Amazon echo dot 3rd gen

While the previous Echo Dots were cheap ways to extend smart home control all over your home, they weren't the most attractive devices and had weedy sounds. The Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) as a vast improvement on the originals, even though it costs exactly the same. The new finish looks fantastic and the new Echo Dot is a device that you'd happily put out on show. Audio has been dramatically improved, too, both in terms of quality and loudness, which makes Alexa easier to understand and means that the odd bit of music or radio is a possibility. If you're looking to put Alexa in more rooms, then this is the device to buy. What is the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen)? For smart home control and filling your home with Alexa devices, the Echo Dot has always been a popular choice. The old versions had two main problems: they were a little ugly, and a little quiet. With the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen), Amazon addresses both issues, delivering an improved smart speaker that’s ideal for home control and a little bit of light music or radio. Since the product was launched, Amazon has also released the new Echo Dot with Clock, which is effectively the same model only with an LCD screen to show the current time. Both products are available side-by-side, so it’s a matter of first deciding if an Echo Dot is the right model for you and, if it is, which model best suits you and youor home. Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Design and build quality Gone is the plain plastic case of the old version, and t...

I’m going to cut right to the chase: the new Echo Dot smart speaker is so much better than its predecessor that it would not be totally out of line to replace a whole houseful of old Echo Dots with new ones. The new Echo Dot looks better, works better, and, most importantly, sounds much better than the prior model. And it still costs the same $49.99. Amazon has upgraded the sound quality on all of its new Echo devices coming out this year, but the improvements are most noticeable on the Dot simply because of how deficient the prior model was. It’s not often that there’s this much of a leap from one generation of a product to the next — most improvements are incremental — but the new Echo Dot sounds like a completely different speaker than its predecessor. It’s not perfect, but it’s easily the best cheap smart speaker you can buy right now. The reason the new Echo Dot is so much better comes down to its new design. It’s noticeably larger, which means that Amazon was able to put a larger, louder, more powerful speaker inside of it. Where the last Echo Dot sounded like a can of tuna filled with angry bees, the new model is surprisingly loud, full, and clear. Whether you’re listening to Alexa read out the latest weather report, an audiobook, or cranking a Spotify playlist at full volume, everything sounds better on the new Dot. Not only is the new Dot far better than the old Dot, but it’s markedly better than Google’s Home Mini as well. It’s richer, fuller, and just more pleas...

Related • • • John Velasco / Digital Trends With the advent of smartphones, the bedroom alarm clock has nearly gone extinct. So, why in the world would we need another stationary thing to tell us the time? Well, since even the Xfinity cable box in my bedroom eliminated the clock from its design, there’s actually no other way to tell time unless I glance at my phone. And that’s why I can appreciate the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock, because when you’re half asleep, you don’t want to be fumbling around to tell the time. Instead, I can quickly glance at the puck-sized speaker on my nightstand. Since the LED clock’s brightness adapts to ambient lighting conditions, it’s never too bright or too dim. When you’re half asleep, you don’t want to be fumbling around to tell the time. It would’ve been great to see different color options for the LED clock, but the design of this Echo Dot is refreshingly simple and intuitive. There’s no fuss about it. You don’t even have to touch your phone. John Velasco / Digital Trends Current owners of the 3rd-generation Amazon Echo Dot won’t find anything drastically different with the design of this latest model. Besides the addition of that LED clock, the rest of the speaker is the same. It has a fabric exterior finish, physical buttons on top, and the signature light ring. Available in just sandstone at the moment, it complements any decor style without completely overpowering whatever else you might have lying around. While the Due to its diminuti...

If you have an Amazon Echo Frustratingly, if you’re not in the US, you can’t use Guard just yet, but we did speak to Amazon and they told us “internationalization of all of our products and services is incredibly important”, and they are working hard to “make all of the features and devices available everywhere our customers want them,” so it sounds like it could be available globally in the near future) Right, so what is Alexa Guard? Alexa Guard is a handy feature that sees Amazon’s voice assistant utilizes the far-field microphones in an Echo smart speaker or Echo smart display to listen for sounds such as breaking glass or a smoke detector after you’ve told Alexa you’re not going to be around by saying “Alexa, I’m leaving”. If Alexa Guard hears anything, the voice assistant will send an alert to the Alexa app on your smartphone, flagging to you something untoward is happening. You can then listen to the audio clip, or start an Alexa Drop In, which allows you to listen to your Amazon Smart speaker live if you want to hear what’s going on in that room without returning home. If you have a compatible smart home alarm including those from Ring and ADT, the alerts can even be forwarded to the alarm company so they can investigate. If you have an Amazon smart display in the same room you could also use the Echo Show as a home security camera and view a live feed from the smart display’s camera from the Alexa app if you want to see what’s happening in your home. Alexa Guard ca...

I’m going to cut right to the chase: the new Echo Dot smart speaker is so much better than its predecessor that it would not be totally out of line to replace a whole houseful of old Echo Dots with new ones. The new Echo Dot looks better, works better, and, most importantly, sounds much better than the prior model. And it still costs the same $49.99. Amazon has upgraded the sound quality on all of its new Echo devices coming out this year, but the improvements are most noticeable on the Dot simply because of how deficient the prior model was. It’s not often that there’s this much of a leap from one generation of a product to the next — most improvements are incremental — but the new Echo Dot sounds like a completely different speaker than its predecessor. It’s not perfect, but it’s easily the best cheap smart speaker you can buy right now. The reason the new Echo Dot is so much better comes down to its new design. It’s noticeably larger, which means that Amazon was able to put a larger, louder, more powerful speaker inside of it. Where the last Echo Dot sounded like a can of tuna filled with angry bees, the new model is surprisingly loud, full, and clear. Whether you’re listening to Alexa read out the latest weather report, an audiobook, or cranking a Spotify playlist at full volume, everything sounds better on the new Dot. Not only is the new Dot far better than the old Dot, but it’s markedly better than Google’s Home Mini as well. It’s richer, fuller, and just more pleas...

While the previous Echo Dots were cheap ways to extend smart home control all over your home, they weren't the most attractive devices and had weedy sounds. The Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) as a vast improvement on the originals, even though it costs exactly the same. The new finish looks fantastic and the new Echo Dot is a device that you'd happily put out on show. Audio has been dramatically improved, too, both in terms of quality and loudness, which makes Alexa easier to understand and means that the odd bit of music or radio is a possibility. If you're looking to put Alexa in more rooms, then this is the device to buy. What is the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen)? For smart home control and filling your home with Alexa devices, the Echo Dot has always been a popular choice. The old versions had two main problems: they were a little ugly, and a little quiet. With the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen), Amazon addresses both issues, delivering an improved smart speaker that’s ideal for home control and a little bit of light music or radio. Since the product was launched, Amazon has also released the new Echo Dot with Clock, which is effectively the same model only with an LCD screen to show the current time. Both products are available side-by-side, so it’s a matter of first deciding if an Echo Dot is the right model for you and, if it is, which model best suits you and youor home. Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Design and build quality Gone is the plain plastic case of the old version, and t...

Related • • • John Velasco / Digital Trends With the advent of smartphones, the bedroom alarm clock has nearly gone extinct. So, why in the world would we need another stationary thing to tell us the time? Well, since even the Xfinity cable box in my bedroom eliminated the clock from its design, there’s actually no other way to tell time unless I glance at my phone. And that’s why I can appreciate the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock, because when you’re half asleep, you don’t want to be fumbling around to tell the time. Instead, I can quickly glance at the puck-sized speaker on my nightstand. Since the LED clock’s brightness adapts to ambient lighting conditions, it’s never too bright or too dim. When you’re half asleep, you don’t want to be fumbling around to tell the time. It would’ve been great to see different color options for the LED clock, but the design of this Echo Dot is refreshingly simple and intuitive. There’s no fuss about it. You don’t even have to touch your phone. John Velasco / Digital Trends Current owners of the 3rd-generation Amazon Echo Dot won’t find anything drastically different with the design of this latest model. Besides the addition of that LED clock, the rest of the speaker is the same. It has a fabric exterior finish, physical buttons on top, and the signature light ring. Available in just sandstone at the moment, it complements any decor style without completely overpowering whatever else you might have lying around. While the Due to its diminuti...

If you have an Amazon Echo Frustratingly, if you’re not in the US, you can’t use Guard just yet, but we did speak to Amazon and they told us “internationalization of all of our products and services is incredibly important”, and they are working hard to “make all of the features and devices available everywhere our customers want them,” so it sounds like it could be available globally in the near future) Right, so what is Alexa Guard? Alexa Guard is a handy feature that sees Amazon’s voice assistant utilizes the far-field microphones in an Echo smart speaker or Echo smart display to listen for sounds such as breaking glass or a smoke detector after you’ve told Alexa you’re not going to be around by saying “Alexa, I’m leaving”. If Alexa Guard hears anything, the voice assistant will send an alert to the Alexa app on your smartphone, flagging to you something untoward is happening. You can then listen to the audio clip, or start an Alexa Drop In, which allows you to listen to your Amazon Smart speaker live if you want to hear what’s going on in that room without returning home. If you have a compatible smart home alarm including those from Ring and ADT, the alerts can even be forwarded to the alarm company so they can investigate. If you have an Amazon smart display in the same room you could also use the Echo Show as a home security camera and view a live feed from the smart display’s camera from the Alexa app if you want to see what’s happening in your home. Alexa Guard ca...

Related • • • John Velasco / Digital Trends With the advent of smartphones, the bedroom alarm clock has nearly gone extinct. So, why in the world would we need another stationary thing to tell us the time? Well, since even the Xfinity cable box in my bedroom eliminated the clock from its design, there’s actually no other way to tell time unless I glance at my phone. And that’s why I can appreciate the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock, because when you’re half asleep, you don’t want to be fumbling around to tell the time. Instead, I can quickly glance at the puck-sized speaker on my nightstand. Since the LED clock’s brightness adapts to ambient lighting conditions, it’s never too bright or too dim. When you’re half asleep, you don’t want to be fumbling around to tell the time. It would’ve been great to see different color options for the LED clock, but the design of this Echo Dot is refreshingly simple and intuitive. There’s no fuss about it. You don’t even have to touch your phone. John Velasco / Digital Trends Current owners of the 3rd-generation Amazon Echo Dot won’t find anything drastically different with the design of this latest model. Besides the addition of that LED clock, the rest of the speaker is the same. It has a fabric exterior finish, physical buttons on top, and the signature light ring. Available in just sandstone at the moment, it complements any decor style without completely overpowering whatever else you might have lying around. While the Due to its diminuti...

While the previous Echo Dots were cheap ways to extend smart home control all over your home, they weren't the most attractive devices and had weedy sounds. The Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) as a vast improvement on the originals, even though it costs exactly the same. The new finish looks fantastic and the new Echo Dot is a device that you'd happily put out on show. Audio has been dramatically improved, too, both in terms of quality and loudness, which makes Alexa easier to understand and means that the odd bit of music or radio is a possibility. If you're looking to put Alexa in more rooms, then this is the device to buy. What is the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen)? For smart home control and filling your home with Alexa devices, the Echo Dot has always been a popular choice. The old versions had two main problems: they were a little ugly, and a little quiet. With the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen), Amazon addresses both issues, delivering an improved smart speaker that’s ideal for home control and a little bit of light music or radio. Since the product was launched, Amazon has also released the new Echo Dot with Clock, which is effectively the same model only with an LCD screen to show the current time. Both products are available side-by-side, so it’s a matter of first deciding if an Echo Dot is the right model for you and, if it is, which model best suits you and youor home. Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Design and build quality Gone is the plain plastic case of the old version, and t...