Amazon Echo Pop
Amazon's Echo speaker now comes in a more prominent, vibrant tabletop form factor. You still get Alexa, podcasts, and music. You also get a better-looking bedside ornament!
It's crazy how much Amazon's Echo devices have evolved. Up until about a year ago, I still had one of the original cylindrical Echos in my kitchen, taking up a ton of shelf space with its chunky form factor. Replacing it with a modern Echo was a revelation. The Echo Pop packs all the same features as that device did with better audio in a tiny fraction of the space, and right now it's on sale for the lowest price we've seen in months.
Why you should pick up an Amazon Echo Pop
Setting up a smart home has never been easier, with tons of manufacturers creating networked devices like light bulbs, door locks, thermostats and more. But to interact with these cool bits of tech, you need an interface. Sure, you could use a phone app, but don't you already spend enough time looking at your phone? It's so much more natural to use voice commands through an Amazon Alexa device, and the Echo Pop is the most convenient and affordable way to do so. At this price, you can easily station a Pop in every room for full voice control no matter where you go.
20+ best Cyber Monday smart home deals - last chance to save
You can still save big and deck out your smart home for the holiday season with these Cyber Monday deals, but act fast before the sale ends.We reviewed the Echo Pop and had nothing but good things to say about it, declaring it to be "the tech giant’s cheapest smart speaker yet, allowing you to get Alexa's smarts in every room without spending a fortune." The front-firing speaker is perfect for podcasts or audio calls, and the Echo Pop can also be used as an eero wireless mesh node to extend your Wi-Fi network up to 1000 feet of coverage. It's built around Amazon's AZ2 Neural Edge processor, which gives it better responsiveness and voice recognition than older models.
It would take forever to list off the things that the Echo Pop can do with Alexa. Weather forecasts, streaming radio, security system integration, jokes, fart noises, hands-free Amazon ordering, and the list goes on. This is a cornerstone of my smart home, and if you don't own an Echo you can get one for the price of two good sandwiches while this deal lasts.