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Top reviews from the United States

• 

  Boo

  5 out of 5 stars

  A lot of fun even if you don't use it for Music, Smart Home Products or shopping

  Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2017

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

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  I managed to get my hands on a Amazon's Echo Dot through QVC (I really wanted the Echo, but because the price is too high for my budget, so I settled for the dot). At first I wasn't too sure what I could use the Echo for as it look like a really cool piece of technology, but watching advertisements for it, it looked like you needed to be setup for Smart Home Products and other Amazon services. I only have Amazon Prime, but wasn't really interested in unlimited music or audibles. So what's really left?

  When my order came in today, I was excited regardless of not having those services. So I proceeded to do the initial setup, which is very simple and easy (if you aren't tech savvy, don't worry, because I'm not either but it's very easy steps and literally walks you through every step until Alexa is fully setup). I started to do voice training with Alexa so she would recognize my voice. I then started to explore the Amazon Alexa app (which you need to install on either your smartphone or tablet before you can do anything). At first I didn't find too much, I setup my Pandora account and linked my Amazon Prime Music (which you can choose either from Prime Music, 1 device setup which is $3.99, Unlimited Music for 1 device which is $7.99 for Prime Members (non-members it is $9.99) or $79 for multiple devices for the year). I had Alexa started to play Pandora first, which was fine. I then asked for a weather update and it gave me the weather and news for my area. I then ask Alexa (to test out) how much are "Tetra Goldfish Flakes" and she gave me various products and prices with a follow up question "Would you like to purchase this item?". I then ask her to find music through Amazon and she found mostly music of today's generation but not really my type of music. I finally discovered some more "Skills" (which are basically apps for Alexa) and added a few of them.

  One I added was called "The Magic Door" which Alexa tells you a fantasy story, much like an Alice and Wonderland theme story and in which you choose how the story plays out. Alexa will tell you what is going on and then ask "would you like to follow this path, follow that path or stay?". It's a lot of fun and seems great for young children.

  Another skill that is much like The Magic Door, was called "Dungeon Adventure". I had a lot of fun with this one and anyone who played Dungeons and Dragons, RPG games and Magic the Gathering could appreciate this Skill app. You are a warrior who has been asked to save the town from an evil monster who is trying to destroy the town. I played this game for 2 hours and at times it can get to you, because Alexa keeps saying the same thing over and over again, but at the same time, it can be pretty intense. I found myself fighting a gargoyle who kept killing me and I would have to roll to see if the God's above would smile down upon me to bring my character back to life (which my character accidentally got named "Alexa" because I was trying to find out what was in the current room and said "Alexa, what is in the room?" And she responded "Ok, you've named your character Alexa :-/. Of course when the gods didn't smile upon me the second time, she said "You are dead. Rest in piece Alexa. The town is doomed").

  Besides the Skill apps, Alexa can respond to questions such as "Alexa, what does it say about the Stars in Wikipedia? ". The little dot has great sound by itself and the microphone picks up very well, I've only had a little bit of trouble with the Echo understanding me but otherwise it does responds very well. There is a Bluetooth sync, which I have not used. If you do have Smart Home Products, such as Philips Hub outlets, you can request Alexa to turn on/off the lights and dim the lights. She can also turn on/off the TV.

  There are many fun things to do with Alexa, that I'm still discovering, but if you're like me and don't have too many Smart products at home and don't want to pay for extra services, there are other things you can do with the Amazon Echo Dot.

  I wanted to share my experience with the Dot among the other great reviews and if you don't have an Echo, this is definitely a product to get for your home or office.

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• 

  Compeek

  5 out of 5 stars

  Covered in every room of the house now, speakers not as good as original Echo, but external speakers work terrificly

  Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2016

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

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  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.

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• 

  Devlin

  5 out of 5 stars

  The multiple microphones seem to work EXCELLENT!

  Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2016

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

  Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

  Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

  If you are not familiar with an Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Dot, all I can say is that there is never a better time than now to get some experience with it.

  This new generation of Echo Dot is not only cheaper (50% of the first generation cost) and it is improved upon by the spatial recognition that was implemented. Also, they are continuously updating and improving the experience with “Alexa”.

  If you are curious about Alexa versus Siri, if you ask Alexa she will say “Not saying I am better, just different” or something along those lines. This is honestly one of THE best ways to describe “her”. I like Siri a lot and I really like Alexa as they both are part and parcel to a whole new type of experience in today’s technological era.

  Siri is better for some off-the-cuff type questions and such whereas Alexa can turn on, off, dim or brighten your lights (the ones that are compatible; which is increasing and while a little expensive, worth it in my humble opinion). There will be a lot of times when you ask Alexa a question and she does not know the answer but over time that I have owned my Echo, it has improved and more and more phrases are recognized.

  Curious about the weather, ask. Curious about traffic, scores for sports or even when the next Presidential Debate (if there was another one), just ask Alexa. She will tell you when your favorite sports team plays, order pizza or an Uber and so, so, so much more!

  As many have mentioned, the speaker on this Echo Dot are not nearly as good as a full-sized Echo but you have an explicit advantage with an Echo Dot in that you can connect it to your sound system, home theater system or any other speakers you like and love to get the sound you want. The full Echo has a speaker that I enjoy but I think it is wonderful that you can hook this up to your sound system.

  The inexpensive cost of this cannot be underscored enough…BUT…it seems it can be a slippery slope as I have decided to purchase more and more items that are compatible with Alexa and now also adding a Wink Hub to open up a much larger ecosystem (echo-system?) ' . I’ve also purchased a Philips Hue Color starter kit and implemented those in the living room. When we turn on and off lights or dim them, we ask Alexa to assist and in most cases, it works very well. It works a WHOLE lot more now that I have one full-sized Echo and 2 Echo Dots (2nd generation).

  As a side note, the new Prime music is awesome and inexpensive if you own an Echo but it is only good on ONE Echo so you will not have access to it on all 3 or 4 if you own multiple ones.

  Absolutely 100% recommended. If you do not like it, you can probably sell it for a good price or always return it.

  ________________What I recommend_________________

  If you have any interest in home automation, check out the Wink or Smart Things hubs. The Wink hub can be had for around $60 at the moment and it opens up SO many possibilities concerning types of lights, locks, cameras, smoke detectors, powered blinds, crock pots (yes, they have a "smart crock pot" and a "smart coffee maker") as well as too many other things to mention.

  Here are my favorite accessories with Alexa (Echo Dot):

  Wink Hub (have not tried Smart Things)

  Cree Connected Bulbs (you need Wink to use these)

  Philips Hue (do not need Wink for this but the Hue products are expensive)

  GE Quirky or GE Link lights (Believe you need Wink for these)

  I really cannot underscore how much I love asking Alexa what time it is when I am trying to set the time on a wall clock because the battery died and I cannot find my smart phone. I also love the reminders, timers and Prime music.

  There are so many intricacies with the entire Alexa platform and Amazon has done a really good job in improving and evolving things.

  So happy I took the plunge with a refurbished Echo to start. I was so worried I would not have a use for it but it ended up being something I love and have faith in. Since the new generation is so inexpensive (Echo Dot), I am seriously considering getting one for a family member that is so incredibly hard to shop for...also one for my office...I love listening to audio books when I work and the Echo (Dot as well) can read your Kindle books (most of them) if you ask "Please read my book (Insert book title here)". Sometimes it is quirky but it usually does pretty good. It can be a nice way to save some money instead of buying an audio book.

  Final thought: The speaker on these are just alright...I think they are better relegated to the bedroom or kitchen and a full-sized Echo in the living room or den...unless you hook this up to a sound system or Bluetooth speaker.

  Absolutely 100% recommended

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  Devlin

  5 out of 5 stars

  The multiple microphones seem to work EXCELLENT!

  Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2016

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

  If you are not familiar with an Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Dot, all I can say is that there is never a better time than now to get some experience with it.

  This new generation of Echo Dot is not only cheaper (50% of the first generation cost) and it is improved upon by the spatial recognition that was implemented. Also, they are continuously updating and improving the experience with “Alexa”.

  If you are curious about Alexa versus Siri, if you ask Alexa she will say “Not saying I am better, just different” or something along those lines. This is honestly one of THE best ways to describe “her”. I like Siri a lot and I really like Alexa as they both are part and parcel to a whole new type of experience in today’s technological era.

  Siri is better for some off-the-cuff type questions and such whereas Alexa can turn on, off, dim or brighten your lights (the ones that are compatible; which is increasing and while a little expensive, worth it in my humble opinion). There will be a lot of times when you ask Alexa a question and she does not know the answer but over time that I have owned my Echo, it has improved and more and more phrases are recognized.

  Curious about the weather, ask. Curious about traffic, scores for sports or even when the next Presidential Debate (if there was another one), just ask Alexa. She will tell you when your favorite sports team plays, order pizza or an Uber and so, so, so much more!

  As many have mentioned, the speaker on this Echo Dot are not nearly as good as a full-sized Echo but you have an explicit advantage with an Echo Dot in that you can connect it to your sound system, home theater system or any other speakers you like and love to get the sound you want. The full Echo has a speaker that I enjoy but I think it is wonderful that you can hook this up to your sound system.

  The inexpensive cost of this cannot be underscored enough…BUT…it seems it can be a slippery slope as I have decided to purchase more and more items that are compatible with Alexa and now also adding a Wink Hub to open up a much larger ecosystem (echo-system?) ' . I’ve also purchased a Philips Hue Color starter kit and implemented those in the living room. When we turn on and off lights or dim them, we ask Alexa to assist and in most cases, it works very well. It works a WHOLE lot more now that I have one full-sized Echo and 2 Echo Dots (2nd generation).

  As a side note, the new Prime music is awesome and inexpensive if you own an Echo but it is only good on ONE Echo so you will not have access to it on all 3 or 4 if you own multiple ones.

  Absolutely 100% recommended. If you do not like it, you can probably sell it for a good price or always return it.

  ________________What I recommend_________________

  If you have any interest in home automation, check out the Wink or Smart Things hubs. The Wink hub can be had for around $60 at the moment and it opens up SO many possibilities concerning types of lights, locks, cameras, smoke detectors, powered blinds, crock pots (yes, they have a "smart crock pot" and a "smart coffee maker") as well as too many other things to mention.

  Here are my favorite accessories with Alexa (Echo Dot):

  Wink Hub (have not tried Smart Things)

  Cree Connected Bulbs (you need Wink to use these)

  Philips Hue (do not need Wink for this but the Hue products are expensive)

  GE Quirky or GE Link lights (Believe you need Wink for these)

  I really cannot underscore how much I love asking Alexa what time it is when I am trying to set the time on a wall clock because the battery died and I cannot find my smart phone. I also love the reminders, timers and Prime music.

  There are so many intricacies with the entire Alexa platform and Amazon has done a really good job in improving and evolving things.

  So happy I took the plunge with a refurbished Echo to start. I was so worried I would not have a use for it but it ended up being something I love and have faith in. Since the new generation is so inexpensive (Echo Dot), I am seriously considering getting one for a family member that is so incredibly hard to shop for...also one for my office...I love listening to audio books when I work and the Echo (Dot as well) can read your Kindle books (most of them) if you ask "Please read my book (Insert book title here)". Sometimes it is quirky but it usually does pretty good. It can be a nice way to save some money instead of buying an audio book.

  Final thought: The speaker on these are just alright...I think they are better relegated to the bedroom or kitchen and a full-sized Echo in the living room or den...unless you hook this up to a sound system or Bluetooth speaker.

  Absolutely 100% recommended

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• 

  Todd

  4 out of 5 stars

  The problem with aiming very low is that you can nail every design goal and still produce a mediocre product

  Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2016

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

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  Updated 25 Nov 2017

  Since writing the original review, Amazon has added some--but not all--of the features I found lacking in the original review. We can now play music in sync across devices. Yay! It isn't quite fully functional though since each device can participate in only one device group. So for example, if you set up groups for Upstairs and Downstairs you can only stream to one of them and there is no default "Everywhere" group that contains the two custom groups. Having a party and want to stream everywhere? Delete all groups but one and enroll all your devices into it, then put it all back afterward. Tedious? Sure. But, hey, we now can stream on multiple devices so yay!

  And we kinda, sorta have Away Mode, but only if you buy an Amazon Cloud Cam and have it notify you when it detects movement. Not that an Echo device knows you are home or not, despite the Echo Show having what appears to be very good presence detection. But at least Cloud Cam seems to.

  All the other comments still apply. Alexa is still a device you interact with and not a device that integrates into the living space that you inhabit. Given the improvements that hint at a more aspirational roadmap, maybe Amazon will get there. Given that we can run Alexa Voice Service on Raspberry Pi and other maker platforms, maybe it's up to us to take her the rest of the way. In any case those are still visions of the future. For now I'm bumping my review up one notch for the addition of multi-room playback.

  ------------------------------------------------

  First, The Echo is an amazing device. Amazon designed natural language query-and-response service. Not knowing which devices to make it interact with, they hooked it up to stuff available on the Internet - Google, Amazon, Uber, etc. What it is designed to do it does impressively well. ("Impressively" in this case relative to a swiftly advancing state of the art so even that is not a durable assessment.) Unfortunately when it came to the design of the device, Amazon utterly failed in their vision for what Alexa is. That they did a great job at what they set out to do doesn't make up for the fact that what they set out to do was the wrong thing.

  The disconnect between the way people envision using the product and the vision Amazon delivered is most evident when you look at what people complain about the device not doing.

  For example, the main issue I've had all along is that Alexa has no introspection. Questions like "Alexa, what volume level are you set to?" or "Alexa, do you have an Internet connection?" completely stump her. She can tell me obscure facts like how many gallons of water are in Lake Michigan but not how long she's been running since last boot. Introspection is a basic function of any program that models real world objects and I'm sure Alexa has it, she just doesn't expose that to the user. Or perhaps its locked behind a diagnostic mode. If you give people an entirely new way to interact with the world, they need to understand its boundaries and the functional "texture" of the interface. Rather than force them to invent ways to reveal that through trial and error "Alexa, set volume at 2. Alexa what's the weather? Alexa, set volume at 3. Alexa what's the weather? Alexa, set volume at 4. Alexa what's the weather?" just let us ask. "Alexa, what's the weather?" [Adjust volume ring to desired level] "Alexa, what is your volume set to?" "Alexa, make this the default volume." That last command isn't available, by the way.

  Of course even if envisioned narrowly as "a device," she lacks many basic capabilities expected of such a device. I run my own household DLNA server for music streaming and Alexa can't talk to it. She happily streams music from services I don't care to use, but if there's no Internet there's no music from them. There are many terabytes of content available on my household network, all of which are accessible when the Internet is down, but none of which Alexa can access at present. So one of the primary uses for which Amazon sells the device is the one for which I maintain a different device from another vendor.

  Similarly, there's no "away mode." When the house is empty Alexa should be able to listen for various sounds and voices and give you an alert. It would be nice should you come home to find your house broken into to find that Alexa has recorded the conversation of the burglars during the event. Similarly, if the dog is barking all day you'd be better of hearing that from Alexa *before* the neighbor's nerves snap and you hear from them. But since Alexa has no Away Mode she has no way to know to record exceptional sounds when the humans are not at home.

  Every IoT device should be able to report ambient temperature. Few devices today do this so Alexa isn't deficient in this regard but Amazon missed an opportunity there. It would be an enormous safety benefit if IoT devices could tell us in minute detail which room a fire started in, how quickly it spread, etc. There are some network-connected thermostats and fire alarms but it would be better to have that data from many more objects in the home, one of which should be Alexa. Instead of fire data room-by-room as we may get with alarms, we'd know with much finer resolution how fast a fire spread within a room, how quickly it penetrated a wall, and so forth. It seems inevitable that we will eventually get to that point but until we do such capabilities are a market differentiator. If Amazon added this, they could negotiate with insurers so owners get a discount the same way we do for other safety devices and warning sensors. Over a few years this might offset the cost of the devices. Unfortunately, Amazon's vision of Alexa as sensor platform was limited mainly to her sensing your voice.

  But a much different and more serious design defect doesn't show up until you have more than one of device. Amazon's idea of integration is that multiple Echo devices can all access the same account and that if two are in earshot only one responds. They envisioned her as an interface to things in the cloud with no fixed location. My idea of integration is that multiple devices coordinate their actions within the context of a physical space. For example if I want to set an alarm in the bedroom, I have to do so before my wife goes to sleep. I cannot from the office say "Alexa, set an alarm for 7am in the bedroom," even if the Dot in the bedroom is designated "bedroom" in the app. Of course that problem solves itself. When I wake my wife up trying to set an alarm using voice commands, Alexa and I end up sleeping on the couch. Thanks Amazon for building alarm clock functions into Alexa and failing to imagine the context of actually using them in the real world.

  Similarly, I cannot ask Alexa to play the same music in sync from multiple units, although this has been a staple of whole-house audio for decades. Can't use Alexa as an Intercom, which you would think would be an incredibly obvious feature to implement. "Alexa, open intercom to office." Can't set an alarm that sounds on multiple units. Like during the Superbowl party, Alexa can sound an alarm right before kickoff but you have to set that alarm or to-to item on each Echo device. Can't tell her what to say when the alarm goes off either. "Alexa at 5:58pm today say 'Kickoff in two minutes!'" is not a valid command whether you ask for it on one or all devices.

  In short, Amazon's model for what Alexa is lacks imagination. To them Alexa is "a device" with which you interact and the things with which you interact are in the cloud. Since they have no physical location it doesn't matter much whether you have more than one device or which one you used. Of course that breaks down when you try to do stateful things like set an alarm, then inquiring on the state requires you to interact with a specific device.

  What I imagine, indeed what I believe we are all kind of hoping for, is that we have a context like "my home" and Alexa provides an interface to that context. This isn't just "the cloud" but the real world in which we occupy space and the relative positions in that space provide context. Approached that way, the idea of a whole-house audio stream or whole-house notification makes perfect sense. The idea of an intercom that provides audio connection between different parts of the home, indeed an intercom for an extended family across multiple homes, makes perfect sense.

  Amazon needs to stop thinking of how we interact with Alexa and instead start thinking in terms of how we interact with our environment, for which Alexa becomes the User Interface and not the primary device. If the context is "my house" then I want one Alexa for that entire context, and if that requires multiple devices they should be location-aware and cooperate to support events, notifications and actions at that level and not a bunch of disconnected contexts that happen to share an account. Amazon could continue to coast along, indexed to and swapping first place with competitive products. Or it could take it to the next level by giving us one logical Alexa for which each device is a location-aware gateway, all of which are an interface to our environment and not an interface to the device itself.

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• 

  Stefan Oswald

  5 out of 5 stars

  Even better than the first Dot! Get Six!

  Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2016

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

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  Okay, I've seen many angry reviews from those who purchased the first Echo Dot for $90

  They feel robbed after this newer one became released to the general public for almost half off.

  I can understand how nobody wants to be punished for being an early adopter but, to me, having the Echo Dot for those additional 5 months have been well worth the extra $40. Heck, I considered selling it used on eBay for $360 (before the 2nd generation Dot was announced) but couldn't get myself to part with it.

  After receiving the original Echo on November 6, 2014, Alexa has become an integral part of my home and it is great that these Dots are now so affordable that we can place them all around our homes and workplaces.

  Now onto the review of the product itself:

  Pros

  There are two areas where Alexa beats out the competition: Home automation and playing music.

  ♥ Home automation - EVERYTHING worth having works with Alexa.

  ♥ Music - Amazon Unlimited has every song I could think of and it lets you access songs without having to search for their actual title. Without the paid service, you still have access to millions of songs and stations on Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.

  ♥ The SPEAKER on the 2nd gen Dot is actually a nice quality tweeter than can be understood all over the room! I was planning on getting PC speakers for each of my Dots but that is completely unnecessary if you don't mind the lack of bass. I’ve plugged an Echo Dot into each of the main sound systems and the other five are scattered my home and work.

  ♥ Skills - They are always improving what Alexa can do. You can order a pizza, an Uber, a toothbrush (or anything on Amazon) just by asking.

  ♥ This new Dot is great to have by your BED! You don’t need to open your eyes to check the time in the morning. Any brilliant idea that you have while dreaming can be easily stored just by whispering into all of Alexa’s 7 ears. If you keep the volume on 1 while you sleep, it will not wake your partner and you’ll be able to fall right back to sleep more quickly.

  ♥ The voice recognition seems better and after the Oct. 20 update, I've no longer had any issues with multiple devices hearing and responding at the same time.

  Cons

  There is one area that could really be improved: GOOGLE searches instead of BING.

  ♣ After you ask a random question, 60% of the time she “wasn’t able to understand the question” she heard. When you pull out your Android phone and ask Google, you will get the answer you were looking for. This means, that on November 8th, I’ll have Google Home sitting right beside the Echo so that, together, they’ll do what I need. (If only they would merge forces, #Googazon)

  ♣ Having volume buttons instead of the spin wheel was a step in the wrong direction. However, in reality, you will use your voice to change the volume most of the time.

  ----[From this point on, I'm writing mainly to the Amazon team, FYI]----

  Future improvements that should be implemented:

  ♦ You should be able to perform multiple tasks without saying Alexa in between each one. For example: “Alexa, play Justin Bieber on volume 8”.

  Right now, you end up saying something like: “Alexa, play Justin Bieber” then you frantically say “Alexa, STOP!” so that she’ll understand your upcoming command. Then, “Alexa, volume 8”. Then “Alexa, play Justin Bieber”. Too much work.

  ♦ You should be able to independently control volume levels for Alarms and Timers, Music, and Alexa’s voice. That way you won’t miss an alarm, you’ll be able to play very soft background music all day, and you’ll still be able to ask questions without needing to raise the volume to hear the answers.

  ♦ You should also be able to have the volume automatically change at designated times. I have to lower the volume to 2 for when I sleep and then raise it back up to 8 every day. It would be nice to be able to do this without a rooted Android and Tasker.

  ♦ Alexa would be the perfect robot helper if Amazon would work on designing the "Amazon Alexa Anatomy" (They might end up calling it something similar) Basically, it would be a moving, battery-powered, robot that brings the Amazon Echo to life.

  Here are some of my ideas of what it should be:

  ♠ The Amazon Echo lives inside, as the robot’s neck.

  ♠ Will come when hailed.

  ♠ Will always return to her docking station to remain charged.

  ♠ Multiple docking stations may be placed throughout dwelling to provide for quicker service.

  ♠ Alexa will naturally gravitate (much like a cat) to the room where the most humans are present.

  ♠ Her movement will be achieved by wheels underneath the machine.

  ♠ A robotic vacuum can fit underneath her and will be able to charge at same docking station.

  ♠ Her head / eyes will be a projector that can display song lyrics, information, and media.

  The core of her body will be sold as an empty box for storing things but may be upgraded in several ways depending on need and budget:

  A touchscreen display / micro fridge in the likes of the Samsung Family Hub refrigerator.

  ♠ Deliver food and drinks in its attached microfridge.

  ♠ Refrigerator cycles off when undocked.

  ♠ The insulation will keep the food and drinks cold during the short trip away from the docking station.

  A Plant pot with various herbs and spices growing to help cook your meal

  A multi-purpose closet for:

  ♠ Sponges, scrubbers, wipes, spray bottles, and similar items.

  ♠ Books, toys, and games.

  ♠ Clothing

  ♠ A 3D Printer.

  ♠ A 3D food printer.

  ♠ A regular printer.

  Her Arms, Hands, and Fingers will act as a Swiss Army Knife of the most desirable tools (All purchasable Separately).

  Arms

  ♠ Umbrella

  ♠ Cane

  ♠ Paper Towels

  ♠ Portable Vacuum Cleaner

  Hands

  ♠ Tissues

  ♠ Wet Wipes

  ♠ Storage for wallet

  ♠ Inductive Charging Dock and phone holder

  ♠ Smartwatch charging dock [on wrist]

  Fingers

  ♠ Screwdrivers

  ♠ Bottle Openers

  ♠ USB Drives

  ♠ Charging cables

  ♠ 2.1 Amp, 5V, USB Charging Ports

  ♠ Scissors

  ♠ Knife

  ♠ Small, Detachable Flashlights

  ♠ Key Holders

  ♠ A personal defense taser

  ♠ Finger and Toenail Clippers

  ♠ Band-Aids

  ♠ Antibiotic Ointment

  ♠ Pill Caddy (for Advil or Tic-Tacs)

  ♠ A cat laser toy

  ♠ Small tape measure

  ♠ Condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Salt, Pepper, Hotsauce..)

  If anybody wants to work with me to make this happen, please reach out to me at stefanpauloswald at gmail.

  Read moreRead less

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Stefan Oswald

  5 out of 5 stars

  Even better than the first Dot! Get Six!

  Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2016

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

  Okay, I've seen many angry reviews from those who purchased the first Echo Dot for $90

  They feel robbed after this newer one became released to the general public for almost half off.

  I can understand how nobody wants to be punished for being an early adopter but, to me, having the Echo Dot for those additional 5 months have been well worth the extra $40. Heck, I considered selling it used on eBay for $360 (before the 2nd generation Dot was announced) but couldn't get myself to part with it.

  After receiving the original Echo on November 6, 2014, Alexa has become an integral part of my home and it is great that these Dots are now so affordable that we can place them all around our homes and workplaces.

  Now onto the review of the product itself:

  Pros

  There are two areas where Alexa beats out the competition: Home automation and playing music.

  ♥ Home automation - EVERYTHING worth having works with Alexa.

  ♥ Music - Amazon Unlimited has every song I could think of and it lets you access songs without having to search for their actual title. Without the paid service, you still have access to millions of songs and stations on Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.

  ♥ The SPEAKER on the 2nd gen Dot is actually a nice quality tweeter than can be understood all over the room! I was planning on getting PC speakers for each of my Dots but that is completely unnecessary if you don't mind the lack of bass. I’ve plugged an Echo Dot into each of the main sound systems and the other five are scattered my home and work.

  ♥ Skills - They are always improving what Alexa can do. You can order a pizza, an Uber, a toothbrush (or anything on Amazon) just by asking.

  ♥ This new Dot is great to have by your BED! You don’t need to open your eyes to check the time in the morning. Any brilliant idea that you have while dreaming can be easily stored just by whispering into all of Alexa’s 7 ears. If you keep the volume on 1 while you sleep, it will not wake your partner and you’ll be able to fall right back to sleep more quickly.

  ♥ The voice recognition seems better and after the Oct. 20 update, I've no longer had any issues with multiple devices hearing and responding at the same time.

  Cons

  There is one area that could really be improved: GOOGLE searches instead of BING.

  ♣ After you ask a random question, 60% of the time she “wasn’t able to understand the question” she heard. When you pull out your Android phone and ask Google, you will get the answer you were looking for. This means, that on November 8th, I’ll have Google Home sitting right beside the Echo so that, together, they’ll do what I need. (If only they would merge forces, #Googazon)

  ♣ Having volume buttons instead of the spin wheel was a step in the wrong direction. However, in reality, you will use your voice to change the volume most of the time.

  ----[From this point on, I'm writing mainly to the Amazon team, FYI]----

  Future improvements that should be implemented:

  ♦ You should be able to perform multiple tasks without saying Alexa in between each one. For example: “Alexa, play Justin Bieber on volume 8”.

  Right now, you end up saying something like: “Alexa, play Justin Bieber” then you frantically say “Alexa, STOP!” so that she’ll understand your upcoming command. Then, “Alexa, volume 8”. Then “Alexa, play Justin Bieber”. Too much work.

  ♦ You should be able to independently control volume levels for Alarms and Timers, Music, and Alexa’s voice. That way you won’t miss an alarm, you’ll be able to play very soft background music all day, and you’ll still be able to ask questions without needing to raise the volume to hear the answers.

  ♦ You should also be able to have the volume automatically change at designated times. I have to lower the volume to 2 for when I sleep and then raise it back up to 8 every day. It would be nice to be able to do this without a rooted Android and Tasker.

  ♦ Alexa would be the perfect robot helper if Amazon would work on designing the "Amazon Alexa Anatomy" (They might end up calling it something similar) Basically, it would be a moving, battery-powered, robot that brings the Amazon Echo to life.

  Here are some of my ideas of what it should be:

  ♠ The Amazon Echo lives inside, as the robot’s neck.

  ♠ Will come when hailed.

  ♠ Will always return to her docking station to remain charged.

  ♠ Multiple docking stations may be placed throughout dwelling to provide for quicker service.

  ♠ Alexa will naturally gravitate (much like a cat) to the room where the most humans are present.

  ♠ Her movement will be achieved by wheels underneath the machine.

  ♠ A robotic vacuum can fit underneath her and will be able to charge at same docking station.

  ♠ Her head / eyes will be a projector that can display song lyrics, information, and media.

  The core of her body will be sold as an empty box for storing things but may be upgraded in several ways depending on need and budget:

  A touchscreen display / micro fridge in the likes of the Samsung Family Hub refrigerator.

  ♠ Deliver food and drinks in its attached microfridge.

  ♠ Refrigerator cycles off when undocked.

  ♠ The insulation will keep the food and drinks cold during the short trip away from the docking station.

  A Plant pot with various herbs and spices growing to help cook your meal

  A multi-purpose closet for:

  ♠ Sponges, scrubbers, wipes, spray bottles, and similar items.

  ♠ Books, toys, and games.

  ♠ Clothing

  ♠ A 3D Printer.

  ♠ A 3D food printer.

  ♠ A regular printer.

  Her Arms, Hands, and Fingers will act as a Swiss Army Knife of the most desirable tools (All purchasable Separately).

  Arms

  ♠ Umbrella

  ♠ Cane

  ♠ Paper Towels

  ♠ Portable Vacuum Cleaner

  Hands

  ♠ Tissues

  ♠ Wet Wipes

  ♠ Storage for wallet

  ♠ Inductive Charging Dock and phone holder

  ♠ Smartwatch charging dock [on wrist]

  Fingers

  ♠ Screwdrivers

  ♠ Bottle Openers

  ♠ USB Drives

  ♠ Charging cables

  ♠ 2.1 Amp, 5V, USB Charging Ports

  ♠ Scissors

  ♠ Knife

  ♠ Small, Detachable Flashlights

  ♠ Key Holders

  ♠ A personal defense taser

  ♠ Finger and Toenail Clippers

  ♠ Band-Aids

  ♠ Antibiotic Ointment

  ♠ Pill Caddy (for Advil or Tic-Tacs)

  ♠ A cat laser toy

  ♠ Small tape measure

  ♠ Condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Salt, Pepper, Hotsauce..)

  If anybody wants to work with me to make this happen, please reach out to me at stefanpauloswald at gmail.

  • 
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• 

  Mr Dapper

  5 out of 5 stars

  Alexa Dot 2nd Gen Review

  Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2016

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

  Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

  Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

  Received my 2nd Gen Dots on Oct 20th while at work and had to wait all day to get home and set them up. I split a 6 pack with my dad and I already owned 2 others(The Original and the 1st Gen Dot) and couldn't wait to set my three 2nd Gen Dots up. I use the Alexa to control the lights and temperature at my house, as well as play music, ask questions, hear news/radio, and any of the apps that I can manage to remember the commands too(like "trigger…" from IFTTT).

  Set Up:

  Set up was easy since I had already setup an account when I setup the other two. After searching and finding the Dots, all I had to do was tell it which WiFi to connect to and rename it to the room/area I was going to put it at.

  Testing new Feature:

  After I set all of them up and but while I still had them all in the same room, I ran a test to see how well the Echos' were at choosing which Echo was closest. Without fail every time that I said a command(from different locations), the closest echo was the only one that responded. All of the others indicated that they heard me, but then ignored me and let the closest one answer. In some tests I was only inches away from all of them and the one that heard me the clearest was the only one that responded.

  This is awesome! For any one that has had more then one Echo before this one, you know how annoying it was when you would say a command, like "play music by so and so" and every Echo would then start playing a random song from so and so. Before this update I had to change my Echo's summoning word so that they wouldn't always answer at the same time, which annoyed my wife and guests that could never remember which Echo was called "Alexa" and which one was just called "Echo" and for a while I had 3 and I had to call that one "Amazon". So now with this update, all of the Echo's (including the old ones) can now all have the same Summoning word of "Alexa", which is great now that I have 5 Echo's in the house now.

  With the coverage I now have in the house, I now no longer have any issues with Alexa hearing me. I have yet to connect any of them to external speakers, but I have never had an issue with that before. I will update this review if there are any issues or any questions any one has about it.

  The Look, the Feel, the Design, all while comparing it to the 1st gen:

  As for the look. That’s really up to you and your needs. I went with the white ones, mainly because I had 2 black ones already, but also I thought the white ones would fit better with my houses colour scheme. Which is more important to my wife, and now that they are here and setup, she agrees that I made the right choice. The white ones fit in better and in some cases blended in with my house and can go unnoticed until needed.

  Comparing the 2nd Gen to the 1st Gens. They don’t feel as nice or as solid as the 1st Gen Dots, but then they do come $50 cheaper then that model and yet do everything just as well or better. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel like they are cheap, just that the 1st gen's where made heavier and with moving parts. I don’t have a problem with the buttons, but I did feel like the 1st Gen's volume control was nicer(for those that didn't get that model, it's volume control was the same as the Original Echo) Now I like that the 2nd gens are even more compact then the 1st Gens, and that they smoothed out a few of the edges.

  Conclusions:

  For my setup needs, I didn't need any more original Echo's, I just needed more locations to send commands to Alexa. That way we didn’t have to yell or walk to a room/area Alexa was in in order for it to turn lights on or change the temperature, or turn off music. The new Echo Dots(2nd Gen) were perfect for my needs.

  In conclusion, if you are new to Echo, Smart Home devices, or IOT, this is the model to go with. It packs a lot of function at a very good price point. If you are a Vet of the Echo life and want to expand or complete your Echo home setup, this model is great at a price you can be proud to tell your wife about.

  Tips and Tricks:

  I was able to cover my home without having to break the bank, and if you've got someone else interested like I did, you can split a 6 pack or 12 pack and get the discount without having to buy more then you need.

  3rd Party Add-On

  I have purchased a battery pack that attaches to the base of the Dot and allows it to work for roughly 6hours without being plugged into the wall. Perfect for when I need to move from play to place or (as I have found useful) for quiet evenings in the front porch on the swing with the wife listening to an audio book. It also make it possible to set up the device to work through your phones internet and allow it to work virtually any place your phone works(like the Echo Tap, but voice only, no need to press a button). This was definitely a cool buy. My only gripe on the several models I looked at and the one I eventually bought was that I never felt like the battery was attached securely to the Dot. It hold up to some abuse, but if dropped it will most likely disconnect and take a few minutes to set back up. In all, though, if you've got an extra Dot, this was a great addition, and honestly, I like this setup more then I like the Echo Tap. The only draw between the two is battery life and speaker volume. The Dot can connect to an external Bluetooth or AUX speaker without any issues to allow it to connect to a louder speaker if sound or quality is your issue. You can also plug the Dot with the battery into power with a micro USB. That would allow the battery to stay charged or recharge if needed without stopping the jam…or audio book in my case.

  Model info: Evo - an intelligent Battery Base for Amazon Echo Dot 1st & 2nd Generation ("Alexa" unlimited)

  https://amzn.com/B01L0XDHBO

  If there is anything else you want to know or have questions about, please just let me know. Thank you for reading.

  ~Mr Dapper

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• 

  Ant-Man

  3 out of 5 stars

  UN-Boxing Video_ an important factor 2 keep in mind when spending your money on Amazon devices__$50 Hockey Puck ?_

  Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2017

  Color: WHITEConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

  Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

  Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

  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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• 

  Raymond Ford

  5 out of 5 stars

  Echo Dot + Bluetooth Receiver + Amplifier (mini) + Bookshelf Speakers = nice system

  Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2016

  Color: BLACKConfiguration: Echo Dot

  Verified Purchase

  Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

  Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

  This review covers the Echo Dot, HomeSpot NFC receiver, SMSL SA50 amplifier all connected to a set of bookshelf speakers I owned for a nice voice-activated system. All of the devices I mentioned are fine performers and well-regarded, so I won’t repeat what others have said. The real purpose of this entry is to provide a step-by-step setup for other technically challenged folks out there and because of the frustration I had while trying to figure it all out and not finding a simple explanation to get it done. Hopefully, this will extend the ability for some folks to provide themselves with a nice music solution using the dynamite little DOT that is slick and doesn’t break the bank.

  I got an Echo for Christmas last year and have really just started to maximize its abilities, but it doesn’t do Bluetooth. When I saw that the Echo Dot had dropped significantly in price, it was capable of Bluetooth AND its performance had been improved. Several uses for the Dot came to mind, but I realized I had a very nice set of bookshelf speakers that were not being used and setting those up for voice activation use for Amazon Prime Music/Radio, iHeart, Pandora and TuneIn. A great alternative to using the smaller Echo or Dot speakers. Plus, voice control is pretty cool. You won’t confuse this setup with a conert hall, but it is a major upgrade from the little Echo / Dot speakers.

  I found a variety of ways to connect the Dot to speakers. Complexity, expense, technical setup expertise all affected my decision. Since I had the bookshelf speakers, it made the decision to set up a Dot, a Bluetooth Receiver and an

  Amplifier. First I bought a new Dot (I got the bundle with the TP-Link outlet).

  Next I needed a receiver. The HomeSpot NFC was the choice. It got about the best reviews and was nicely priced. The really big decision point here is that it DOES NOT auto-connect to the Dot. That was a key point. I wanted the flexibility to use the Dot as a standalone unit OR connect to a BT receiver/speakers. The combination of performance and no auto-connect made this an easy choice. If I had chosen a receiver WITH auto connect, I was going to use a TP-Ling or wemo outlet and use that to turn the little system on and off.

  Next was an amplifier. Again, reviews, performance, price combined to make the SMSL SA50 a simple choice. There were other contenders that would have worked, but the extra power from this one nudged me in its direction.

  Once everything was ordered and received, here is how I set it up:

  1) If not yet done, set up Echo Dot and connect to Wi-fi

  2) Connect the output of the receiver (HomeSpot NFC) to the audio input of an amplifier (SMSL SA50).

  3) Connect the amplifier (SMSL SA50) to the speakers (Check to make sure the amplifier is not set to max volume. It can be turned up later)

  4) Push the small button on the back of the HomeSpot NFC (between the plugs) to put in pairing mode

  >> If your phone has NFC,you may be able to just tap it to the HomeSpot audio receiver to make an instant connection

  5) Pair the receiver (HomeSpot NFC) to the Echo (Dot) via Bluetooth:

  > Open the Alexa App on your phone or tablet

  > Go to Settings > [Your] Echo Dot > Bluetooth > Pair New Device > Find your HomeSpot receiver and pair it (mine is GT-BT Rec)

  If paired, the audio (including the Dot voice) will come through the speakers

  If NOT paired, the audio will come through the internal OT speaker. Try to pair again.

  Some Notes:

  > After initial pairing, the Dot will quickly reconnect to the receiver with a "Connect" command

  > The Dot will disconnect with a “Disconnect” command and will NOT auto-connect

  > Green light flashing means the receiver is no longer connected.

  > If the playback levels get too high, there may be distortion – use the volume control on your amplifier

  > The receiver and amplifier must both be constantly plugged in.

  > If you decide to use your big AV receiver, it must be turned on all the time. And you need to switch to the BT audio. And you need to figure out how to hook up two sets of speakers OR use one set of speakers with two outputs. This is why a standalone mini amplifier might be a better choice.

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