Similar to other Echo Shows, if you’ve set up Visual ID, it transforms into a personal planner, depending on who is looking at it. But with so many Alexa-enabled smart speakers floating around, it’s hard to know which one is right for you.

You can also use Bluetooth to stream from the Dot to other speakers or from your phone or other device to the Dot to use it as Bluetooth speaker. In the past, according to what reporter Jack Morse wrote for Mashable a few years back, "Alexa has been known to record people and rooms even when there's no wake word spoken intentionally — or spoken at all. inch front-firing speaker (versus a woofer and tweeters), and "Eero mesh network support so the Echo Dot can serve as a node for your Eero network if you use one," according to our sister site, PCMag.

Making the smart living/smart home switch isn’t always budget-friendly, but the Echo Dot is affordable and provides great voice control features. It uses Eero’s TrueMesh software technology, tapping into the dual-band Wi-Fi radios in the speakers to find the strongest connection and then extend it. The Dot joins a family of speakers and smart displays, plus devices from third parties such as Sonos and Yamaha.

Just ask Alexa to dim the lights, adjust the room temperature, or turn on a compatible smart-plug-connected appliance. If you’re looking to make your home a little more high-tech, investing in a smart speaker is a good place to start – and Alexa users will definitely want to take advantage of this limited-time deal. For most things Alexa and Assistant are on a level playing field, particularly if you’re not entirely integrated into Google’s ecosystem already. When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.I tested the beep detection in the kitchen and got Alexa notifications on my phone when my toast popped up, when my microwave lunch was ready, and again when my dishwasher was done. While it looks and sounds exactly the same as the Echo Dot, it’s a hefty upgrade when compared to the previous version.

Smart home control, music playback, podcasts, news briefings, playing radio stations, setting multiple alarms, timers and various other little bits like that all work great.It’s the first base Echo to change shape from its cylindrical forebears, taking on a more rounded spherical (and arguably more stylish) design, similar to the Echo Dot. Sadly this wasn’t the case: If I ask the temperature, I get the weather outside, which is reasonable enough. In the meantime, if you want the fun and somewhat helpful features of the LED display, the fifth-gen Echo Dot with Clock is the Alexa smart speaker to get.