Kids are spending more time away from friends and relatives these days, but with the new Amazon Glow, they can connect remotely and in more fun ways than ever before.

Launched today at Amazon's 2021 event, Glow is designed to connect kids and families remotely like never before and is a definite upgrade to typical video calls. It does this through the use of projection and video technology, taking virtual interaction between two people to a new level.

Amazon Glow is available for an early access price of $249.99, while the standard price is $299.99. It comes with a mat, mat case, and one year of Amazon Kids+. Starting today, customers can participate in the "Glow" early access program.

Amazon Glow has a fairly sturdy, tall exterior, an S-shaped case, and an 8-inch display that kids can look at and talk to relatives on; a 19-inch touch-sensitive space is projected, and kids can play puzzles, drawing, card games, storytelling, and many other activities.

From the other end, families can make calls from their own smartphones or devices and participate using the free Glow app. By combining digital and physical interactions in this way, Amazon's Glow makes virtual calling more valuable and engaging for both parties. [The Glow app includes content from Disney, Mattel, Nickelodeon, and Sesame Workshop, so children can choose activities featuring their favorite characters, such as Elmo or Barbie.

To further personalize, Amazon Glow also comes with object scanning, which can turn a child's favorite toy into a digital sticker or puzzle. Even without this, there will be no shortage of things to do together, as there are thousands of books and dozens of games, with more to come later this year.

Children can only call pre-approved contacts, and parents can also see who they are calling from the Amazon Parent Dashboard. If security is a concern, the privacy shutter can be closed to disable the camera and microphone. [Can't wait to try the Amazon Glow. The design seems sturdy, but it will be interesting to see how responsive the projected touch space is. It would also be useful if relatives could set their preferred call times in case there are time differences or inconvenient times to make a call. Otherwise, given the lack of physical contact between family members these days, this appears to be an innovative product in high demand.