Echo Dot (3rd Gen), Charcoal Fabric + Philips Hue White Smart Bulb (B22), Works with Alexa - Smart Home Starter Kit

People have such high expectations these days. I bought the echo dot (never having had one over privacy issues) and I am chuffed to bits. It’s so much more than Siri, my last flirtation with voice AI. I bought it to listen to a bit of music, to ask about news and weather and for it to read my kindle (not audible.com) books. For this the speaker is great. How anyone can expect it to compete with a home sound system for its size and price is anyone’s guess. But I can move it around from kitchen to bedroom and it’s a fun little companion when I’m washing up. I used to use my smart phone connected to a Bluetooth speaker and this is way more convenient. Spotify is great and the voice recognition is superb. Took no time to set up and I like the fact it is powered by a proper plug because I am likely to leave it on a lot. I bought it also to help me sleep, I like the fact that I can listen to ambient sounds such as rainfall and have it switch itself off after a period of time. I could got on that it can be used a phone too but I don’t use use that. Frankly it’s worth the money alone for the little things it does.I’ve now had this a few weeks and these are my thoughts. With a Spotify account you can ask for most songs. If you didn’t, it automatically accessed Amazon music. Now I don’t have Amazon Music Unlimited and so a part of me is wondering whether I would get charged to listen to songs or whether it would automatically click onto the Amazon Prime Music service. Who knows? But I instantly deactivated the Voice Purchasing function through the Alexa app so I hope not. But be wary and maybe keep an eye on your Amazon bills for a couple of weeks just in case. You can adjust the volume by asking it higher or lower or even giving a number between 1 (lowest) and 10 (highest). It will still hear you say Alexa at the top volume but you kind of have to pick your moments in a quieter section of song. I can hear the Dot when I am upstairs and it is downstairs. Beware you could develop a mild strain of your voice if you keep asking Alexa questions (I am thinking of those buying it for elderly relatives). Speaking of which, the ability for them to call you just by voice if, say, they had a fall and could not reach the phone is a pretty reassuring feature. I’ve played some of the quizzes and they are fun. I still like the device and how solid it feels.

If you intend buying an Alexa device to play music through you need to be aware that Amazon only permits you to use your £3.99 monthly subscription for ONE device. If you add another Alexa device you will not be able to play your Amazon Music with it unless you upgrade your monthly subscription to £9.99 or £15.99 if you would like your music played simoustainaly through two or more devices. Amazon doesn’t tell you this when you purchase Alexa devices, so be warned.Yes, we were caught out by this. We now have four Google devices (which are much netter quality and cheaper than Amazon products) and can play/stream music (Spotify) thought as many Google devices as we choose, singularity or combined. The software is much better than Amazon’s and can be accessed and used from any enabled device, including a PC or Mac computer. Spotify is just £0.99 for the first three months, and then £9.99 per month. At the time of writing Google devices are practically half price.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  So being the owner of the first and second generation Echo Dot I was nervous to purchase this item as I thought that I should go for the larger Echo plus. I needn't of worried, the sound improvement between this and the older models is massive. A real hearty base and more fuller sound.I even ended up buying a second one for upstairs and love the ability to use in stereo mode and the intercom feature is a great way of talking to people in the house without shouting. If room filling audio for parties etc is what you want then go for the Echo Plus, however if its background music with some base then the Dot will be absolutely fine. Check out my video review.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  I've been picking up Echo Dots when they've been on offer over the Summer. They're good speakers, but what makes them are the accessories you can get to go with them. I have a holder that hides away all the wiring and acts as an amplifier, improving the sound (Proud Bird Wall Mount Stands) as well as a battery base - the GGMM D3 - which makes it truly portable and is great for the summer or when you want to move around the house and take the Echo Dot with you. You can see them both in my video.