Amazon unveils Dash button for AWS IoT with twice the battery life of the original

During the busiest week of the year for the public cloud infrastructure provider, Amazon Web Services (AWS) today said that it has developed a new version of its IoT (internet of things) button with twice the battery capacity as the original, which made its debut in May.

It appears that this news is completely unrelated to the announcements coming out of AWS’ re:Invent conference in Las Vegas. The AWS IoT service was not mentioned during the keynote earlier today. That service, which was unveiled last year, lets customers integrate internet-connected devices with their applications.

This button is a more programmable version of the Dash button that Amazon offers its customers to order Goldfish, condoms, Ziploc bags, and other products from home with the push of a button. Tech-savvy people can use AWS IoT to make the button set a variety of actions. As AWS says online:

You can code the button’s logic in the cloud to configure button clicks to count or track items, call or alert someone, start or stop something, order services, or even provide feedback. For example, you can click the button to unlock or start a car, open your garage door, call a cab, call your spouse or a customer service representative, track the use of common household chores, medications or products, or remotely control your home appliances.

The button can be used as a remote control for Netflix, a switch for your Philips Hue light bulb, a check-in/check-out device for Airbnb guests, or a way to order your favorite pizza for delivery. You can integrate it with third-party APIs like Twitter, Facebook, Twilio, Slack or even your own company’s applications.

The original model had enough battery to handle 1,000 button actuations. The new one is able to support more than 2,000, Amazon says in the description for the new product. It costs $19.95 like the original, and it will be officially released on February 2, 2017 — only Prime members will be able to purchase it, like the original.

If you don’t want to wait for the new one to become available, you can buy the first-generation version now and get $20 in AWS credits, according to a blog post.

Also notable: There is now an app for Android and iOS that simplifies the process of setting up and programming AWS IoT buttons.