Today, in this buying guide, we’re going to be taking a look at two versions of the Amazon Echo. The Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition, and the Amazon Echo Dot. Both of these devices are absolutely fantastic, and they each have their distinct features and qualities that make them unique and very powerful, efficient, and pleasant to use.
You’re going to learn all about the Echo Dot Kids Edition, and the Echo Dot, and you’re going to learn all about what these two devices do, the different features that they offer, and the different qualities and attributes that they consist of. From that information, you’ll learn what these devices do best, and by the end of the guide, you’re going to know which one of these devices is the right choice for you.
However, before we can dive into Echo Dot Kids Edition and the Echo Dot, we need to define what the Amazon Echo Dot is, and what informs this particular product line, so that you can have a better grasp of what Amazon set out to do when they started producing Echo Dot devices.
Let’s start off with this basic fact. The Amazon Echo is a device that was built, by Amazon, to serve as a kind of “virtual assistant”. When using the Echo, you simply need to say the word “Alexa”, followed by whatever command you wish to speak, after that. And this is the basis of all of the Amazon Echo products, regardless of what specific product line they are a part of.
With the Amazon Echo, you have access to all kinds of different tools, features, and applications. These are things like accessing a calendar and putting items on your daily to-do list, turning on music and listening to podcasts and audiobooks, looking up basic information such as “Who was the 38th President of The United States?”, and even playing games, such as Jeopardy.
In many ways, the Amazon Echo has similar features to that of a smartphone or a tablet. And that’s definitely the intention, because, while the Amazon Echo is nowhere near as expansive or as broad as a tablet or smartphone, when it comes to the general features that it offers, that doesn’t mean that these devices are, in any way, lacking when it comes to the features that are offered.
You do have access to a wide breadth of different options, and that is what makes the Amazon Echo such a desirable purchase, for many people. And, the fact that this is a device that relies entirely on your voice, rather than any sort of physical remote control or buttons, or any of those other things.
Now, the Amazon Echo Dot is a continuation of the Amazon Echo and the basic design philosophy and principles that guided that particular device. The main difference between the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Echo Dot is the fact that the Echo Dot, true to its name, is a little smaller than the Amazon Echo. Not by a lot, but by enough. The other difference is that the Echo Dot has a speaker that isn’t quite as good as the one found in the Echo, but it gives you the ability to connect the device to a much better speaker.
With the Amazon Echo Dot, you are getting a device very similar to the Amazon Echo, but this device is smaller, it can fit into many spaces, and it’s also cheaper than the standard Amazon Echo, which is part of the reason why it is so popular.
So, now, with that information, we’re going to start by taking a look at the Echo Dot Kids Edition, and then we’re going to dive straight into the Echo Dot, and after that, you’ll know which one of these Echo Dot devices is the right one for you!
What Does The Echo Dot Kids Edition Offer?
With the design, this is a small and compact device. It’s simple, and all of the buttons are located right on top. They are clearly labeled and delineated, so there won’t be any confusion or uncertainty as to which button does what.
In terms of the general aesthetic and design, it’s pretty simple and basic. Although, it does come in two colors. You can choose between a blue Echo Dot Kids Edition, and a red Echo Dot Kids Edition. Both of which look quite nice, and have a nice cheery and optimistic feeling to them.
With the Echo Dot Kids Edition, you have access to all of the basic features that the Echo Dot offers, but these features are tailored to, as you might expect, kids, more than adults. Which means the features themselves are a bit different, if similar in most ways.
Using the Amazon Parent Dashboard, you, as a parent, can set restrictions on your child’s usage, pause Alexa, and have access to different activities and things your child has been doing with the Echo Dot Kids Edition. This is a feature that isn’t really found in the Echo Dot, and that’s because it really is perfect if you have kids.
With the Echo Dot Kids Edition, as well, kids can listen to their favorite music, play all kinds of different games, listen to audiobooks and educational programs, and, just in general, have a really fun and enjoyable time using the device.
One of the nice things about the Echo Dot Kids Edition is that Amazon gives you, when you purchase the Echo Dot Kids Edition, one-year of “FreeTime Unlimited”, and FreeTime Unlimited is a service that gives your children access to thousands of kids’ audiobooks, different skills that Alexa can teach them, all kinds of “kid appropriate” music, among other types of material.
If you want the Echo Dot Kids Edition to be a useful tool for education, rather than just a tool for general recreation, than having access to this free subscription is incredibly useful, and it’s one of the reasons why the Echo Dot Kids Edition is such a great purchase.
However, it is important to note that the Echo Dot Kids Edition is really designed for younger kids. Anyone older than the age of eight or nine may be less than impressed with what the Echo Dot Kids Edition has to offer. And if you’re an adult, well, this product simply wasn’t designed for you.
What Does The Echo Dot Offer?
The Echo Dot offers a wide variety of interesting and useful features. It has many similarities to the Echo Dot Kids Edition, but it isn’t designed exclusively for children, and instead, it has a more “general” set of features that can make day-to-day life a lot easier, and a lot more effortless, in many ways.
Using the Echo Dot, you can access your music – from a variety of different online catalogs – and you can also access countless podcasts, audiobooks, and radio programs, due to the wide variety of catalogs and audio-related services that the Echo Dot has integrated. If you’re vacuuming, for example, and want to listen to your favorite John Denver album, all you need to do is say the word “Alexa” and then the name of the album.
If you have a question – and this question can be about the weather, the traffic conditions for that day, or a math or history question, as well – then you can simply speak your question aloud, and the Echo Dot will pull up an answer for you. This is really useful, if you have basic questions about things that you don’t want to look up online, or are currently unable to.
More importantly, though, is the fact that the Echo Dot gives you access to features that enable you to make your life a little easier, and a little more convenient and enjoyable, generally speaking.
Let’s say you have a meeting tomorrow, at six o’clock in the evening. You can tell the Echo Dot to mark that on the calendar, and then to send that to your smartphone so that you’ll know about the meeting. Or, you can simply tell the Echo Dot to remind you vocally, tomorrow morning. You can even choose the specific time the reminder happens at. And that’s just one example of the myriad of simple, but effortlessly useful and convenient features that the Echo Dot offers.
Ultimately, if you are an adult, or if you know your children won’t care about the kid-related features of the Echo Dot Kids Edition, then the Echo Dot is a truly fantastic choice!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, both the Echo Dot Kids Edition and the Echo Dot, are really great devices that do offer a lot. Using them is a breeze, and they both give you a significant number of useful features.
However, if you don’t have any kids, then the Echo Dot Kids Edition is simply not a good choice. Or, if your kids are older than eight or nine, then the same thing applies. If you want a device that will make your life easier, while giving you plenty of fun features and apps to use, then the Echo Dot is the best choice.