I am pleasantly surprised with the Echo Dot. Like any Echo devices, it's easy to setup and use. Truly a miniature version of the larger Echo devices. I cannot compare against Gen 1 or 2 but I'd imagine that there are improvements. If you have other Echo devices, the Dot is a great addition. If this is the only Echo devices that you own, it is equally good.The Dot is perfect for the bedroom, kitchen, basement, family room, or home office. Literally just about anywhere in your house. Working exactly like larger Echo devices, you can Alexa for a weather forecast, news update, time, play trivia, or interesting facts. The Dot can also be used as a bluetooth speaker. It is certainly not going to be as loud, offer better bass, mids/lows as a full fledged BT speaker or larger Echo but holds its own.TIP:Do you want louder and better sound quality? Pair a bluetooth speaker with the Dot or use connect a speaker using the AUX port located on the back of the Dot.If you have smart plugs, lights or other devices in your house, the Dot can control all of those. Placing the Dot on a night stand, you can ask Alexa to turn the table lamp on or off. I tested calling with the Echo Dot and it was good. The sound was clear and the person on the other end could clearly hear me. The Dot can stream Apple Music, Spotify, Tune-in, NPR, etc, and pair with another Dot for stereo sound.

Love this. My only complaint is sometimes it doesn’t do what I ask. I love how it links to other echos which means I can play music in all my rooms at the same time. It’s connected to all of my smart bulbs which makes it easy to turn on/off lights.

I was really hesitant for a long time on getting one, I’m a google person but after getting one I feel like my life has been simplified almost ! Plus my wife and I made a bunch of hilarious talk backs ! Spent like 3 hrs just playing with it the first night ! And whenever I leave my house I feel support secure with the alarmed setting plus it plays sounds for my dog when I leave ! Honestly such a great investment.

The amazon echo is a great addition to your home if you are open to having mics listening in on your activities and conversations. I know some don't like that, but those who allow it will find great convenience in getting information about weather, movies, actors, jokes, and more. Plus, you'll be able to request music, and with a little effort in the app, you can have the same music playing via a group across multiple echos and fire sticks, giving you a great way to have a sonos-like environment. While the intelligence of the questions aren't up to par with Google's similar devices, the echo will suffice for most. Just don't expect it to answer complex questions, or provide extremely precise answers in all cases. And if you're a smart home user who likes to control lights, thermostats, etc., then the echo and its alexa app let you do lots of cool things, and even automate them with routines (e.g., say "goodnight" at the end of the day to turn off all the lights and lower the thermostat). What's especially nice is if you have multiple brands, the alexa app bridges that complexity so it all plays nicely together. Keep a spare echo ready in your music group and you can bring it outside on the deck on a nice day and have your music - and control of your music - at your side. Just wish they'd come out with a waterproof or outdoor version to have it out there all the time.

i use my alexa everyday and is super helpful! use it for timers, playing music, checking the weather, all kinds of stuff anf i dont even have to get up