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Since I am a Prime Member, I was able to purchase the Echo Dot via Alexa online. If you’re not familiar with this purchase, buyers could only make the purchase from Alexa via Fire TV or the Echo. Now, I only had the Fire TV and had no idea how to order anything online by this personal assistant called Alexa. I only knew that with my luck, it couldn’t possibly happen.
Once I added the app to my smartphone and stood in front of the television with the Fire TV attached, I was in business. I was surprised how well the purchase went. I ordered two Echo Dots, one for myself and a friend as a retirement gift.
The Dot Is As Small As A Hockey Puck
Reviewers described it as a hockey puck. I know how large a hockey puck is and I doubted this guys were being truthful, until it arrived. I held it in my hand and thought…it does look like a hockey puck. It’s small, but the audio is great. Alexa works great also. It’s everything in the Echo, but only in a smaller package.
I know that the Tap is being touted as portable, but I would have to disagree. The Dot is actually the most portable of the three. Oh, did I mention, that I have all three of these devices! I wanted to show off the benefits of owning the Dot to my family members. So, I took it out of town with me. It’s was great being able to pack it alongside my 17 inch laptop in the same bag. I had placed it inside a six inch bag and then inside my rolling laptop bag.
TSA Had A Problem With The Dot
Now, when I arrived at the airport I had to step aside so the TSA agents could look inside my Image may be NSFW.
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bag. The agent pulled out the pouch with my Dot and I knew it was the culprit for getting my stopped. I guess it not only looked like a hockey puck, but maybe a miniature bomb!
I watched as the agent carefully removed it from my laptop bag and unzipped it’s carrying pouch. He handled it with two fingers and turned to me and asked, “What is this?”
I explained to him what it was and how it is used. Getting a little inpatient, I wanted to walk over to him and show him that the manufacturer’s name is on the device and there is no foul play going on here. However, as you know, you have to stand quietly until talked to or told to move. So, I stood there and patiently watch him search the bag finding nothing.
That was an interesting experience. However, on my return trip, the TSA agents were not as curious. I guess they already knew what the Dot was and didn’t need a hands on examination of it.
At my sister’s house, I set up Alexa for that city and state. We were able to obtain the weather each morning along with the news highlights. My other sister who is a techie was over visiting when we began a conversation about gadgets.
It was the chance I had been waiting for to demonstrate my new gadget! I asked Alexa for the weather and what was on my calendar. My sister’s eyes grew big because this was something she had not known about or experienced. She asked excitedly, “What is that!”
I told her what it was and how she could get one. Unfortunately, she didn’t own a Fire TV, so she wasn’t able to order the Dot on Alexa. To her credit she did a search and ordered the Echo! She liked it better. She also ordered one for one of her real estate clients as a home warming gift.
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Since she has had the Echo for quite awhile now, she is already asking about portability. Then she surprised me by saying, I wish I had ordered the Tap. I told her, that it wouldn’t be a good buy because every time you speak to Alexa, you will have to go over to the Tap and press the talk button to engage Alexa. The Echo is the best buy especially now since there are battery bases designed for the device to make it portable.
She told me about having to unplug it and place it in the kitchen with her. She wanted to listen to music while she cooked. She stated it was great being able to listen to music in her kitchen instead of having to turn up the sound on her stereo so she could here it in the kitchen. Being able to request Alexa play certain artists and genre of music was also a plus for her. It was great to know how well she was enjoying her Echo.
Battery Bases For The Echo
That was a long story, I know, but it was only a setup to share with you that now there are Image may be NSFW.
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battery bases available for the Echo to make it portable! When I saw this, I had to have one and I also dug deeper and purchased my sister one for her Echo.
I found four battery bases for the Echo, that you might be interested in. I purchased the Powerboot battery from Koozie LLC, it lasts for 14 hours. If you need more hours for a battery charge, you can purchase the Megaboot battery for $99.00. Take a look at the batteries and see what you think. See my review for the Intelligent Battery Base for the Amazon Echo here.
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