The Amazon Echo Dot

Please remember that I definitely feel like a granny when it comes to all this new fangled stuff so these are purely my thoughts, right or wrong, about Amazon’s new Echo Dot.

There’s never a time when music isn’t playing when I’m home alone. Once Vince walks in, my music goes off and the TV goes on and you know how I feel about TV. I had an under the cabinet radio/iPod player in the kitchen but it no longer works. Most of the replacements I could find online work with Bluetooth and my old iPod is not Bluetooth. Another benefit to the under the cabinet player is that while plugged in, it also charged the iPod so I wasn’t taking up another of my few outlets to charge that device. I had been searching for something that would work and when I read about the Dot several months ago, before it was ever released, I was so sure that would solve my music problems.

Vince was skeptical. I probably wasn’t telling him the right info and he hadn’t read about it but he was sure the Dot would have to be plugged into another device (notebook, iPad, etc.). He said he thought something else had to “drive” it. Example:  If I wanted to listen to Pandora, he thought one of my other devices had to already be on Pandora. From what I was reading, I didn’t think so and I was right — it connects with the wifi in the house and does not need another device nearby. So long as the wifi is on and working, every other device in the house can be off.

It arrived one day last week and I was determined I was going to hook it all up and get it going myself. I’m the one who can barely turn a computer on without help! Getting the Dot going was so easy! I downloaded an app to my phone — could have been to a tablet . . anything Bluetooth . . but I’ll tell you why I wanted it on my phone later. It took me less than 5 minutes to have everything connected and working.

Right now, the Dot is $49.99 at Amazon and at this point in my thinking, it’s the best $49.99 I have ever spent! I am so impressed!

Here it is sitting on top of my wheat grinder for perspective but after posting it on FB, I realized most people have no idea the size of the wheat grinder. The Dot is small. It easily will sit on the palm of my hand, and is smaller than a saucer.

For speakers, I bought the Altec Mini Lifejacket, which is $90 at Amazon but $79 at my Walmart but $72 at Walmart online, and I think they have free shipping on items over $50 but please verify that before ordering . . it may not apply to everything. I went to our local Walmart and told the guy I wanted a Bluetooth speaker that I could run off the Dot, take outside, and turn it up loud. He immediately went to this one and he made a good choice. He told me I could spend $39 or up to $299 but he thought I would be happy with this one and so far, I really love it. 

Before I talk about the Dot, let me talk about the speaker. I LOVE it! It plugs into the wall outlet but it has an internal battery and once fully charged, will play 10 hours at 50% volume if unplugged so I can take the speaker outside and sit it on the porch while I’m out walking. It’s light enough that I can easily carry it in one hand. It feels very sturdy and it doesn’t take up much room. Most of the time, it is sitting on top of the kombucha jars in the kitchen. It is somewhat waterproof so I can also take it in the bathroom with me when I want to take a long bath and have music.

About the Dot . . I don’t even know where to start! First, you say her name . . Alexa . . and she listens and responds. You can say: Alexa, how do you spell anything and she spells it. I can ask her anything. There’s a record on my phone (or whatever device would have your app) of everything we’ve asked her. Imagine this:  I’m cooking a pork roast, I have 10 things going in the kitchen and my hands are dirty and I’m in a rush and I can’t remember what the internet temp of pork should be. Alexa sits on the counter in the dining room. From across the kitchen, I ask my question and get my instant response:

This is why I wanted it on my phone! It also has a “Shopping List” so that when I’m in the kitchen (or anywhere in our small house really), I can say “Alexa, add black pepper to my shopping list” and it’s instantly on the shopping list of the Alexa app on my phone. If I’m reading through recipes and see something I want to make, I can simply say “Alexa, add whatever to the shopping list” and it’s added. I can also ask her to remove items from my shopping list. I’ll have my phone with me in the store and can simply check the items off as I put them in the cart. When I get home, the phone will sync with the Dot and the things I bought are off the list and the things I still need are still on the list.

The Dot also has a “To Do List”. Everything something runs through my head that I need to do, all I have to say is “Alexa. Add bring in the bird feeders to my to do list” and it’s immediately there.

How many times do I think that I need to add something to my list and then I forget? Now, as soon as something runs through my head, if I’m in the house, I can ask her to add it to my list and if my phone is with me .. my list is with me!

The main reason I bought the Dot was for playing music, though in just a few days, I have fallen in love with it for so many other reasons. It’s amazing for playing music. I added my Pandora account and now I simply say “Alexa. Play Pandora – Dan Fogelberg station” and the music is playing. From wherever I am in the house, I can say “Alexa. Volume 4” or if I want it louder, I can say “Alexa. Volume 5.” If the phone rings or I need to stop the music, I can say “Alexa. Stop” and the music is off, or you can say, “Alexa, Pause” and then when you’re ready for it to begin again, say “Alexa, Resume”.

I told Vince that for the to do list and shopping list, he needs one. If we had two within hearing distance of each other, and in this house we don’t have any other options, he would have to use a different “wake” word. I believe Echo or Amazon are other options.

The Dot has a fairly decent speaker but I love being able to pick up my speaker, unplug it and take it wherever I need it.

In my opinion, Alexa’s limitations, and I hesitate to use that word because it’s really so amazing, are:

1. It has to be plugged in. I believe there’s some kind of “battery” or charger that you can buy and the Dot sits on it and will play but that thing has to be plugged in to be charged and then it can be unplugged and keep the Dot going but in my opinion, that’s another thing to plug in and another thing to carry so at this point, that’s not something that interests me.
2. The Dot has to be within wifi distance. It’s not like a phone (and if it was, I probably wouldn’t pay for another data plan) so if the wifi is off, or I take it too far from the house, it’s no longer working.
3. It can only be paired with one device at a time. I haven’t messed with this part much but I believe if the Dot is paired with the speakers, I could turn the speakers off and pair it with my phone. Then I would have to turn Bluetooth off on my phone and turn the speaker back on.

The range for communicating with her paired device is 30 feet.

Other capabilities, which we aren’t using right now:

• It can be paired with a light switch but you would have to replace the existing switch with one of the Dot compatible switches. Same with a ceiling fan.
• It can be paired with a special thermostat.
• If it’s paired with a light switch, I think you can use your phone even when  you’re not home, to turn lights on/off.

My dad was reading about it and he read about one lady who has a husband who is impaired and they sleep in separate bedrooms. She has a lamp by her bed and he has the Dot in his room and he can say “Alexa, turn on light” and it will turn the light on next to her bed and that wakes her up so she knows he needs her.

I’m totally impressed with it and so happy that I got it and that I figured out how to use it.