A-Mole, and others. It also includes thousands of books, different play options (remote or side-by-side), the ability to interact with Disney characters (Anna and Elsa, Woody and Buzz, etc.), and more. Parents, friends, and others can use the Glow app on their existing Android and iOS smartphones/tablets or on the 2021 Fire HD 10 tablets.

Amazon has announced, that invites will no longer be necessary. It’s worth noting that the price is jumping from $249 to $299 as it exits the “Day 1” program, but the company had always said that was the plan. That price includes a one-year subscription to the mostly mandatory (and separate from Amazon Prime) service Amazon Kids+, which provides the books/games for the device, plus two years of “worry-free” replacement coverage if the whole thing tumbles off the table and breaks. It is also worth noting that Amazon specifies that the Amazon Glow is now available to all “in the U.S.”; availability in other countries has not yet been detailed.