Amazon’s Echo Dot 3rd Generation was released on October 11, 2018 and is the best selling speaker of all time. This impressive smart speaker gives you control of your smart home with a few commands. It comes in 3 fabric colors: charcoal, heather gray and sandstone. And although it’s relatively small it packs a big punch!
The Echo Dot 3rd Gen has better speaker quality than its predecessor, and it can be paired with a second Echo Dot for stereo sound. So, yes, while music does sound better on the Echo Dot 3rd Gen, it’s not the speaker that you would want to listen to an album on. The Echo Dot 3rd gen has an auxiliary 3.5mm jack so that you can connect any speaker with a matching jack.
The Echo Dot 3rd Gen’s dimensions are 3.9” x 3.9” x 1.7”, and it weighs 10.6 oz. Echo Dot comes ready out-of-the-box. All you will need to do is download the free Alexa App, which is compatible with Fire OS, Android and iOS devices. The Alexa App is also accessible online via your web browser. Once set up, Alexa is ready to help! You can ask Alexa to answer questions, check the weather, read the news, play music, set alarms, create reminders and much more.
In addition to basic commands, Amazon Alexa has tens of thousands of built-in capabilities called skills. Skills are apps that enable Alexa to connect to hardware and software to perform certain tasks. Many Alexa skills are tailored for news and information. For example, Alexa can check bus or train schedules, check the traffic, find someplace to eat or find a certain store’s hours. Alexa is linked to game skills, educational skills, and music/video skills. Alexa skills can also give users access to accounts they have already set up. For example, with the Dominos’ skill, you can place your most recent order or build a new order from scratch.
Thanks to smart home technology, you can also use your Echo Dot to control many of the devices that you might have in your home. Amazon WiFi simple setup enables you to connect your smart home devices to your WiFi network in a few easy steps. The result is an all-around smarter home controlled simply by your voice. Once connected, you can control the thermostat, turn on the light, lock the doors and more just by asking Alexa.
In summary, if you are looking for an inexpensive wireless speaker that can make calls, play an occasional song or two and control your smart home, the Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Gen is easily one of the best smart speakers on the market for you. And, if you plan on sitting down for a long listening session, you will be able to connect two external speakers for stereo sound. Overall, the Echo Dot 3rd Generation is the best smart speaker that money can buy! [Update – 03/2022: Echo Dot 3rd Generation is currently $40 and only available in charcoal.]
