The new smart speaker named Echo Dot from Amazon is an excellent pick if you don’t want a big device for a speaker. But if you’re going to take it along wherever you go, you may be disappointed to know that Echo Dot does not have a battery. But this fact hasn’t made this speaker any less popular.
One might notice that the new Echo Dot looks like a hockey puck, and this exactly makes it more compact than its predecessor Amazon Echo. Echo is cylindrical and taller than Echo Dot, and you can think of it as a bigger version of the speaker.
While the functionalities of both are almost similar, the fact that Echo Dot is compact gives it an additional point. Echo Dot has all of the skills that an Echo device has and can be used to replace Echo or kept as an addition.
Further reading: What Is The Amazon Echo Dot? Everything You Need To Know About Amazon’s Compact Smart Speaker
How Does Echo Dot Work?
The word smart is not added as a prefix to this speaker just for namesake; it is indeed a smart device that responds positively to your voice. Echo Dot works perfectly when you give voice commands to accomplish tasks.
The virtual assistant Alexa is on call and does the task for you. There are a number of activities that Alexa can do, including setting alarms, playing music, search the internet for information, control other devices, and much more. In fact, there are hundreds of tasks that Alexa can do, much beyond our imagination.
Echo Dot has a smaller speaker, but you can connect it to another speaker either via Bluetooth or an audio cable. This provision makes it different from the original Echo, which had a bigger speaker of its own.
Speaking of the features of the Echo Dot, it is affordable than other Echo devices from Amazon and has better voice recognition. Given the smaller size and the ability to invoke Alexa, Echo Dot is the first choice of many when it comes to speakers. Let us now see what can be done to make this awesome speaker portable.
Solving The Issue Of Missing Battery In Echo Dot
As already mentioned, Echo Dot doesn’t have a battery of its own. It has to be plugged into a wall socket like traditional electronic devices to work. But don’t you worry, Dot is a smart device, and Amazon has come up with a smart idea to make it work as a portable gadget. To the rescue comes Amazon Echo Dot Smart Battery Case.
Amazon Echo Dot Smart Battery Case comes to aid when you want to take the speaker with you whether to different rooms in your home or outside. Just plug the Echo Dot into the device’s power port, and the speaker works perfectly for about 15 hours. It is a bonus if you can connect to Wi-Fi because then Alexa will work too. Even if there is no Wi-Fi connection available, you can still use it as a speaker by connecting your phone via Bluetooth and continue enjoying its benefits.
The plus point is that this rechargeable battery case is kind of one size fits all and is not limited to connecting just Echo Dot. It can house other speakers and even act as a power bank for every device available. It alerts when the battery is about to die and secures itself from overloads and other issues. If you are a mobile person, go for this battery case without a second thought.
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A Second Option: Portable Battery Pack
Yes, this is the same old battery pack that helps recharge your mobile phones when there is no power outlet available. The trick is simple. Use a micro-USB cable to connect the Echo Dot with the battery pack, and the speaker will be charged and be ready for use. There are very good battery packs available that can help Echo Dot working for more than a day. And if you switch off the speaker when not in use, you can even use it beyond 2 days or so.
Battery packs are good enough, but they do come with their own drawbacks. These can be heavy and difficult to carry around. The same is the case with micro-USB cables. A better option is to use a shorter cable for all the advantages it has. In any case, it is worth mentioning that battery cases are much in demand as it is a saver at most times. At least they give you the freedom to roam around with your speaker without a need to search for power outlets.
Exclusive Echo Dot for India
There is an interesting twist to the story you have read so far. Amazon has given way too much to the Indian customer base in the form of a smart speaker with a built-in rechargeable battery. Named Echo Input Portable Smart Speaker Edition, this is a speaker that supports 360-degree sound. The device works for about 10 hours before the battery requires recharging. It also has 11 hours of standby battery life.
The speaker again works with the personal assistant Alexa and responds to your voice requests. Why just the Indian market was a question posed by many who came to know about this amazing speaker. The company says that Indians wanted the Echo speaker to be portable, and hence the Echo Input Portable Smart Speaker Edition was born.
The sad news is that the west still has no luck in terms of a portable speaker from Amazon. Though a portable one called Amazon Tap was launched a couple of years back, it didn’t go well with the audience, and the company stopped its production.
Technology is evolving, and so are the customers. With each new addition to the list of speakers, Amazon has tried to add exciting features that will make every other customer happy. Hoping for the best, let us wait for the day to come when the west can see battery-operated smart speakers that will work anywhere and everywhere.