Alexa Guard can also be programmed to turn any connected smart lights on and off to make it look like someoneвЂ™s home while youвЂ™re away.ДЄmazon has also partnered with a number of companies so that you can pair smart home devices such as lights and sensors directly with Echos, and use them as smart home hubs. Alexa Guard can also be linked to a number of the best DIY home security systems, too. AlexaвЂ™s Routines, by contrast, offer not only geolocation as a trigger, but also inputs from other smart home devices, which gets you much closer to an automated smart home.ДЄnother neat feature with Alexa is Alexa Guard, which will use the microphones in the Echo Dot or any Alexa speaker to listen for such things as a smoke alarm or glass breaking, and will send you an alert if it hears anything. Though Google recently added the ability to create routines based on your (or your family memberвЂ™s) location, itвЂ™s only available for use with smart lights and GoogleвЂ™s Nest Thermostats and home security cameras. When it comes to smart home skills, though, Alexa has a clear lead over Google Assistant in a few key areas. Of course, a smart speaker is for more than just playing music, and right now, itвЂ™s a two-way race between Amazon and Google to see who has the smarter digital assistant. Amazon Echo Dot review: Alexa capabilities It will fill up a bedroom nicely with sound, so long as you don't try and drive it too loud.

Like previous generations, it's ideal as a personal-listening device. My daughter bopped around the room as SiwaвЂ™s effervescent voice rose above the thumpy bass line.ДЄfter my daughter went to bed, I spent the evening listening to other genres of music, and found the Echo Dot performed well for its size. In no time at all, my toddler was shouting вЂњLexa, JoJo Siwa Boomerang!вЂќ and to my chagrin, the Echo Dot responded by playing the teen pop starвЂ™s songs in all their bubbly glory. For more information, check out our story Why is Alexa flashing? Like other Alexa speakers, the LEDs will change color based on the status of the speaker or your Alexa account. ItвЂ™s like ground effects for your smart speaker. So now, when you summon Alexa, the glow from the LEDs reflects off the surface of whatever the Dot is resting on, which is cool. The other major difference between the 4th-generation Echo Dot and previous models is that the ring of LEDs is now on the bottom, rather than the top edge. For me, though, the Echo Dot represents a device thatвЂ™s meant to blend into the background until itвЂ™s needed, and the puck shape of older models was better suited to that. While I think thatвЂ™s a logical reason to change the look of the Echo and the Echo Dot with Clock, IвЂ™m not sure if it makes as much sense with the regular Echo Dot. During its launch event, Amazon said that part of the reason for the redesign of the Echo Dot and the Echo were a result of owners placing their smart speakers in more prominent places. Now that I have the Echo Dot in hand, IвЂ™m not as enamored with it.

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