Echo Dot (2nd Generation): Best New Upgrades

Amazon's 2nd generation Echo Dot is an updated version of its original sold-out mini smart speaker.

The new Dot has 3 new features that make it worth buying:

• Sleeker design that comes in two colors: black/white

• Improved speech processor for voice accuracy

• Echo Spatial Perception (ESP) for multiple device detection

The first feature is mostly related to how it'll look and the design.

I'm sure you've seen pictures of the all-white Echo Dot, and if not, then you can check it out on Amazon's website.

The upgraded version is more compact and look a bit sleeker. It's not a significant difference but it's definitely noticeable if you've ever owned the first generation. They also removed the volume ring rotating feature, instead opting for volume control buttons.

The second great feature is the improved speech processor, which was one of the things that bothered me about the previous Echo Dot. For audiophiles this improves Alexa's listening capabilities even with sound or music playing in the background.

Finally a cool new tech boost is the Echo Spatial Perception, which is fantastic if you have numerous Echo or Echo Dot products in your home.

Having this boost means you won't set off several devices when you say "Alexa", but rather the closest one to you.

With the Echo Dot (2nd generation), it'll make creating smart homes that much easier.

The biggest selling point of these 2nd gen products is that they're much cheaper than their predecessors.

2nd Generation Echo Dot is only $49.99 vs. $89.99 for the original version.

And for an added bonus you can buy 3 Echo Dots and save $20 off your order, which would still be less expensive than the Amazon Echo, Echo Look, or Echo Show.

With those deals it's obvious that Amazon wants you to place a Dot for every room in your home, and for that price it's not a bad marketing ploy.

The previous Echo Dot was arguably the best smart speaker we've seen, even better than the Echo, and these extra tweaks are going to make it stronger.

If you've ever been curious about smart home products, then it doesn't get any better (and cheaper) than the 2nd generation Dot.

And it that doesn't convince you to try it out, then Amazon is bundling their product with other smart home devices like Philips Hue bulbs for a much lower price than they'd be separately.

Owning smart products has never been cheaper, and it's a sign of things to come for the emerging internet of things (IoT) consumer market.

Finally the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot have expanded beyond the United States and into India, Japan, Canada, the UK and Germany.

This has ushered in a slew of customers and people who've always been curious about these mysterious smart speakers. It's also the first time that Alexa has gotten a vocal makeover.

Alexa supports UK, Canadian, and Indian accents as well as German and Japanese language capabilities.

There's no question that Amazon wants to expand Alexa's speech recognition software so it can enunciate multiple language and dialects, but don't expect her to turn into Google Translate anytime soon.

Still it makes me happy to see our overseas neighbors become part of the Alexa experience and other future innovations from Amazon.

In addition, this expansion could set the smart home and the internet of things into motion for 2018 and beyond.

So far it's been a very slow integration process but now other countries can too setup Echos around their homes and develop their own smart homes.

Amazon is going all-in on the smart home given Alexa's growing list of connections with other companies.

However the problem of mass customer deployment has constantly come down to three things:

• Price

• Interoperability

• Security

Smart devices are not cheap particularly when you have to purchase multiple units to get some of your lights to work.

For example; SmartThings requires a hub, light bulbs or light switches for it to function (unless you own an Echo Plus).

Setting up a complete smart home will cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars depending on the size of your house. There are simply too many gadgets to connect, and it can be frustrating if they stop functioning due to connectivity problems.

Finally security will be a huge challenge because hackers are running rampant. Not too long ago we've seen how easily smart locks were able to get hacked, broken into, which is unacceptable.

Have a smart lock? Yeah , it can probably be hacked

I believe privacy/security will be the greatest hurdle to overcome in the years ahead.

For Amazon however, they remain confident that more and more people will want to invest in their products. At the very least they've managed to tackle the pricing issue that has stopped consumers from becoming invested.

If you take advantage of the buy 3, save $20 Echo Dot deal, then you can easily place Alexa in every room of your home.

Setting up your devices is simple; you just have to do these three things:

• Download Amazon Alexa app and log-in using Amazon account

• Press and hold "Action Button" to launch set-up mode

• Follow instructions to connect your WiFi network with each device

Remember that all these gadgets require a strong internet connection, so make sure your WiFi can reach any room in your house where you have an Echo device.

If you're unsure how strong your internet connection is, then download the Ookla speed test app to test it. For out of range networks, I'd recommend getting a WiFi range extender or a mesh network from Google.

Once you have your devices setup, then follow the Alexa-app guidelines to learn about new features, skills, and the other numerous things Alexa can do.

And since the 2nd Gen Echo Dot has Spatial Perception, you won't have to change the wake word for your other Alexa gadgets.

Finally you'll have Alexa availability in every room in your home, so you won't have to shout to her next time you need to know the weather.

Like the Echo, the Echo Dot can play music, control smart devices, access 100,000+ of Alexa skills, and be your personal alarm clock/timer all via voice.

However unlike the Amazon Echo, the Dot is much cheaper ($100 for Echo vs. $50 for Echo Dot), and it comes with awesome bundles through Amazon.com like the Echo Dot Kids Version.

The Echo Dot (2nd Gen) is the product we've been waiting for and now it's finally here.

Alexa will have her time to shine and consumers will be much happier than they were when the Amazon Echo launched.

There's enough usefulness and options that makes this product an absolute steal. We have never seen a cheaper and more efficient smart gadget, and it's only going to get better.

Since the software upgrades are done over the Cloud, you can expect Alexa to get smarter and more accurate.

Like I said at the beginning of this article, if you've always been curious but feared the cost, then this is the perfect opportunity to take that step.

I've owned these products for a while, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next generation of Amazon Echo and Echo Dot gadgets.