Amazon Releases Dash Button for the IoT

Amazon’s dash buttons, which allowed consumers to instantly reorder their favorite brands of various household items with just a click of a button, have now come to the IoT. The company began offering the AWS IoT button for sale last week. For $19.95 consumers can own a Dash button that can be programmed to control a number of services running on the AWS IoT platform.

 “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.” Amazon explained on their website.

The company suggests it can be used to control Netflix, Phillips Hue lightbulbs, or even as a check-in and check-out device for AirBnB guests. It can also be integrated with third party APIs for popular social media services such as Twitter and Facebook.

There are some downsides however. The button is being targeted toward developers rather than everyday consumers, so it requires an AWS account, and setting the button up may not be the most user friendly.

Another potential issue is that its battery is neither replaceable or rechargeable –after 1,000 button pushes, it’s about as useful as a paperweight. That might be a problem for any service that would have heavy use. Still, it seems to have been a hit as it’s already sold out and the company said it’s not sure when it will be back in stock.