Amazon just released a Dash button for AWS IoT

Believe it or not, there is now an Amazon Dash button that can integrate with AWS IoT, the managed services from cloud infrastructure provider Amazon Web Services (AWS).

“The AWS IoT Button is a programmable button based on the Amazon Dash Button hardware,” Amazon says in a description of the new product, which is available on Amazon for $19.95. “This simple Wi-Fi device is easy to configure and designed for developers to get started with AWS IoT, AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon SNS, and many other Amazon Web Services without writing device-specific code.”

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It can be configured to do all kinds of things. It can be a connected doorbell or light switch, or it can be connected with something like Twitter — maybe you can have it tweet out “awake” when you push the button once you’ve gotten up for the day. I don’t know. Anyway, the point is you can take the concept of Dash — push a button and get Amazon to do something for you, like send a package of paper towels — and do exactly what you want with it.

If nothing else, this is a funky marketing ploy for the Internet of Things (IoT) service that the market-leading cloud provider introduced last year. Microsoft has worked with third parties to sell kits that can be configured to interact with Azure cloud services, but this button takes advantage of a wacky Amazon hardware technology.

For now, the product is in “limited release,” Amazon says. You will need a Wi-Fi connection for it to work. The battery will last for around 1,000 button presses.