5 things you didn’t know you could use the new Amazon Echo Dot for

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When my mom first got our family the original Amazon Alexa, admittedly, I thought it was pretty dumb. What would we even use it for — to tell us a fun fact or a joke from time to time? After a few years, however, my mom gifted me one for Christmas, and I love my Amazon device. Now, I can hardly live without it, and I’m actually planning to add the new Amazon Echo Dot to another room in my apartment.

Seriously, Alexa can do it all! Regularly, I use it to listen to music, set my morning alarm, tell myself the weather outside and set timers. I’m also terrible at math, so if I’m shopping, and I need to know how much cash I’m actually saving when it says 25% off, I’ll ask Alexa to help me out. Needless to say, my boyfriend also loves to use Alexa to win an argument by asking it to verify a fact he’s sure he knows is true.

Hence, having an Amazon Alexa or Echo device is pretty helpful. If you don’t have one, you may want to add the all-new Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) to your cart. It comes out on Oct. 20, 2022, and according to the product description, it’s Amazon’s “best sounding Echo Dot yet.”

Amazon Echo Dot 5th Generation, $49.99

Credit: Amazon

It offers clearer vocals and deeper bass. Additionally, compared to the popular (and slightly cheaper) 2018 Echo Dot (3rd Gen), the new device has a subtle LED display with a clock, it can detect motion and temperature, and Amazon’s Wi-Fi extender, Eero, is built-in.

Not sure what you’d personally use the new Amazon Echo Dot for? Below are five things you may not have realized it could help you with.

1. Turn on the lights

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Connect your Amazon device to your home’s lamps and lights via smart bulbs or outlets, and turn everything on with your voice. Set it up through the Amazon Alexa app, and you can also set a timer to have your lights go on and off at the same time every day.

2. Cook a meal

Credit: Amazon

While cooking, you can use your Amazon device to set a cooking timer, convert cups to ounces, answer questions like what it means to “fold in the cheese” and more. That said, there are even small kitchen appliances that work with Alexa to cook, including toaster ovens, air fryers, slow cookers and more.

3. Set a reminder

Credit: Amazon

Want to remember to pick up your dry cleaning or to call your brother on his birthday? Amazon’s Alexa can remind you. Simply ask Alexa to remind you to do your task, and it will, no matter how far in advance you ask it to.

4. Go shopping

Credit: Amazon

If you just realized you’re running low on toilet paper or your regular face moisturizer, you could ask Alexa to reorder some. You can ask it to search for pretty much anything on Amazon, add it to your cart, add it to a list or order it right away. Additionally, you can connect your device to other stores or restaurants. For example, you can ask Alexa to order Domino’s pizza.

5. Meditate and Exercise

Amazon Alexa offers all sorts of skills and games, including meditation and exercise programs. If you want to start your day with a short meditation, Alexa can guide you through one or connect you to an app like Headspace. If you want to exercise, there are also programs that can guide you through strength workouts, yoga and more.

Alas, there are a lot of Amazon Alexa and Echo Dot devices that can help you out. I’ve hardly even scratched the surface here. So step into the future! Get a device for yourself or a loved one this upcoming holiday season.

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