Amazon.com: Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Smart speaker with Alexa

When I first got it, She wouldn’t do anything, you do have to use the app and go in and build her “personality”. For the first couple of days I thought I was going to return it. Then I sat down with Alexa and the app and spent about 30 minutes going through all the functions and options.

I am 47 years old, was diagnosed with a morbid case of diabetes when I was 45 and have been horrible about taking my insulin and checking my blood sugar on a consistent time line, which is crucial. So, I set reminders in Alexa to tell me “its time to test your BG”, It is time for your short acting insulin (3 times a day) and at 11pm she reminds me to take my long acting insulin and Lisinipro for the evening. Because of Alexa reminding me, I have gotten my A1C down from 9 to 6.5. That is an invaluable feature for me.

Then, one day, I had a song in my head and just said, “Alexa, play “Like a stone” by Chris Cornell. And bam, she plays it. I do have the Amazon music subscription which I think you need in order for this to work but I have not been able to think of a song or artist that she cant find and play within seconds. My Chocolate lab “Copper” loves the song “Baby Shark” so I set a “routine” and all I have to say is “Alexa, what does Copper like?” and she jams Baby Shark for him while he bucks around the living room having a blast.

I have been playing Trivia battle every single day. She makes lists for me so I don’t forget things I need for work. She sets reminders for me so I don’t forget appointments and other important things. You can say “Alexa, set a reminder on March 15th that my brothers birthday is tomorrow, or a week from now, or, whatever you need.

I learn something new that she does every day and went from one of those paranoid skeptics to a total believer. In fact, I got a second one for the living room and have them linked. She will read E-books to me while I work. I am a history buff and I can say, Alexa, tell me about Abraham Lincoln, and she will go on and on with just about any historical question or figure. She does math, she tells me what my weather is like currently and what it is going to be like through out the day.

Honestly, I love this device, I have a white one and a black one, one is called Alexa and one is called Lexi (so you can drop in from room to room with music or conversation) Just the improvement in my health with the reminders she gives me has been a life saver, not to mention I don’t forget things anymore because when I think of it, Ill set a reminder and Alexa and Lexi take care of it.

I know a lot of people think “oh, that thing records everything you say all day and it is an invasion of privacy” well, that is incorrect because you can turn it off (red ring) and really so what if she listens to what me and my wife talk about… IF she is, all she hears is what we are thinking about eating for dinner, what’s on Netflix or Amazon Prime video and us playing with our dog.

I cant recommend this device enough, when I leave the house, I say “Alexa, we are leaving” and she has particular parameters that she listens for (breaking glass, doors getting smashed in) when we get home I say, Alexa, we are home and she says “Okay, I will stop guarding the house for now.

Get one and try it, you wont be sorry.