Is the Amazon Echo (Dot) worth it?

#1

Hey guys,

I’ve been thinking of picking up an Amazon Echo Dot, mainly because it seems so futuristic and cool lol. But seriously, I do have some LIFX bulbs and it would be nice to be able to control them via voice. Other than that, I can’t see much of a use for the Echo Dot. I might occasionally ask it the weather, but I can’t see myself “relying” on it for stuff.

Do you have an Amazon Echo/Echo Dot, do you still use it, and do you use it regularly?

I’m trying to see if the $50 price is worth it.

And let me get one thing out of the way now: no, I will not be listening to music on it. I’m not sure I want to plug it into my stereo, but if I did, I only use Google Play Music, and only the Google Home can do that! I’m not willing to pay more than $50 for this sort of device, so I just won’t use it for music.

Anyway, is it worth it?

#2

When it came out I wanted one too. I eventually realised that being ‘futuristic and cool’ was the only reason to get one and didn’t bother.

#3

Yeah, I think you may be right. That’s definitely why I’d only spend $50 if I get one, and I refuse to spend even $130 on a Google Home.

#4

I have one and I use it every morning to turn on the lights and then to listen to the news, weather and traffic. It’s much better than waiting through all the ads on traditional radio. I know you don’t want to use it for music, but streaming free Pandora and iHeartRadio is definitely a plus for me. If you’re in the US, the Dot will be on sale for $40 at BestBuy for Black Friday.

2 Likes
#5

Yes! Get either the echo or the dot, but not the Google home. People are saying bad things about it. Thanks

#6

I’m "TECH"ed out for the moment … we have too many electronics to count in my house. Three laptops, three kid tablets, one broken ipad mini (thanks kids), Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, a desktop computer, two iPhones, Apple TV, Smart TV … I’m sure there’s more but if I got a Dot, it’d just be another gadget to throw into the fire of desire.

#7

You can never have too many gadgets! :laughing:

#8

I actually opted to “get” (well, really it’s for my Christmas list so it’s not for sure LOL) the Google Home for several reasons. As previously stated, I could care less about the speaker, and if Google had a “Google Home Dot,” I would buy that. But anyways… Here is why I opted to ask for the Google Home over the Echo Dot:

  1. You can’t beat Google for a source
    I don’t like how the Amazon Echo uses Bing, but it has to. Of course Google wouldn’t let Amazon use it, since that would be stupid. In a comparison of complexity in questions, Google can answer way more and understands context way better.

  2. After thinking about it, it would be nice to use it for some music. Since I subscribe to Google Play Music, it just makes sense since the Echo Dot can’t do Google Play Music.

Let me say that yes, I am aware of the shortcomings in the home control department. Yes, I know it won’t be able to natively control my LIFX bulbs at first (without a “ghetto” IFTTT workaround), but let’s put it this way: Google already wins in 2 of 3 categories (intelligence and entertainment), and once they add the 3rd party API next year, within about a year, I guarantee you that the Google Home will absolutely wreck the Amazon Echo. The Echo can never catch up, because it’s using Bing. Google has a major advantage, and I want to invest for the future and go with the overall better platform, even if it means waiting a year for it to be perfected. I’m already invested in the Google ecosystem, so it just makes more sense.