BACKGROUND:
Meet your new lady friend! Alexa, although you can call her other names (but not Bitch!)
OMG! I hear you ... If you are not a big reader, just skip over this section of Blue Text!
This is a brand new item, never used (except I have opened the packaging to check the contents and powered it up to make sure that all is well - but NOT set it up, that is for the new owner to do!)
I am very much "old school" and the years are piling up, my first foray into electronics involved wonderful things such as valves (those nice glowing bottles!) Germanium semiconductors (I remember building gear based on the OC and AC series transistors) then moving into Silicon based semiconductors and even GaAs devices for RF use. I love analog and co-exist with digital but much prefer a sine-wave over a square wave!
Being of a very inquisitive nature, I like to try and understand the changing technologies and their inherent weaknesses and strengths, so it was that I eventually wanted to take a look at these smart speaker systems for both general entertainment and "time keeping" plus, just something to play around with!
Specifically, our daughter wanted a convenient "on demand" good quality sound system in her bedroom plus the ability and change the lighting colours in her room (and elsewhere as it turned out) so I installed a Google dot "thing" in her bedroom.
These devices are just so cool I must admit. She can ask for any music she wants (she has a subscription) and mood change the lighting in her bedroom and her lounge area.
Next, my wife wanted to know the time on demand, set alarms and perhaps from time to time, play some "relaxing sleep music" when she was resting. Naturally I installed another Google thing (I can't remember the model) which sits under the bed, listening for her voice commands ... also a very very useful device.
About twelve months later, it was decided that we need to have yet another smart device out on the back deck of the house which would primarily play our local favourite radio station (Smooth FM) and tell the time on command OR set a specific alarm on command, so my wife would know when to set off to work to begin her shift.
This time I went the Amazon way, not Google. I just wanted to try a device from someone other than Google. I installed a 5th generation Echo Dot and it works great, although sometimes "Alexa" gets a bit cranky with me and does not listen properly to my commands (but then again, she is way up in the roof of the verandah so perhaps she is having trouble hearing me!)
At the time I bought the 5th Generation "Dot" in 2022, the shop also had a 3rd Generation "Dot" (this one) and although a little older (2020 release) I liked the lower profile and purchased this 3rd Gen Dot as well.
In the end, I only used the big round ball 5th Generation and didn't need this "pancake" style Dot, so it just sat in the spare room, waiting for someone to "love it"
Well, after a couple of years, I still haven't used it so it is about time this 3rd Generation DOT went out into the big wide world, connected to the Cloud and started being useful to someone!
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCE INSIGHTS INTO THESE "SMART" DEVICES ...
For our domestic purposes, they are extremely useful and fairly easy to setup (using a smart phone) - of course you need a WiFi connection at home or wherever it is being used.
We still have battery powered AM/FM radios just in case of a disaster because if power is lost, these smart devices are useless!
The Amazon device (on the verandah) is great for music, particularly the radio station we most often listen to - we have no subscription for the Amazon device so everything we do with it is free. The downside to the Amazon device is that she seems to have "narrow thinking" ... by that I mean I cannot have a sensible conversation with "her", if I ask a philosophical question such as "What is the meaning of life?", she spits the dummy and just has no idea what I am talking about, although sometimes she tries to behave intelligently with responses such as "Thats an interesting question ..." Then silence.
The Google Dot device on the other hand REALLY tries hard to get involved in a discussion and she (it's a female voice) tries to provide some sort of sensible answers but is obviously drawing its information from various websites and putting that information together in some sort of coherent (and sometimes incoherent) manner. Doesn't always work out well though, sometimes Google just shows itself as being an imbecile! A gatherer of information but when it comes to critical, independent, intelligent thinking ... a human wins out "hands down"
Funny, when I try to "flirt" with Google, she gets all coy and suggests I should stop saying "those things" to her and she just wants to "remain friends" Hahaha - it's actually all a great hoot and fun to play with. Amazon on the other hand is all about music and nothing but the music (Oh yes it also does control lights) but as a "talking mate" it really doesn't compete with Google.
OK, enough chatter ... you see I don't just offer things on my website, I try to make the advertisements interesting and provide a bit of insight into what it is actually like to use these various things I have available.
AMAZON ECHO DOT (3rd Generation)
NEW (Purchased around 2022, box opened to check the contents only - read above if you dare)
Australian model (built in access to pre-determined streaming services without a subscription)
ALL items in the box are ORIGINAL! Even the outer box still has the RFID security tag attached!
Why do I say ORIGINAL? you may well ask ... when I was hunting around for these devices a while back, I did look at "2nd hand" devices. One I received had a "3rd party" power adapter and caused me nothing but trouble - it was sadly under-rated for use with the device I purchased. It was because of this that I decided from then on to only purchase brand new product.
Designed by AMAZON (USA)
Manufactured in China
Supported in Australia by Amazon Commercial Services, Sydney.
Outer cloth colour: Charcoal
Serial Number: G090XG12230705ET
MAC address is clearly visible, should you wish to delve deeper into this device (from an IT perspective)
AMAZON branded power pack is supplied (GP92NB 12V DC @ 1.25A)
Three small pieces of paper detailing how to set it up, although "she" prompts you verbally when setup is being undertaken - you really don't need to read these pieces of paper!
DIMENSIONS:
The AMAZON Dot looks like a MacDonald's Cheeseburger! Well in shape at least, if you received a "Maccas" with a Charcoal colour then I would be taking it back!
98mm Diameter x 45mm Height
WEIGHT: 285g
The base is flat with no means of alternative mounting supplied, this means that in it's current form, you can only place it on a flat surface or on the floor (such as under the bed!) The other AMAZON Dot that we are using currently is also like this, so it is up in the beams of the roof! and it still works great.
I cannot see any reason why it would not work if mounted on a vertical surface (such as a wall) with a double sided adhesive pad.
TESTING:
While this is a brand new device (and unused) I wanted to double check that all was well so I have made a very basic test of the device.
Plugged in the power pack and the "Dot" has the usual rotating Blue ring on top with a Green dot moving around the rim in a circle. After a time, the dominant Blue changes to a Green and the moving dot goes Green. Then a little time later, the ring turns Orange and Alexa talks to me "Hello, your device is now ready for setup ..."
I have not proceeded any further as I could see no point in undertaking a complete setup on our network.
From my observations, everything is AOK and working as it should.
COSMETIC CONDITION:
NEW
NO retail price stickers although the RFID metallic sticker underneath is still in place.
NO signficant marks or discolouration to the box at all.
NO damage to any of the components inside the box
Original clear plastic "wrap" remains in place on the "Dot" and the Power pack - when testing I just moved this wrap slightly to the side but did not break the seal.
I have now packed this complete, original boxed AMAZON DOT Echo into a sealed, clear plastic outer plastic to maintain the condition while it sits in the spare room waiting to serve it's purpose in life!
Here are some interesting questions to ask your new "friend" - just don't try and date her!
