The Amazon Echo could easily be considered the technological product of the year, the true innovator even if in the USA it has been used for 3 years and more.
Amazon's Echo Dot is basically a wifi speaker that includes the now famous Amazon Alexa virtual and voice assistant, smart and surprising.
Alexa then becomes a real presence in the house, which answers questions and parries as if she were a real person, every time she is asked.
Obviously it is not a virtual companion for those who feel alone, but just an assistant who helps to find information quickly and who is also able to call and command the house.
So much was the expectation of the release in Italy of the Amazon Echo Dot with Alexa, that the orders, also thanks to the discount of these days) were immediately sold out.
Luckily I was able to buy it and try Alexa in Italian , with great satisfaction.
READ ALSO: Alexa or Google Home "> Android or for iPhone.
Alternatively, you can also configure the Amazon assistant using your PC, by opening the alexa.amazon.it website, using your Amazon account.
The configuration is completely automatic, it requires to indicate the wifi connection to which it must connect and to indicate some personal data.
In the app settings you can find the options to configure a new device, in order to indicate which type of Echo Dot
For the rest, you can immediately start using the voice assistant by calling him by the name " Alexa! " And then giving him the desired instructions.
For example, you can start asking " Alexa, who are you? " Or "Alexa, " What can I ask for? "to learn about it.
The best features of the Echo Dot with Alexa are as follows:
1) Music
The most obvious purpose for an Amazon Echo is to use the speaker to hear music and ask which songs to listen to using your voice.
Echo Dot can be integrated with the Amazon Music service (by buying an Echo Dot you get the opportunity to subscribe for three months for free, otherwise it will be used freely for free without choosing which song to listen to) or even with Spotify.
If you don't want to make a subscription, you can also listen to music from Italian radios, thanks to the integration with TuneIn, which is free without problems.
You can then ask to listen to Radio DJ, or a radio with the latest hits or to listen to 80's music or any other genre.
Of course, you can also use the earphones or headphones with the Echo Dot or use an external audio system connected via Bluetooth.
2) Books, or better, Audio books
Since Amazon also has the largest Ebook store in the world, The Kindle Store, you can use Alexa to read the books you buy on Amazon, so you can relax and close your eyes without reading, just by listening.
3) Smart home or smart home
Alexa can be integrated with many home automation devices.
First of all, the smart sockets and the bulbs, which are on sale on Amazon and work with the Echo Dot if they have the brand (Works with Alexa).
For example it is possible to find smart Osram bulbs for each type of lamp (there are also less expensive ones) and smart sockets such as the Amazon Smart Plug.
With this socket and the smart bulbs you can then turn on the lights using your voice, turn on the air conditioner, the TV and any appliance connected to that socket.
Smart Home devices can be added to the application menu and will be automatically recognized by Alexa with a personalized name.
4) Call for free
This is perhaps the most surprising feature of this Amazon Echo, which allows you to call everyone who has the Alexa app installed on your phone for free.
If all family members install the app, then, we can ask for "Alexa, call mom" or "Alexa, call Claudio" and call for free, in speakerphone.
If you want privacy, you can also connect headphones to the Echo Dot.
5) Use the voice assistant for alarm clocks, reminders, timers, appointments, to-do lists etc.
You can say to Alexa: " Today I have to do the shopping ", to mark this commitment and then, subsequently, ask Alexa, " what do I have to do today " to be reminded to do the shopping.
You can also set an alarm clock with Alexa, which is useful if you place the Echo dot in the bedroom.
6) News
It is possible to listen to the news of the day with Alexa, asking her verbally.
Alexa uses various news services such as that of SkyTG24 to let us listen to the headlines.
6) Voice requests of all kinds
Like any voice assistant, Alexa answers all questions whose answer is well defined.
You can therefore ask what weather is tomorrow, how many days are left until Christmas, what is the longest river in the world, what is there to see in Milan, ask to sing a song, ask for a joke, ask for the horoscope of the day and much else.
7) The Skills
Alexa Skills are like smartphone apps and allow you to use the voice assistant to request different kinds of information or for different uses.
Alexa's capabilities can therefore be expanded by activating various SKills such as the Ansa News, the Akinator game, the nursery rhymes, the Skill with recipes, the TV guide, the Cinema guide and many others.
The list of Skills is constantly expanding so new ones will be implemented.
Among other functions, it is also possible to create Routines, that is series of actions that are activated with a single voice command.
The history of voice commands and everything Alexa has done or said is shown on the main page of the site or app.
At the moment the integration between Alexa and the Fire TV Stick does not seem to work, to control videos and films, which instead works in the American version.
In the end, therefore, already after a couple of days of tests, Alexa is not only fun to use, but also very useful and for the whole family.
In fact, everyone can interact with Alexa and ask for things, making themselves recognized without the need for configurations.
The Amazon Echo Dot can be purchased, obviously on Amazon, in different versions depending on the size of the speaker.
The smaller third-generation Echo Dot costs 60 Euros as a full price, while at the moment it is on offer at 35 Euros and it is impossible not to take it now.
If you want the version with a larger speaker, there is the second generation L ' Echo Plus, at 150 Euros, now on offer at 120.
The intermediate version is simply called Amazon Echo and costs 100 euros, now on offer at 60.
Also interesting is the Echo Input solution to add Alexa to any speaker or speaker in the house .
READ ALSO: What Alexa can do: the most comfortable use of the voice assistant
Amazon's Echo Dot is basically a wifi speaker that includes the now famous Amazon Alexa virtual and voice assistant, smart and surprising.
Alexa then becomes a real presence in the house, which answers questions and parries as if she were a real person, every time she is asked.
Obviously it is not a virtual companion for those who feel alone, but just an assistant who helps to find information quickly and who is also able to call and command the house.
So much was the expectation of the release in Italy of the Amazon Echo Dot with Alexa, that the orders, also thanks to the discount of these days) were immediately sold out.
Luckily I was able to buy it and try Alexa in Italian , with great satisfaction.
READ ALSO: Alexa or Google Home "> Android or for iPhone.
Alternatively, you can also configure the Amazon assistant using your PC, by opening the alexa.amazon.it website, using your Amazon account.
The configuration is completely automatic, it requires to indicate the wifi connection to which it must connect and to indicate some personal data.
In the app settings you can find the options to configure a new device, in order to indicate which type of Echo Dot
For the rest, you can immediately start using the voice assistant by calling him by the name " Alexa! " And then giving him the desired instructions.
For example, you can start asking " Alexa, who are you? " Or "Alexa, " What can I ask for? "to learn about it.
The best features of the Echo Dot with Alexa are as follows:
1) Music
The most obvious purpose for an Amazon Echo is to use the speaker to hear music and ask which songs to listen to using your voice.
Echo Dot can be integrated with the Amazon Music service (by buying an Echo Dot you get the opportunity to subscribe for three months for free, otherwise it will be used freely for free without choosing which song to listen to) or even with Spotify.
If you don't want to make a subscription, you can also listen to music from Italian radios, thanks to the integration with TuneIn, which is free without problems.
You can then ask to listen to Radio DJ, or a radio with the latest hits or to listen to 80's music or any other genre.
Of course, you can also use the earphones or headphones with the Echo Dot or use an external audio system connected via Bluetooth.
2) Books, or better, Audio books
Since Amazon also has the largest Ebook store in the world, The Kindle Store, you can use Alexa to read the books you buy on Amazon, so you can relax and close your eyes without reading, just by listening.
3) Smart home or smart home
Alexa can be integrated with many home automation devices.
First of all, the smart sockets and the bulbs, which are on sale on Amazon and work with the Echo Dot if they have the brand (Works with Alexa).
For example it is possible to find smart Osram bulbs for each type of lamp (there are also less expensive ones) and smart sockets such as the Amazon Smart Plug.
With this socket and the smart bulbs you can then turn on the lights using your voice, turn on the air conditioner, the TV and any appliance connected to that socket.
Smart Home devices can be added to the application menu and will be automatically recognized by Alexa with a personalized name.
4) Call for free
This is perhaps the most surprising feature of this Amazon Echo, which allows you to call everyone who has the Alexa app installed on your phone for free.
If all family members install the app, then, we can ask for "Alexa, call mom" or "Alexa, call Claudio" and call for free, in speakerphone.
If you want privacy, you can also connect headphones to the Echo Dot.
5) Use the voice assistant for alarm clocks, reminders, timers, appointments, to-do lists etc.
You can say to Alexa: " Today I have to do the shopping ", to mark this commitment and then, subsequently, ask Alexa, " what do I have to do today " to be reminded to do the shopping.
You can also set an alarm clock with Alexa, which is useful if you place the Echo dot in the bedroom.
6) News
It is possible to listen to the news of the day with Alexa, asking her verbally.
Alexa uses various news services such as that of SkyTG24 to let us listen to the headlines.
6) Voice requests of all kinds
Like any voice assistant, Alexa answers all questions whose answer is well defined.
You can therefore ask what weather is tomorrow, how many days are left until Christmas, what is the longest river in the world, what is there to see in Milan, ask to sing a song, ask for a joke, ask for the horoscope of the day and much else.
7) The Skills
Alexa Skills are like smartphone apps and allow you to use the voice assistant to request different kinds of information or for different uses.
Alexa's capabilities can therefore be expanded by activating various SKills such as the Ansa News, the Akinator game, the nursery rhymes, the Skill with recipes, the TV guide, the Cinema guide and many others.
The list of Skills is constantly expanding so new ones will be implemented.
Among other functions, it is also possible to create Routines, that is series of actions that are activated with a single voice command.
The history of voice commands and everything Alexa has done or said is shown on the main page of the site or app.
At the moment the integration between Alexa and the Fire TV Stick does not seem to work, to control videos and films, which instead works in the American version.
In the end, therefore, already after a couple of days of tests, Alexa is not only fun to use, but also very useful and for the whole family.
In fact, everyone can interact with Alexa and ask for things, making themselves recognized without the need for configurations.
The Amazon Echo Dot can be purchased, obviously on Amazon, in different versions depending on the size of the speaker.
The smaller third-generation Echo Dot costs 60 Euros as a full price, while at the moment it is on offer at 35 Euros and it is impossible not to take it now.
If you want the version with a larger speaker, there is the second generation L ' Echo Plus, at 150 Euros, now on offer at 120.
The intermediate version is simply called Amazon Echo and costs 100 euros, now on offer at 60.
Also interesting is the Echo Input solution to add Alexa to any speaker or speaker in the house .
READ ALSO: What Alexa can do: the most comfortable use of the voice assistant
