Every Black Friday, Amazon pushes its own-brand hardware hard by cutting profit margins to get more people to use its ecosystem instead of making money in the short term. Right now is the best time of year to buy an Echo Spot, Echo Dot, Echo Show, or any other Alexa-enabled device. For instance, the newest Echo Spot smart alarm clock is now $49, down from $79 (38% off) and this is the lowest price ever and it shows that Amazon is willing to give up hardware profits in order to get more Alexa users on their platform in the long run.
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Changes How Alarm Clocks Work
The customizable display shows the time, weather forecasts, and the titles of the songs that are currently playing all at once, making it an information hub that regular alarm clocks can’t match. The screen lets you choose from different clock faces and color schemes that match the look of your bedroom or your own tastes, going beyond the standard red LED numbers that most bedside clocks have.
Touch controls let you control music playback directly without having to use voice commands that could wake up sleeping partners. The visual feedback also confirms that commands were carried out correctly. The display brightness changes automatically based on the amount of light in the room and it dims at night so you don’t wake up, but it stays readable during the day.
The audio quality is great, with clear vocals and deep bass thanks to engineering that gets the most sound out of small spaces. When you stream music from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or another service, it sounds a lot better than phone speakers or cheap Bluetooth speakers. This makes for real listening experiences instead of just background noise. The speaker positioning sends sound across bedrooms or offices well without needing to be too loud, which would bother other people.
Alexa routine integration lets you set up more complex wake-up routines that slowly raise the light and volume instead of loud alarm blasts that wake you up. Set up routines that start with soft music at a low volume and slowly brighten the screen and raise the sound over 10 minutes. You can use voice commands to dim lights, play calming sounds, and set the thermostat to a comfortable sleeping temperature at night.
Smart home control lets you manage all of your devices from one place using voice commands or a touchscreen. It works with lights, thermostats, locks, and other connected devices. Tell Alexa to turn off all the lights before you go to bed, change the temperature in a room when it gets too hot or check the security camera feeds from your bedside display. Motion detection lets you set up advanced routines that change the environment based on whether or not you’re there. For example, they can turn down the heat when you leave a room or open the blinds when you walk in.
The Echo Spot is 38% off retail price this Black Friday and Amazon’s strategy of selling its own-brand hardware at no profit makes these devices very cheap for a short time each year.