amazon – CM Advantage

Hello friends and welcome back to the CM Advantage! Today we are going to be talking about the Amazon Echo Dot. There are a few different versions floating around out there and for this one we are going to be talking about the latest two version the 3^rd gen and the 4^th gen. Without further ado let’s get into it.

The echo dot is a voice activated speaker that integrates with your home and Amazon to control a variety of functions using the Amazon Alexa. You can integrate with SiriusXm, Amazon music, Apple music, Spotify and more for entertainment. You can link to your phone and make hands free phone calls. If you have multiple dots you can also broadcast to all your dots to use it as an in-home PA system (helpful for parents and multilevel homes). You can even tell it to make a list for mundane tasks like grocery shopping. There is a great deal you can do with the dot and it makes tasks easier with its voice controls. You can also, if you have a surround sound receiver like we do, run it into that to play through multiple speakers.

The older generation, the gen 3, is a flat round disk shape. It is a 1.6in speaker with a 3.5mm line out. There is even a version with an LED clock if that strikes your fancy. On the top you can find a few buttons to control the dot. Volume up and down, action, and a microphone off button. Let’s take a moment to talk about that microphone off button. There are many who are concerned about their privacy and some say “it is a risk because the dot is always listening”, that concern is solved with the mute mic button. With this button the microphone is muted, and the dot cannot process what you are talking about.

The physical dimensions are small. The size is 3.9” x 3.9” x 1.7” or 99 mm x 99 mm x 43 mm depending on which measurement system you are using. The weight is approximately 10oz or 300 grams. Now this may shift a bit but is approximately the size of it. It has Bluetooth capabilities using Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support. A limitation however that it is not supported by Mac OS X devices. The echo dot comes ready to connect to your Wi-Fi. The Alexa App is compatible with Fire OS, Android, and iOS devices and also accessible via your web browser. Pretty nice when you consider the price for this piece of tech is only $18.99 on Amazon.

The 4^th gen dot is a little bit different. The Echo Dot has a circular shape with a flat bottom for design appearance changes. Also, while the speaker is still a 1.6, it is a front firing speaker for directed sound rather that blasting in all directions. The buttons on the top of the speaker remain the same though they are built in rather than the circular button appearance. The size is 3.9” x 3.9” x 3.5” of 100 x 100 x 89 mm. The weight is a bit heavier but not a significant amount, 12 oz or 341.3 grams. All in all new design and a little different on the speaker but most of the same as the 3^rd gen dot. The current price for this on Amazon is $28.99.

Summary is that there is not a significant difference in the two. They both have the limitations of supporting the Mac OS X. The design is different, and the speaker is a pit different. There is a version for kids that has the skin of a tiger and does provide some interesting options for parental controls. You can find out more about that by clicking here. Hope you enjoyed the review and found it useful. Until the net time take care and good luck to you!

Hello everyone, hope your day is going well. Wanted to take a moment to talk to you all about time and learning. Time is something we could all use more of, right? The only issue with that is there is only so much time in a day. If we cannot add more time, then how then do we achieve more? Education has been the key since the dawn of time. Think back to the invention of the wheel or the discovery of magnetic fields around the Earth.

Now you may be thinking what this has to do with time. The answer is: if you cannot add more time then you must make the most of the time you have. Now, I am married with multiple children and a full-time job. Finding time in that schedule is challenging, to put it mildly. But I also, in that given time, want to strive to learn new things. I found the solution to that. Click here to check it out.

Well I did not find the solution a friend of mine, RJ, told me about a program a little over a year ago. Since he told me about this program, I have had the chance to make more of the time I have. I have not had to sacrifice education and hobbies due to this program. It may be one you already know. It certainly seems to be popular and I can see why.

The program I am talking about is Audible by Amazon. It is an audio platform that works with your smartphone, computer, or tablet. This program contains thousands upon thousands of eBooks, podcasts, audio stories and more. Must study for a test for certifications? No problem. Whether you have to “read” up on a book or you are just looking for some motivational self-help, they have a huge variety.

Now I am sure many of you already know about it, but I can say it has changed the way I see time and education. As you can guess with my lifestyle and life it is hard to find extra time to try to learn new things. With Audible I do not have to worry about it. On my drive into work (it is an hour one way) I can put a book on and listen to it in my car. I simply Bluetooth my car to my phone, select the book I want, and BAM listen to it while driving to work.

Work for me centers around information technology (IT) and there are what seems like an endless supply of certifications in my field. They have a vast selection of certification books in audio format such as Network plus, Kali Linux, Security plus, and CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional). This is just a small sample of what they have available in the IT arena.

However, if IT is not your thing, that is not all they have. If you like a good fantasy novel, non-fiction, biography, autobiography, or maybe a podcast they have something for everyone. I know it sounds like I am a salesperson and in a way I am. I am advocating this as it has given me more of my time back. Like I said I have an hour drive to work one way and now I can study for tests without having to sacrifice family time or time for other projects.

You do not have to take my word for it though. Click here and they will give you a free trial so you can see for yourself. This program offers you a free title every month in the form of your choosing. It is a subscription service that you pay a fee of $7.95 or the premium version is $14.95 a month. The difference in these are a bit different on the options.

The first is the Audible plus membership at $7.95 a month. Audible Plus is a monthly membership which includes access to unlimited streaming and listening from the Audible Plus Catalog. Look for the “included” tag and hit “play now” to instantly stream from the app. You can also save these titles to your Library or download to listen off-line. This membership is great for the average listener and one who doesn’t want to focus on a lot but wants to casually listen to books and podcasts.

The other membership is the Audible Premium Plus. Audible Premium Plus includes everything in Audible Plus, with the bonus of 1 credit per month to be used to redeem any title from our Premium selections. These titles are yours to keep forever! Premium Plus also unlocks a 30% discount for any additional content you purchase from the Premium catalog. This option is perfect for the on-the-go avid reader and learner. It has all the perks of the former and the bonus of earning a credit a month. Now that credit is good for all sorts of books. Some of the books I have personally bought would have cost me $60 to $100. With this option it only cost me a credit that I got by being a member. The cost savings for me was astronomical. Those expensive IT books only now cost me a fraction and they are mine to keep even if I discontinue the service.

But again, you don’t have to take my word for it. You are the one who has to make the choice. If nothing else, click the link and look for yourself. We hope you have a wonderful day and till the next time take care friends!