Amazon Echo Auto (2nd gen) review: Alexa wasn't born to travel - Digital Trends

1 year ago 53

Amazon Echo Auto

The Amazon Echo Auto is simply a car accessory lone die-hard Alexa users should get

MSRP $54.99

“I can't fig retired precisely wherefore you should get the Amazon Echo Auto.”

Pros

Clean caller design
Mic pickup works well

Cons

Nobody needs Alexa successful the car
Other Bluetooth dongles are cheaper
Needs Alexa app moving connected your phone

Alexa has go easy 1 of the smartest and astir adjuvant integer assistants retired there, helping you find accusation connected the web, power astute location devices, and more. But portion the likes of Google Assistant and Siri are easy accessible extracurricular the location acknowledgment to their autochthonal smartphone support, Alexa struggles to beryllium adjuvant erstwhile you measurement retired your beforehand door. Amazon, however, is trying to alteration that — by targeting the car.

The Amazon Echo Auto was archetypal launched successful 2019, and this twelvemonth received a refresh, with an all-new design. Since 2019, Alexa has gotten amended than it was successful 2019, too.

But the Echo Auto faces challenges of its own. In fact, contempt having utilized it for a portion now, I can’t fig retired precisely wherefore you should get one.

What is the Amazon Echo Auto?

Before trying to fig retired wherefore you mightiness privation an Echo Auto, it’s astir apt worthy knowing what it really is. The Echo Auto is fundamentally a tiny Alexa speaker, designed to acceptable into your car and connect via Bluetooth oregon a 3.5mm cable, past link to your telephone done Bluetooth. It’s powered done USB — and comes with a cigaret lighter adapter for that purpose. It has an array of microphones (eight successful total) that prime up your dependable from crossed the cabin, truthful it tin perceive your dependable comparatively easily.

The mode it tin entree information is done your phone, and arsenic such, the Alexa app needs to beryllium unfastened and moving successful the inheritance connected your telephone successful bid to usage the Echo Auto. If it’s not, the Echo Auto is rendered beauteous overmuch useless.

An extra-smart Bluetooth dongle

At its precise core, the Echo Auto could beryllium utile successful older cars that don’t person Bluetooth. That’s due to the fact that it tin link to a car’s 3.5mm audio jack, past enactment arsenic a Bluetooth dongle, bridging the spread betwixt your telephone and your car.

But that’s not wherefore you would bargain the Echo Auto. After all, determination are tons of great, and cheap, Bluetooth dongles retired determination for older cars.

Alexa is astute … but I privation it were smarter

The existent crushed to bargain the Echo Auto is if you emotion Alexa truthful overmuch that you privation to beryllium capable to usage it successful your car, alternatively of the Google Assistant and Siri that are already connected your phone. If that’s you, and you’re really plugged successful to the Amazon ecosystem, you’ll astir apt rather similar the Echo Auto. But everyone other volition beryllium a small disappointed.

Let’s commencement with the positives. In the car, Alexa is beauteous bully astatine helping you find adjacent locations, similar state stations, on with uncovering retired immoderate accusation from the web, and, of course, controlling your Alexa-based astute location devices. The Echo Auto is besides large astatine accessing different Amazon services, similar Amazon Music.

But if you don’t regularly usage Amazon services, you’re going to tally into immoderate issues. Sure, you tin alteration defaults — and you’ll apt retrieve to alteration your default euphony work erstwhile you acceptable up the device. But arsenic you commencement to usage it more, you’ll tally into much and much services that it doesn’t enactment with. Who uses Alexa Calendar?

That’s not to notation the information that portion determination was erstwhile a clip erstwhile Alexa was 1 of the leaders successful the dependable adjunct space, these days, it conscionable benignant of skates along. It’s not breaking immoderate records, and astir of the time, Google Assistant is smarter and much helpful. Often, Siri adjacent beats Alexa these days.

If you truly are plugged into the Alexa ecosystem, and simply privation a mode to entree it more, past the Echo Auto is astir apt worthy buying. But everyone other should proceed utilizing Google Assistant oregon Siri successful their car for present — particularly if they’re already plugged into each the services they cognize and love.