Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have some experience with the Original Amazon Echo which is partly what lead me to getting the Echo Dot Gen2. I liked that the Echo was very responsive and could give me news updates as well as play music. When the Echo Dot came out I looked at getting it but was hesitant to order because I wasn't sure what kind of use I would get from it and while I liked the original Echo, I didn't want to buy a lesser version. When the Dot Gen2 released I finally decided that I would give it a shot. My uses have been somewhat limited so far based on what I use it for and what other things that I have that can be controlled by it, so this will be the beginning of an ongoing review. I've been using the Echo Dot for a few weeks now and so far I really like it. I do feel that it isn't quite as good at responding that the original is but this could be due to location and room acoustics in my bedroom with other noises like the television being closer. It isn't bad by any means but I did move it next to the bed to isolate it from other sounds and that seems to have helped a lot. I didn't expect much from the speaker from such a small device that isn't a dedicated speaker but I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. The speaker is fairly loud and generally clear at most volumes. I feel it is good enough for music playback for casual listening but wouldn't use it for get-togethers. In the end I bought an external Bluetooth speaker(Anker Premium Wireless speaker) and it is a great pairing. It improves music playback by a lot and the sound is just better overall. Currently my main uses for the Dot have been music, news, timers, alarms, general questions, and even controlling my television. For music I have it connected to Pandora and it is very fast and simple to get a Pandora radio station playing. You can also very easily turn the volume up or down or have it connect to your phone for music playback. It also has Tune In radio which features playlists for some of my favorite podcasts. I get my news feed from NPR but there are a variety of options for where to get the news, even tech sites like Engadget. I use it constantly for alarms and timers and it is as simple as asking Alexa to set them up or stop. Sometimes in the morning when I have more difficulty reading a clock face I'll just ask Alexa for the time. It is great for setting timers for laundry or cooking and would be a great handsfree companion in the kitchen. I have recently found that it can "control" my Samsung television. Currently in conjunction with my Logitech Harmony Hub it can turn it on and off, thus the "control." I have heard that pairing it with the Logitech Harmony Hub as well as Samsung Smart Things Hub can give me control over changing the channel and volume but I do not own the Smart Things Hub and it seems like a lot to ask. I'd really like to see something like this simplified but I understand that this cannot just come from Alexa's end and would require support from television manufacturers. Yes it is simple enough to control the tv with the remote but it actually turns out to be convenient to do a lot with your voice like setting sleep functions or changing the source. Turning the tv on and off is limited but kind of cool. There are a lot of apps and devices that the Echo has access to so I'd suggest researching what kind of smart home devices it can control or what apps it has access to that are relevant to you. I don't have any smart bulbs or sockets currently but since getting the Echo I have started looking into them. Also there seem to be a good variety of apps but I haven't really delved into them enough to use or make suggestions. I did recently download the Jeopardy game which initially worked very well but has become somewhat frustrating to play due to the game not hearing my answer and saying that it was incorrect and the correct answer is the one I just gave. This is beyond a minor gripe because everything else I use it for so far works great. I think devices like the Echo will improve a lot over time and I just hope smart controllable functionality will be safely built into more devices without having to own a variety of different hubs or controls. For something still somewhat in its infancy, the Echo is capable of a lot and works very well in what it does. There are going to be issues and hiccups here and there but that is expected. If you were to just use this for pandora, the news, alarms, and a timer I think I could still recommend it. For $40-$50 you get a lot that works well in this device. The audio quality is capable enough for most uses and it just works well in these areas. If you have a lot of devices you want to control and apps you want to use I'd suggest doing a good bit of research first to make sure it does what you intend it to and it does it consistently. The Echo Dot 2 is far from perfect. It doesn't always pick up my voice or what I say correctly and it will always be limited by its apps or other devices. Regardless of its shortcomings it is a surprisingly good device that works far more than it doesn't and it is continuing to grow every day. For the very reasonable price and it's functionality I can only give it 5 stars and recommend it to anyone that can see its usefulness in their lives.