Top positive review
4 people found this helpful
Covered in every room of the house now, speakers not as good as original Echo, but external speakers work terrificly
By Compeek on Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2016
I've had the original Echo (which I will refer to as the Echo) for a year and a half and have loved it, but the new Echo Dot (which I will refer to as the Dot) makes it so much more practical to have more than one to cover the whole home, which was the thing I was lacking most before. For $50, the Dot is an incredible device, and the price point makes it pretty painless to pick up a few of them or give them as gifts. I got the six pack for the promotion and put one in every room of my apartment, besides the office where I keep the Echo now. I'm not going to focus too much on the specific features of Alexa (the voice assistant that drives the Echo devices) because it's pretty easy to look them up if you aren't familiar. Instead I'll touch on a few points that I think are most worth mentioning and compare the Dot to the Echo. The Dot works very much like the Echo. I can't speak to the first generation Dot because I never had one, but the three devices are essentially the same except for the speaker and the Bluetooth functionality. The Echo has a terrific speaker, but no aux port or way to connect any external Bluetooth speaker. The Dot does both. I prefer to use the aux output instead of connecting a speaker via Bluetooth because then I can still connect my phone to the Dot and use the whole setup as a Bluetooth speaker for my phone. If the Dot is connected to a speaker with Bluetooth, you cannot connect your phone via Bluetooth at the same time. The Dot's internal speaker is actually just fine for most things. It's plenty loud and not tinny or distorted, but it does lack bass. If you're going to use it for music a lot, you'll be much happier with an external speaker for a fuller sound. The Dots play nicely together if you have more than one, and the Echo received an update so that it does as well. If multiple devices hear you give the wake command, they somehow work together to decide which is closest, and only that one responds. I've found that this works pretty well, but not perfectly. Sometimes I'm standing next to one Dot, but the Dot in the other room responds to me instead. It's aggravating when it happens, but once you learn to speak a little more softly and project your voice in the right direction when you're near multiple Dots, it's not much of an issue. It's of course also beneficial to space out the Dots in your home so that you are never right by more than one, if possible. The Dot also seems to struggle with hearing you when it's playing music or especially when it's sounding an alarm, whereas the Echo never really has an issue. The Echo can be playing loudly and I can say the wake command normally from across the room and it'll still hear me most of the time. The Dot has a harder time, and that's probably the most annoying issue I've had with it. I find myself shouting at it multiple times to get the alarm to shut off in the morning. Again, there is a bit of a trick to it that helps, which is to enunciate the wake command carefully and time your voice with the quieter parts of the alarm or music, but it still needs a little work. Although the Echo devices work together to ensure only one responds at a time, unfortunately what you can't do yet is any sort of synchronized action between them, or control one from another. It would be super nice if you could tell one of them to play music on all devices in the house, or if you could tell one to set a timer in another room because you're putting laundry in and want to have a reminder when you're back in the living room or something like that. You can't do anything like that for now. Whatever command you give applies only to the device that responds to you. I am very excited about the possibility of controlling lights, thermostats, etc. with Alexa, but the cost is still to much for me to invest in any of that stuff, especially while I live in an apartment and can't install my own smart light switches or anything. I can imagine the Echo devices do a pretty good job with the home automation things, but I can't speak personally on it. Some people have mentioned issues with the Dot losing connectivity on WiFi. I have also experienced this, although it hasn't been much much of a problem for me. For the most part they just work, but here and there I try to give one of them a command and it sort of hangs and then says it lost the connection. I imagine this will be fixed in a software update soon. I love the Echo still, but I can't see spending the money for to buy any more of them when the Dot is only $50 and works almost exactly the same. The speaker is really the only difference, and Bluetooth speakers are cheap enough to give the Dot better sound quality. I hope they work out the few bugs that I and other people seem to be having, but even so, these are such fantastic devices, and I am extremely pleased with what I can do with them. A couple side notes: 1) At some point they added another wake word, "Echo". I find it much better than "Alexa" or "Amazon" because it saves a syllable and is much easier to start a sentence with. I've found that it works best to enunciate the two syllables separately, though: "Eh-ko" (instead of slurring it together quickly). Otherwise the Dot doesn't respond quite as reliably as I'd like. That may have more to do with the issues I mentioned than the keyword, though. 2) Amazon also just unveiled their new Amazon Music Unlimited plan ($7.99/month for Prime members) which works very much like Spotify or Google Music. You can stream any song you want without commercials, and chances are the song you want to listen to is in the library. Since the Echo products don't support Google Music sadly (and probably never will), I opted to subscribe to the Music Unlimited plan so that I can listen to any song I want with my Echo devices just like I can when I'm at my computer. I have only found a couple things so far that aren't available for some reason, such as Taylor Swift's 1989 and Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans. However I own both of those CDs, so I uploaded the MP3s to my Prime music library, and now I can listen to them with the Echo devices. If you have Amazon Prime, you get the Prime Music streaming service for free, and it works with the Echo devices, but the song selection is much smaller. There's also Spotify, but I couldn't really justify another $10/month when I already have Google Music. I still wish Google Music was supported, but Amazon Music Unlimited a pretty good compromise for $8 a month (with Prime). Not a huge drop from $10/month, but it's worth it to me especially now that I have an Echo device in every room.
Top critical review
UN-Boxing Video_ an important factor 2 keep in mind when spending your money on Amazon devices__$50 Hockey Puck ?_
By Ant-Man on Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2017
This is just a 'see what u get' video (this IS a VERIFIED purchase_ but amazon won't list it as such because i bought it for $35 on Prime day- according 2 amazon they will not list a review as Verified if it was discounted- even if they r the one who discounted it and not some 3rd party vendor- how ridiculous is that?) My MAJOR concern about buying Amazon devices is that U never know when Amazon will STOP SUPPORTING it and having it become obsolete within a couple years- I spent HUNDREDS $$$ on an Amazon HDX tablet- 8.9" 3rd generation_ amazon stopped updating it_ amazon now sells a $40 tablet that can do more and has more updated software than the $300+ HDX tablets. i spent HUNDREDS of $$$ on an Amazon Fire Phone__ amazon stopped updating it. and this happened within 3 years__APPLE continued to update my iPhone 4S all the way thru to the most recent 10. software update- that's 6 years_ SO- i'm really glad i got this on Prime day for $35_ i won't feel nearly as gutted as i did when amazon STOPPED UPDATING their high end and VERY EXPENSIVE $$ HDX tablets and Fire phones _ so, that is an important factor 2 keep in mind when spending your money on Amazon devices ***ANOTHER thing 2 consider_ these 'talk to' devices r always recording what is going on_ even if U don't mind amazon listening in b aware that HACKERS can get into these devices and listen in- do a google search on it - Amazon Alexa data wanted in murder investigation | Fox News Dec 28, 2016 - Police want access to data from the Amazon Echo speaker belonging ... Since the Echo speaker is always listening for Alexa voice commands ... A Murder Case Tests Alexa's Devotion to Your Privacy | WIRED Feb 28, 2017 - The Amazon Echo can seem like your best friend—until it betrays you. ... Arkansas police recently demanded that Amazon turn over information ... transcripts of your dialogue with Alexa on servers where "all data is protected ... Amazon has handed Alexa recordings to police in an Arkansas ... Mar 7, 2017 - Amazon has handed Alexa recording data over to police in an Arkansas Amazon Fights Subpoena for Alexa Data in Murder Investigation Feb 23, 2017 - Amazon Fights Subpoena for Alexa Data in Murder Investigation ... motion to quash a Bentonville Police Department search warrant relating to an ... make a prima facie showing that it has a compelling need for any recordings ... Police seek Amazon Echo data in murder case (updated) - Engadget ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ from description: Echo Dot is a hands-free, voice-controlled device with a small built-in speaker—it can also connect to your speakers or headphones over Bluetooth or through a 3.5 mm audio cable to deliver stereo sound to the speakers you choose. Dot connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, make calls, send and receive messages, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more—instantly. Echo Dot can hear you from across the room, even while music is playing. When you want to use Echo Dot, just say the wake word “Alexa” and Dot responds instantly. If you have more than one Echo or Echo Dot, Alexa responds intelligently from the Echo you're closest to with ESP (Echo Spatial Perception). Echo Dot (2nd Generation) is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, send and receive messages, provide information, read the news, set alarms, read audiobooks from Audible, and more Connects to speakers or headphones through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable to play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn Introducing Alexa calling and messaging, a new way to be together with family and friends. Just ask Alexa to call or message anyone with an Echo, Echo Dot, or the Alexa App. Controls lights, fans, TVs, switches, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, locks, and more with compatible connected devices from WeMo, Philips Hue, Sony, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, and others Hears you from across the room with 7 far-field microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music Includes a built-in speaker so it can work on its own as a smart alarm clock in the bedroom, an assistant in the kitchen, or anywhere you might want a voice-controlled computer; Amazon Echo is not required to use Echo Dot Always getting smarter and adding new features, plus thousands of skills like Uber, Domino's, DISH, and more Skills add even more capabilities like ordering a pizza from Domino's, requesting a ride from Uber, tracking your fitness with Fitbit, ordering flowers from 1-800-Flowers, controlling your TV with DISH Hopper, and more. Enabling skills lets your Echo Dot do even more—simply discover skills you want to use in the Alexa App. To enable a new skill, just ask Alexa. New skills are being added all the time Echo Dot provides hands-free voice control for Amazon Music—just ask for your favorite artist or song, or request a specific genre or mood. You can also search for music by lyrics, when a song or album was released, or let Alexa pick the music for you. Echo Dot also provides hands-free voice control to Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. Introducing Alexa calling and messaging—a new way to be together with family and friends. When you’re busy making dinner, just ask Alexa to place a call to Mom or send a quick voice message to a friend. With Alexa, you can talk to anyone who has an Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, or the Alexa App. You can also enable a new feature called Drop In for the special cases when you want to connect instantly with your closest family and friends or other Echo devices in your home. With the Alexa App, conversations and contacts go where you go. When you’re away from home, use the app to make a quick call or send a message to your family’s Echo. Alexa calling and messaging is free Use Echo Dot to switch on the lamp before getting out of bed, turn up the thermostat while reading in your favorite chair, or dim the lights from the couch to watch a movie—all without lifting a finger…or even raising your voice. Echo Dot works with smart home devices such as lights, switches, TVs, fans, thermostats, and more from Philips Hue, TP-Link, Sony, ecobee, WeMo, SmartThings, Insteon, Lutron, Nest, Wink, Honeywell, and more. Alexa—the brain behind Echo Dot—is built in the cloud, so it is always getting smarter. The more you use Dot, the more it adapts to your speech patterns, vocabulary, and personal preferences. And because Echo Dot is always connected, updates are delivered automatically. Just in the last few months we've added Alexa calling and messaging, exclusive voice-shopping deals, and thousands of new skills from third-party developers. With the free Alexa App on Fire OS, Android, iOS, and desktop browsers, you can easily setup and manage your Echo Dot. Use the Alexa App to connect music services you already use like Spotify and Pandora. Link your calendar from Google, G Suite, iCloud, Outlook.com or Office365. Setup your smart home devices from Philips Hue, TP-Link, ecobee, WeMo, SmartThings, Insteon, Wink, Nest, Lutron, and more. Make calls, view your conversation history, manage contacts, and get notifications when you receive a message (calling and messaging features available on iOS and Android only). See which books are available to read from your Kindle and Audible libraries. View shopping and to-do lists while on the go. Control your timers and set custom tones for your alarms, and much more. The Alexa App is also where you discover third-party skills. TECHNICAL: Size 1.3" x 3.3" x 3.3" (32 mm x 84 mm x 84 mm) Weight 5.7 oz. (163 grams) Actual size and weight may vary by manufacturing process Wi-Fi Connectivity Dual-band Wi-Fi supports 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks. Does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks. Bluetooth Connectivity Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming from your mobile device to Echo Dot or from Echo Dot to your Bluetooth speaker. Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of connected mobile devices. Hands-free voice control is not supported for Mac OS X devices. Bluetooth speakers requiring PIN codes are not supported. Audio Built-in speaker for voice feedback when not connected to external speakers. 3.5 mm stereo audio output for use with external speakers (audio cable not included). System Requirements Echo Dot comes ready to connect to your Wi-Fi. The Alexa App is compatible with Fire OS, Android, and iOS devices and also accessible via your web browser. Certain skills and services may require subscription or other fees. Warranty and Service 90-day limited warranty and service included. Optional 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year extended warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Echo Dot is subject to the terms found here. Included in the Box Echo Dot, power adapter (9W), Micro-USB cable, and Quick Start Guide
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