AMAZON has slashed the price of its Echo Dot speaker-clock by half.
It means you can now bag the fancy Alexa speaker for just shy of £30.
This is the third-generation Echo Dot, which is the latest and most advanced model.
It has improved audio, better voice pick-up and a more attractive design than older models.
The Echo works using far-field microphones that pick up your voice from anywhere in a room.
All you need to do is say the wake word (Alexa), and she'll start listening to your speech.
- Echo Dot (with clock) at Amazon for £29.99 – buy here
Ask a question and she'll use Amazon's computing heft to work out an answer for you.
She can play music or radio, make phone calls, and even read your Kindle books or audiobooks out loud.
Better still, she can connect to third-party services too.
So you can use the official Domino's skill to place pizza orders just with your voice.
But that's not all: this is a special version of the Echo Dot with a built-in clock.
Amazon has embedded LED lights beneath the outer fabric that form a subtle digital clock.
It means you can quickly check the time at a glance – without having to ask Alexa out loud.
And a light sensor on the Echo makes sure that the brightness of the clock always suits the time of day.
What is Alexa?
If you've never heard of Alexa, here's what you need to know…
- Alexa is an "intelligent" personal assistant built by Amazon.
- You can find her on several different devices, including Amazon's Echo speakers.
- Alexa responds to voice commands, and can talk back to you.
- She can perform thousands of different tasks, including telling you about the news or weather.
- But she can do more complex things too, like ordering a pizza or arranging an Uber taxi pick-up.
- To activate Alexa, you need to say "Alexa" to an Amazon Echo speaker.
- Alexa currently only works in English and German languages.
- Because she's powered by artificial intelligence, Alexa is constantly getting smarter.
- Alexa will also get more used to your voice, and better understand what you want her to do over time.
She'll also work with a host of other smart home gadgets.
If you have a connected Dyson fan, for instance, Alexa will be able to control how it remotely.
And if you own smart lightbulbs – like Philips Hue or Hive Active Lights – you can use Alexa to turn the lights on and off.
Alexa also comes with a healthy roster of built-in games, so you can play trivia quizzes with her when you're bored.
If you get multiple Echos, you'll be able to play music all around your home in sync – all thanks to the Alexa app.
- Echo Dot (with clock) at Amazon for £29.99 – buy here
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed. Always do your own research before making any purchase.
In other news, Amazon Prime has added a 'Watch Party' so you can watch movies live with pals remotely.
And check out our Alexa buyer's guide.
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