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on July 12, 2017
Still getting used to using this. Also just moved and have an infant, so the uses to which I put it are, to date, limited.
Playing Music: Simply asking for an artist seems to be better than asking it to play from the iHeartradio or Pandora Apps, which don't seem easily configured for channel selection. When I do use those apps or just the artist selection, or even phrase music description, like "party music" the streaming itself is smooth and continuous.
Flash Briefings: I am still getting the hang of this, but you can control your content by modifying it in the App and it will be added to your briefing. I have motley fool, Law 360, LevelUp (Forbes), Stuff you should know podcast added to my briefing
Dirty Jokes: Call me a immature, but I love to ask her to tell me a dirty joke, followed by a clean joke...these are all G-rated...(think "fell in the mud" as a dirty joke)
Beatbox: I love having Alexa Beatbox for me. This is just pure entertainment.
Baseball Scores and Schedule: I do this routinely to find out who won and who is playing.
Weather: Always useful and regularly used. If you tell it a specific town, it will give you that one. Otherwise it defaults to your location.
Stock Prices: tell it what stock you want, and you will get it.
General information: (eg. "who is Frank Lloyd Wright?") - sometimes it is hit and miss, but it depends upon the question asked.
I have yet to hook it up to Smart Home devices, but plan to soon. I have no doubt that it will work well.
I will also note that it recognizes my wifes voice as easily as mine, and seems to adapt our speech patterns pretty well.
Playing Music: Simply asking for an artist seems to be better than asking it to play from the iHeartradio or Pandora Apps, which don't seem easily configured for channel selection. When I do use those apps or just the artist selection, or even phrase music description, like "party music" the streaming itself is smooth and continuous.
Flash Briefings: I am still getting the hang of this, but you can control your content by modifying it in the App and it will be added to your briefing. I have motley fool, Law 360, LevelUp (Forbes), Stuff you should know podcast added to my briefing
Dirty Jokes: Call me a immature, but I love to ask her to tell me a dirty joke, followed by a clean joke...these are all G-rated...(think "fell in the mud" as a dirty joke)
Beatbox: I love having Alexa Beatbox for me. This is just pure entertainment.
Baseball Scores and Schedule: I do this routinely to find out who won and who is playing.
Weather: Always useful and regularly used. If you tell it a specific town, it will give you that one. Otherwise it defaults to your location.
Stock Prices: tell it what stock you want, and you will get it.
General information: (eg. "who is Frank Lloyd Wright?") - sometimes it is hit and miss, but it depends upon the question asked.
I have yet to hook it up to Smart Home devices, but plan to soon. I have no doubt that it will work well.
I will also note that it recognizes my wifes voice as easily as mine, and seems to adapt our speech patterns pretty well.
on May 18, 2017
My husband and I have been playing around with Alexa for the last few hours, and I'm already a big fan! I'm really impressed with the voice recognition capabilities of the Dot. It can hear us from across the room and discern what we're saying, even speaking softly or with the TV on. Even when my husband speaks in funny voices, Alexa understands. It's fun to just ask her random questions, but I'm also really enjoying the news/skills and especially the hands-free music. I also wish I'd had such a handy assistant when I was in school last semester as she seems like she'd be good at helping me with my homework. Overall, this device has a lot of applications that are useful and entertaining to me. I think it will come in handy. I don't have any Smart Home devices, so I can't comment on that functionality, but the entertainment value that comes with this device has made me consider purchasing some Smart Home things.
We received ours as a gift, but at this price point I'm strongly considering buying a second Dot for downstairs. Highly recommend!
UPDATE: I'm now the proud owner of three Echo Dots. They are like potato chips...you can't just have one! For the price point of only $50 it was not a hard decision to make. You get an awesome device for a very small price, considering. Since getting my first Dot some months ago, I've explored more of her uses. I won't go into incredible detail, because there are so many resources you can read to learn more. I will just say that I've gotten a lot of use and entertainment out of playing games with her, or asking her to "remind me" to do something, if you're the kind of person who sets alarms on your phone a lot ("Alexa, remind me to leave for class at 12:30 PM"). I already used the Todoist app before, so it was really neat to see that she could add things to my to-do list and shopping list for me. I listen to music all the time ("Alexa, play my xxx channel on iHeartRadio"). She can also function as a very nice hands-free Bluetooth speaker for your Bluetooth capable phone. I've read reviews that say the Dot is a subpar speaker...I don't think so at all. I use it in big rooms and small rooms and the volume setting 10 is way too loud, in any situation! I never use it unless I have an important alarm set or I'm making a racket in the kitchen, and trust me, I like my music turned way up. You can hear this speaker from rooms away.
Perhaps the best thing is that Alexa keeps coming out with new features all the time, and she never needs to be updated or upgraded. I get the feeling that I will be able to use my Echo Dots for a long time and not have to worry about buying the next new version because mine is no longer supported. Recently Alexa got the "drop in" intercom feature which is now one of the coolest, handiest things I use her for. I have a Dot in the upstairs bedroom, in the bathroom (has been great for hands-free shower music), and in the living room downstairs, so I like that I can now conveniently grab my husband's attention from another room without shouting, such as to let him know that dinner is ready or to ask him to bring me a towel or a snack lol. Thumbs way up for Alexa and the Echo Dot!
Admittedly, you can have a great time with Alexa whether you have one or two Dots! Just remember, Echo Dots are like potato chips!
We received ours as a gift, but at this price point I'm strongly considering buying a second Dot for downstairs. Highly recommend!
UPDATE: I'm now the proud owner of three Echo Dots. They are like potato chips...you can't just have one! For the price point of only $50 it was not a hard decision to make. You get an awesome device for a very small price, considering. Since getting my first Dot some months ago, I've explored more of her uses. I won't go into incredible detail, because there are so many resources you can read to learn more. I will just say that I've gotten a lot of use and entertainment out of playing games with her, or asking her to "remind me" to do something, if you're the kind of person who sets alarms on your phone a lot ("Alexa, remind me to leave for class at 12:30 PM"). I already used the Todoist app before, so it was really neat to see that she could add things to my to-do list and shopping list for me. I listen to music all the time ("Alexa, play my xxx channel on iHeartRadio"). She can also function as a very nice hands-free Bluetooth speaker for your Bluetooth capable phone. I've read reviews that say the Dot is a subpar speaker...I don't think so at all. I use it in big rooms and small rooms and the volume setting 10 is way too loud, in any situation! I never use it unless I have an important alarm set or I'm making a racket in the kitchen, and trust me, I like my music turned way up. You can hear this speaker from rooms away.
Perhaps the best thing is that Alexa keeps coming out with new features all the time, and she never needs to be updated or upgraded. I get the feeling that I will be able to use my Echo Dots for a long time and not have to worry about buying the next new version because mine is no longer supported. Recently Alexa got the "drop in" intercom feature which is now one of the coolest, handiest things I use her for. I have a Dot in the upstairs bedroom, in the bathroom (has been great for hands-free shower music), and in the living room downstairs, so I like that I can now conveniently grab my husband's attention from another room without shouting, such as to let him know that dinner is ready or to ask him to bring me a towel or a snack lol. Thumbs way up for Alexa and the Echo Dot!
Admittedly, you can have a great time with Alexa whether you have one or two Dots! Just remember, Echo Dots are like potato chips!
on December 28, 2016
I got the echo dot 2nd Generation for myself for Christmas. Hubby kept saying no they has a bad reputation for not working. But I am an electronic nut and love amazon's ideas when it comes to this kind of thing. So out of the box it is an adapter and the plug of course as well as the dot. Mind you I was thinking about the bigger Echo, but I know I made the right choice as I wanted something smaller that would not have a chance of being knocked over by my dogs. Well for the past few days I have been trying out different apps regardless of their rating to see what we can do together. I am very impressed Echo hears what I say and does it instantly. I have listened to music and had her read to me from my kindle books list. I am on my way to having my life so much easier as I am now looking at doing a smart home set up and getting a second one to just keep in the kitchen for the todo list and grocery lists, weather reports and everything else I can think of. While the other stays at bedside for sleep music, reading and some meditations as well as an alarm. I have yet to get the hubby to talk to echo to add groceries to the list but he will in time as he sees everything that it can do. I was able to set up my calendar right from the start. I do hope that they soon ad a reminder that I can just ask what I need to know or reminders for my husband.
TOP 500 REVIEWERon October 24, 2016
Amazon Echo is a great device (I was one of the first to have one and waiting for months for my first Echo to ship as Amazon vastly underestimated the demand for a device like this) and the Echo Dot (2nd generation) is fantastic in its size and capability (I bought a six pack to get one free). There is no volume ring on the 2nd gen Dot like there is on the original Echo and the 1st gen Echo Dot but it's no big deal as there are volume buttons now and the cost of the volume ring wasn't worth it if you ask me (it was nice, but for most people not worth the money). Most of the time you'll want to adjust the volume by voice anyway (like "Alexa volume 5"). The 2nd gen Echo Dot is also available in white but I'm sticking with black. UPDATE: I actually prefer the cheaper volume buttons on the Dot 2 to the volume ring now.
The fact that you can just talk from across the room and it can hear you (most of the time) really sets this apart. If you think you already have an Echo because you have Siri, Cortana, or Google, then know that it's just not the same.
Things I do: set timers, set alarms, get weather info, ask basic questions, listen to music (like Prime Music, Prime Stations, songs I bought, etc), listen to radio, ask for jokes, turn things on and off, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things. The Echo really excels at playing music. I love it than I can ask for a song I want to hear and it will play it (most of the time anyway). At night I often listen to a local radio station and I just say "Alexa stop" without having to get out of bed when I want to stop listening.
When I listen to Prime Station I can tell it "thumbs up" if I like the song or "thumbs down" if I don't... and when I listen to the station again it won't play the songs that I've thumbed down.
Using the built-in speaker, the sound quality is decent for voice. For music you'll want to connect it to a speaker system because the Dot's small internal speaker is weak. I do wish I could AirPlay to a device from the Echo when I'm playing music and want the best sound quality, however Bluetooth is pretty impressive when it uses the near-CD quality codecs.
Positives:
* The new feature that Amazon added (ESP - Echo Spatial Perception) so that the nearest Echo responds is fantastic. I was also very happy to hear that the first generation Echoes will also support this in the next firmware update (I think devices are updating now). From my research, if the Echo app shows that you have a device software version greater than 4008 then you should have the update with ESP support. Unfortunately there does seem to be a minor downside: the Echo's response can sometimes be slightly delayed while multiple Echoes figure out which Echo is closest and should respond.
* It seems to hear better when playing music than the first gen. It was annoying when you would try to talk to it while it was playing but it couldn't hear you. The new Dot hears better during music playback but it's still not "Star Trek quality" hearing; sometimes you may still need to raise your voice.
* It's relatively cheap and well worth the asking price.
* It has a 3.5mm stereo audio jack, which I use with two of my Dots to connect to the line-in on one of my computers and another to the line-in on an old compact stereo/CD player. Sound quality should be good enough for anyone except audiophiles.
* Some people complain of connection issues, but all of my Echoes stay connected without issue to my Asus RT-AC68U router.
* If you want to 'Wikipedia' something then you can say 'Alexa, Wikipedia <subject>'. She'll read a little from Wikipedia. If you want her to read more after she stops then just say 'Alexa, tell me more'. This can be useful sometimes.
Negatives (mostly minor but take note):
* Warranty is only 90 days. I think it should be 1 year. Of course they will sell you a SquareTrade 1, 2, or 3 year warranty for $5/year if you want. Perhaps another cost-cutting move.
* The shiny (glossy) black surface can be a fingerprint magnet but you probably won't be touching it often. The previous generation wasn't glossy.
* I had trouble configured my 2nd Echo Dot (the first one went fine). The Alexa app (on Android) gave me the cryptic message "Authorization expired. Please reconnect your phone to the internet, log out from the app and retry". Got it several times. I resolved it by signing out of the Alexa app and then signing back in, having to re-enter my email and password.... annoying... and I wonder why I didn't have this issue setting up my first Echo Dot just minutes prior???? Oh well. UPDATE: This just happened again on another day when setting up two more Echo Dots. This first Echo Dot setup went fine, but on the second one I got the "Authorization expired." message again. Beware of this issue if setting up more than one Echo Dot.
* While trying out Amazon Music Unlimited with the Echo I immediately ran into the issue of the Echo playing the explicit version of songs instead of the clean version. There should be an option to never play explicit songs and to play the clean version instead (some people have children). The workaround until Amazon addresses this problem is to add the clean song to your music library and then say "Alexa play <song> from my library".
* This doesn't affect me, but the Echo does not support enterprise networks that require centralized network authentication with a login. Some might want to know this (like teachers who might want to use it in a school that uses this type of network authentication).
* The Android Amazon Alexa app can be slow and frustrating sometimes. For example, when launching it sometimes just sits there on the intro screen and spins forever until you shut down the app and restart it again.
* Doesn't hear well in a noisy environment, or when other people (including on TV) are talking at the same time.
Home Automation:
* I use several Belkin WeMo switches to control some lights and fans. They work pretty well although not always perfectly. Fortunately they work better now after all the firmware updates.
* I can control my Honeywell WiFi thermostats using the "Honeywell Total Connect Comfort" skill. I have two downstairs for 2 zones. I have one Honeywell RTH9580WF1005/W1 and one Honeywell RTH6580WF.
* I recently set it up to turn on and off certain activities with a Logitech Smart Hub. For example, I can say "Alexa, turn on TiVo" and it will turn on the TV and my receiver and set the TV and receiver inputs correctly. I can then use the remote which is synced... and turn it all off with "Alexa turn off TiVo". There were some annoyances getting it all setup but I think it's pretty "cool" even though you can only start and stop activities with Alexa so you still need the remote to do other things (change channel, adjust volume, mute, pause, etc).
* I think I've only really scratched the surface of what is possible with home automation. I have not tried IFTTT ("if this then that") recipes yet but I hear it is quite powerful and hope to try it out when I have more time to "play".
Wishes:
* High-quality digital audio output that is better than Bluetooth. If it had this then you could really get high quality audio output from it, but most people probably don't really care that much as analog out is "good enough".
* Smarter. After 2 years I wish the Echo was smarter. Yes, it has definitely improved over time but Google can still answer more questions than Alexa. It's going to be hard to beat Google in answering general questions.
* Weather alerts. I suggested this a long time ago and they still haven't added it... perhaps due to legal reasons? If would be great if it would sound some sort of alarm or notification for severe weather.
* Built-in support for notifying others that you might need help. This would be good for the elderly. There is a "Ask My Buddy" skill however, but the verbiage is a little awkward ("Alexa, Ask My Buddy to Send Help") and it's free so if the developer decides to stop support then that might leave a lot of people without service at an inopportune time.
Compared to Google Home (which I just bought):
* Setup on Google Home was super-simple, easier than Echo (the Android app worked really well and setup seemed streamlined)
* Google Home is smarter for general questions... significantly smarter. I asked Google "How long does it take to get to the Honda dealer in Lewisville" and it told me about 26 minutes in current traffic conditions. Awesome. The Echo totally failed here.
* No AUX audio output like on Echo Dot
* I prefer saying "Alexa" to "OK Google" as the wake word (UPDATE: "Hey Google" works now too!)
* I currently prefer Echo for music and smart home control but I consider Google Home a serious threat to Echo because it is more "intelligent" than Echo
Other:
* It doesn't come with a 3.5mm audio cable but I can understand why as many people would probably not use it and Amazon wants to get the cost as low as possible so this isn't a big deal.
* The USB power cable is about 5 feet.
* The 1st gen Echo Dot was almost double the price. I feel a little disappointed that they now have a 2nd gen that is overall better for much less money... and that it came out very shortly after the 1st gen Echo Dots.
* You don't need any other Echo units to use the Dot... some people might think you do but this is just like the "big Echo", only without the "big" sound. Instead a little speaker is included.
* It's USB powered and comes with a USB power adapter and USB cable. NOTE: If you use a USB power connection other than from the included power adapter then there could be power and/or sound quality issues. I had some sound quality issues (background noises) and eliminated them by switching to the included USB power adapter.
* About 10 or 15 minutes after setting it up, it said something like "your Echo received an important update and must restart". So if you are having issues with it then you may want to give it awhile so it can update if needed.
* For better understanding of what you say, go to the Alexa app and Settings->Voice Training.
* I bought some of these powered bookshelf speakers, hooked them to the Echo Dot, and have been impressed with what you get for the money: Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers
While not perfect, I really like the Amazon Echo. I think the technology and potential is still in its infancy but the Echo is already really useful and excels at home automation, playing music, podcasts, and radio. Highly recommended, especially for the price. UPDATE: I'm reducing my rating from 4.5 to 4 stars due to Google Home being much smarter at answering general questions. The Echo is a good device but I think you should also seriously consider Google Home.
The fact that you can just talk from across the room and it can hear you (most of the time) really sets this apart. If you think you already have an Echo because you have Siri, Cortana, or Google, then know that it's just not the same.
Things I do: set timers, set alarms, get weather info, ask basic questions, listen to music (like Prime Music, Prime Stations, songs I bought, etc), listen to radio, ask for jokes, turn things on and off, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things. The Echo really excels at playing music. I love it than I can ask for a song I want to hear and it will play it (most of the time anyway). At night I often listen to a local radio station and I just say "Alexa stop" without having to get out of bed when I want to stop listening.
When I listen to Prime Station I can tell it "thumbs up" if I like the song or "thumbs down" if I don't... and when I listen to the station again it won't play the songs that I've thumbed down.
Using the built-in speaker, the sound quality is decent for voice. For music you'll want to connect it to a speaker system because the Dot's small internal speaker is weak. I do wish I could AirPlay to a device from the Echo when I'm playing music and want the best sound quality, however Bluetooth is pretty impressive when it uses the near-CD quality codecs.
Positives:
* The new feature that Amazon added (ESP - Echo Spatial Perception) so that the nearest Echo responds is fantastic. I was also very happy to hear that the first generation Echoes will also support this in the next firmware update (I think devices are updating now). From my research, if the Echo app shows that you have a device software version greater than 4008 then you should have the update with ESP support. Unfortunately there does seem to be a minor downside: the Echo's response can sometimes be slightly delayed while multiple Echoes figure out which Echo is closest and should respond.
* It seems to hear better when playing music than the first gen. It was annoying when you would try to talk to it while it was playing but it couldn't hear you. The new Dot hears better during music playback but it's still not "Star Trek quality" hearing; sometimes you may still need to raise your voice.
* It's relatively cheap and well worth the asking price.
* It has a 3.5mm stereo audio jack, which I use with two of my Dots to connect to the line-in on one of my computers and another to the line-in on an old compact stereo/CD player. Sound quality should be good enough for anyone except audiophiles.
* Some people complain of connection issues, but all of my Echoes stay connected without issue to my Asus RT-AC68U router.
* If you want to 'Wikipedia' something then you can say 'Alexa, Wikipedia <subject>'. She'll read a little from Wikipedia. If you want her to read more after she stops then just say 'Alexa, tell me more'. This can be useful sometimes.
Negatives (mostly minor but take note):
* Warranty is only 90 days. I think it should be 1 year. Of course they will sell you a SquareTrade 1, 2, or 3 year warranty for $5/year if you want. Perhaps another cost-cutting move.
* The shiny (glossy) black surface can be a fingerprint magnet but you probably won't be touching it often. The previous generation wasn't glossy.
* I had trouble configured my 2nd Echo Dot (the first one went fine). The Alexa app (on Android) gave me the cryptic message "Authorization expired. Please reconnect your phone to the internet, log out from the app and retry". Got it several times. I resolved it by signing out of the Alexa app and then signing back in, having to re-enter my email and password.... annoying... and I wonder why I didn't have this issue setting up my first Echo Dot just minutes prior???? Oh well. UPDATE: This just happened again on another day when setting up two more Echo Dots. This first Echo Dot setup went fine, but on the second one I got the "Authorization expired." message again. Beware of this issue if setting up more than one Echo Dot.
* While trying out Amazon Music Unlimited with the Echo I immediately ran into the issue of the Echo playing the explicit version of songs instead of the clean version. There should be an option to never play explicit songs and to play the clean version instead (some people have children). The workaround until Amazon addresses this problem is to add the clean song to your music library and then say "Alexa play <song> from my library".
* This doesn't affect me, but the Echo does not support enterprise networks that require centralized network authentication with a login. Some might want to know this (like teachers who might want to use it in a school that uses this type of network authentication).
* The Android Amazon Alexa app can be slow and frustrating sometimes. For example, when launching it sometimes just sits there on the intro screen and spins forever until you shut down the app and restart it again.
* Doesn't hear well in a noisy environment, or when other people (including on TV) are talking at the same time.
Home Automation:
* I use several Belkin WeMo switches to control some lights and fans. They work pretty well although not always perfectly. Fortunately they work better now after all the firmware updates.
* I can control my Honeywell WiFi thermostats using the "Honeywell Total Connect Comfort" skill. I have two downstairs for 2 zones. I have one Honeywell RTH9580WF1005/W1 and one Honeywell RTH6580WF.
* I recently set it up to turn on and off certain activities with a Logitech Smart Hub. For example, I can say "Alexa, turn on TiVo" and it will turn on the TV and my receiver and set the TV and receiver inputs correctly. I can then use the remote which is synced... and turn it all off with "Alexa turn off TiVo". There were some annoyances getting it all setup but I think it's pretty "cool" even though you can only start and stop activities with Alexa so you still need the remote to do other things (change channel, adjust volume, mute, pause, etc).
* I think I've only really scratched the surface of what is possible with home automation. I have not tried IFTTT ("if this then that") recipes yet but I hear it is quite powerful and hope to try it out when I have more time to "play".
Wishes:
* High-quality digital audio output that is better than Bluetooth. If it had this then you could really get high quality audio output from it, but most people probably don't really care that much as analog out is "good enough".
* Smarter. After 2 years I wish the Echo was smarter. Yes, it has definitely improved over time but Google can still answer more questions than Alexa. It's going to be hard to beat Google in answering general questions.
* Weather alerts. I suggested this a long time ago and they still haven't added it... perhaps due to legal reasons? If would be great if it would sound some sort of alarm or notification for severe weather.
* Built-in support for notifying others that you might need help. This would be good for the elderly. There is a "Ask My Buddy" skill however, but the verbiage is a little awkward ("Alexa, Ask My Buddy to Send Help") and it's free so if the developer decides to stop support then that might leave a lot of people without service at an inopportune time.
Compared to Google Home (which I just bought):
* Setup on Google Home was super-simple, easier than Echo (the Android app worked really well and setup seemed streamlined)
* Google Home is smarter for general questions... significantly smarter. I asked Google "How long does it take to get to the Honda dealer in Lewisville" and it told me about 26 minutes in current traffic conditions. Awesome. The Echo totally failed here.
* No AUX audio output like on Echo Dot
* I prefer saying "Alexa" to "OK Google" as the wake word (UPDATE: "Hey Google" works now too!)
* I currently prefer Echo for music and smart home control but I consider Google Home a serious threat to Echo because it is more "intelligent" than Echo
Other:
* It doesn't come with a 3.5mm audio cable but I can understand why as many people would probably not use it and Amazon wants to get the cost as low as possible so this isn't a big deal.
* The USB power cable is about 5 feet.
* The 1st gen Echo Dot was almost double the price. I feel a little disappointed that they now have a 2nd gen that is overall better for much less money... and that it came out very shortly after the 1st gen Echo Dots.
* You don't need any other Echo units to use the Dot... some people might think you do but this is just like the "big Echo", only without the "big" sound. Instead a little speaker is included.
* It's USB powered and comes with a USB power adapter and USB cable. NOTE: If you use a USB power connection other than from the included power adapter then there could be power and/or sound quality issues. I had some sound quality issues (background noises) and eliminated them by switching to the included USB power adapter.
* About 10 or 15 minutes after setting it up, it said something like "your Echo received an important update and must restart". So if you are having issues with it then you may want to give it awhile so it can update if needed.
* For better understanding of what you say, go to the Alexa app and Settings->Voice Training.
* I bought some of these powered bookshelf speakers, hooked them to the Echo Dot, and have been impressed with what you get for the money: Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers
While not perfect, I really like the Amazon Echo. I think the technology and potential is still in its infancy but the Echo is already really useful and excels at home automation, playing music, podcasts, and radio. Highly recommended, especially for the price. UPDATE: I'm reducing my rating from 4.5 to 4 stars due to Google Home being much smarter at answering general questions. The Echo is a good device but I think you should also seriously consider Google Home.
VINE VOICEon January 2, 2017
I'd been wanting to pick up an Echo since I first saw them advertised, but I already had a good stereo in my house and the Echo isn't equipped to connect to external speakers. This unit is and its a delightful addition to my home music experience. I now own two dots, each one serving a different room and playing over different speakers. One is connected to a Harmon Kardon amplifier via Bluetooth, playing through a full sized pair of Yamaha speakers. The other plays alternately through either a Panasonic Bluetooth equipped boombox, or a pair of small computer speakers with a subwoofer. which I connect with an audio out cable. The audio on all three devices is detailed and clear - my music as played by my Echo Dots is fantastic. By the way, there is a self contained speaker on the Dot - it is small, don't expect loud playback there - but the fidelity is quite good. Its perfect for listening to the news over coffee in the morning, playing 20 questions, or finding out the weather forecast! The dot is small enough to fit easily in a backpack or the pocket of a suitcase, and she'll work as long as there is a Wi-Fi network available.
I was amazed at how responsive to my voice this device is. Amazon promises that it will hear you anywhere in the room where she is placed - and for the most part this is correct. I've had a few instances when I need to repeat a request - but usually its because something is obstructing my voice (like when my father put a book on top of it!)
What is more amazing is how good, just out of the box, the unit was at understanding what I asked. I have a voice which goes hoarse on me sometimes -( the day I got my first Dot I sounded as if I had laryngitis!) but regardless of the state of my voice, Alexa has no problems understanding my requests. After some voice training (the Alexa app offers this feature) its even better. I've had everyone in my house do the voice training exercise a few times and now Alexa is understanding and responding easily to every request she gets. Its great.
Coupled with the expanded Amazon Music service (I uploaded my entire iTunes library to Amazon Music) its easy to play anything I want. I can ask for a song, a playlist, or an album and she'll find and play it easily.
The only times I ever have problems is when the internet disconnects - in those rare incidences a request is met with a dull tone, a red light, and an apology from Alexa stating she can't comply right now. When my network comes back online, she automatically reconnects so she is only occasionally out of service and usually only for a minute or two.
And I've only talked about the music features. There is a growing body of skills for Alexa, most of them available for free from Amazon that make her a formidable search engine, a source of weather reports. My only disappointment so far is the lack of a skill enabling her to respond in emergencies, but I'm sure there will be enough demand for it that we'll see one soon! For under fifty bucks, this is quite simply one of the best values anywhere.
I was amazed at how responsive to my voice this device is. Amazon promises that it will hear you anywhere in the room where she is placed - and for the most part this is correct. I've had a few instances when I need to repeat a request - but usually its because something is obstructing my voice (like when my father put a book on top of it!)
What is more amazing is how good, just out of the box, the unit was at understanding what I asked. I have a voice which goes hoarse on me sometimes -( the day I got my first Dot I sounded as if I had laryngitis!) but regardless of the state of my voice, Alexa has no problems understanding my requests. After some voice training (the Alexa app offers this feature) its even better. I've had everyone in my house do the voice training exercise a few times and now Alexa is understanding and responding easily to every request she gets. Its great.
Coupled with the expanded Amazon Music service (I uploaded my entire iTunes library to Amazon Music) its easy to play anything I want. I can ask for a song, a playlist, or an album and she'll find and play it easily.
The only times I ever have problems is when the internet disconnects - in those rare incidences a request is met with a dull tone, a red light, and an apology from Alexa stating she can't comply right now. When my network comes back online, she automatically reconnects so she is only occasionally out of service and usually only for a minute or two.
And I've only talked about the music features. There is a growing body of skills for Alexa, most of them available for free from Amazon that make her a formidable search engine, a source of weather reports. My only disappointment so far is the lack of a skill enabling her to respond in emergencies, but I'm sure there will be enough demand for it that we'll see one soon! For under fifty bucks, this is quite simply one of the best values anywhere.
on July 10, 2017
We have the echo and I gave one to my son. So I bought the smaller dot for my office. Well I love it for my office too. So I bought this smaller dot for my son for fathers day. He loves it and has the echo downstairs and the dot up in the movie room upstairs. I know he's going to add on some of the smart features as soon as he decides which ones he wants.
Really love ours!
Really love ours!
on June 16, 2017
I love my Echo Dot! I use it mostly for alarms and playing my Amazon playlists of positive energy sounds in the background (at low sound levels just enough to barely hear it). If bluetooth is connected to my computer, it will play at the low volume the Echo Dot is set at even if the computer volume is higher. I do not use it for smart home devices or calls, but that would be cool. Things I am looking forward to trying - listening to audiobooks, using the calender, playing games and lists. If you are considering Echo Dot as a gift, I recommend it, especially for someone who spends a lot of time alone, someone struggling or an older person. I live alone and enjoy asking questions and listening to my playlists and the voice control is the best, it has helped with depression and has surprisingly improved my quality of life. I really wish it could play the audio for my youtube playlists. I am happy to see the price is getting lower and that Amazon is offering monthly payments.
TOP 500 REVIEWERon June 8, 2017
Last month my wife received an Amazon Echo as a gift for Mother’s Day. We’ve spent a month now learning how to use this marvelous device, and we like it so much my wife decided to give me an Amazon Echo Dot as an early Father’s Day gift. I received it earlier today. Like its older and larger sibling, we both love this awesome device. I installed it in my home office entertainment center, so it has become our upstairs music maker.
My new Echo Dot has only a very small internal speaker that (surprisingly) still manages to sound good. Maybe not as good as our full-size Echo with its built-in 2-inch tweeter and 2½-inch woofer, but certainly better than any of my smart phones or tablets, or my laptop. I decided to connect my Echo Dot to my 5-channel surround home theater system with a 3.5mm-to-dual RCA jack audio cable. With “Dot’s” audio being pumped through the five speakers of my surround system, I can use Alexa voice commands to fill our entire upstairs with audiophile-quality music whenever I want.
Although Echo Dot is about one-tenth the size and weight of an Echo, it is every bit as capable as its larger sibling. Both devices respond to identical “Alexa” commands and perform the same set of skills. However, “Dot” has two distinct technical advantages over Echo: it has a vastly improved far-field recognition capability, and it can be connected to external speakers or an audio system with a cable (which must be purchased separately.) I can also connect it to a Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth ear buds; however, the Dot will only connect to one Bluetooth device at a time.
In the same way my wife’s Amazon Echo solved our downstairs music “problem,” my new Echo dot has provided a similar solution for the upstairs area of our house. Echo Dot is a brilliant device that earns my highest recommendation.
My new Echo Dot has only a very small internal speaker that (surprisingly) still manages to sound good. Maybe not as good as our full-size Echo with its built-in 2-inch tweeter and 2½-inch woofer, but certainly better than any of my smart phones or tablets, or my laptop. I decided to connect my Echo Dot to my 5-channel surround home theater system with a 3.5mm-to-dual RCA jack audio cable. With “Dot’s” audio being pumped through the five speakers of my surround system, I can use Alexa voice commands to fill our entire upstairs with audiophile-quality music whenever I want.
Although Echo Dot is about one-tenth the size and weight of an Echo, it is every bit as capable as its larger sibling. Both devices respond to identical “Alexa” commands and perform the same set of skills. However, “Dot” has two distinct technical advantages over Echo: it has a vastly improved far-field recognition capability, and it can be connected to external speakers or an audio system with a cable (which must be purchased separately.) I can also connect it to a Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth ear buds; however, the Dot will only connect to one Bluetooth device at a time.
In the same way my wife’s Amazon Echo solved our downstairs music “problem,” my new Echo dot has provided a similar solution for the upstairs area of our house. Echo Dot is a brilliant device that earns my highest recommendation.
on July 15, 2017
I got the Amazon Echo during Prime day at a good discount price. So now I have another Amazon entertainment product in My home. I have the Echo in the kitchen. The Amazon Tap Alexa Enabled in Me and and My Wife bedroom. This echo dot in My 12 month old daughter room. And a Amazon Fire TV Stick in the living room. And now with the new software update to the Amazon Echos and Tap. I have the option to play, pause and Etc with My voice, From My Alexa devices. Jim like I can do with My Fire TV Stick Alexa remote.
Keep in mine the speakers on the dot are not that loud. Even if you have them turn all the way up. If you are buying it for mostly playing music? Then you should get a Bluetooth speaker to go with this. Or connect it with a current speaker by Bluetooth or auxiliary cable. If you don't mind or care about this issue with the speaker sound for music? Then yes it's a great inexpensive Alexa Echo device.
The only short coming than is Alexa needs more understanding improvements. I ask her how to make a milkshake. And she just wanted to enable a skill that would tie into recipes ingredients that told Me how to make non ice cream mistakes 🤦♂️
I don't know this is caused by Alexa using Microsoft Bing for her only default search? But it was made to difficult of a answer to My question. I picked up My wife IPhone and ask Google Now how to make a milkshake. And Google gave Me the answer in a few shot sentences. So Amazon got some ways to go on improving Alexa. They just canteen rely on 3rd party developers and apps alone. Not overall I am happy with My buying experience
Keep in mine the speakers on the dot are not that loud. Even if you have them turn all the way up. If you are buying it for mostly playing music? Then you should get a Bluetooth speaker to go with this. Or connect it with a current speaker by Bluetooth or auxiliary cable. If you don't mind or care about this issue with the speaker sound for music? Then yes it's a great inexpensive Alexa Echo device.
The only short coming than is Alexa needs more understanding improvements. I ask her how to make a milkshake. And she just wanted to enable a skill that would tie into recipes ingredients that told Me how to make non ice cream mistakes 🤦♂️
I don't know this is caused by Alexa using Microsoft Bing for her only default search? But it was made to difficult of a answer to My question. I picked up My wife IPhone and ask Google Now how to make a milkshake. And Google gave Me the answer in a few shot sentences. So Amazon got some ways to go on improving Alexa. They just canteen rely on 3rd party developers and apps alone. Not overall I am happy with My buying experience
