(NEW) Echo Dot (4th Gen)

The current top review for Alex's DeathSta—I mean, the Echo Dot 4th Gen—at the time I'm writing this covers all the basics beautifully, and since you've probably already read that one, I won't reiterate all those points. Instead, here's what makes the 4th Gen Dot a winner for me. 1. Built In Clock I'm pretty nearsighted, and squinting across the room at the Hubster's clock radio doesn't cut it. The little clock face on my "Moon Dot" (as I've named it in Alexa's Devices list), which lives on my nightstand, means that if I wake up, I can check the time without activating my tablet and possibly falling down an internet rabbit hole. Sure, there are other, potentially cheaper ways to solve that problem, but most of them don't have... 2. Extremely Adjustable Brightness: Ultra-Dim Mode, Go! I have great night vision, which is just another way of saying that my eyes are really sensitive to light. I'm forever being vaguely annoyed by how everything is hailed as "ultra-bright," when really I just want most things to have an ultra-dim mode. The Echo Dot 4th Gen can bring the Ultra-Bright, assuming you have normal eyes and that's a thing you want. But it can *also* bring the Ultra-Dim, if you're a weirdo like me. Many bedside clocks are bright enough to keep me awake, and few are dim enough that I can look at them without my eyes smarting. With its brightness turned down to between 2% and 5%, the Echo Dot 4th Gen fits the bill. 3. Great White Noise Speaker! In addition to being a cranky dim-light fanatic, I sleep really lightly. Every little sound will wake me up, but a constant stream of white noise will help my brain ignore the inevitable bumps-in-the-night, honks, car alarms, barking dogs, people randomly knocking on doors several houses away... However, I travel a lot for work, and the lighter I can pack, the better. Combined with rain or fan sounds streamed from a music app, the Dot 4th Gen makes a perfect portable white noise system. I've been using my Dot 4th Gen for white noise for a couple of weeks, and the sound quality is good enough for it to be relaxing. The only con here is that if I don't mute the Mic after the hubs falls asleep, Alexa will pause the music when he snores because he thinks he's trying to talk to her xD Thank goodness there's a mute button! 4. Morning Weather Reports Without Overcaffeinated DJs ^-^ Look, I get it. Lots of us find it helpful to listen to peppy people in the morning, and that's fine—it's just not for me. I like a more mellow approach to the start of my day. I'm hyper enough already! However, it's nice to get a succinct preview of the general state of the weather *before* you get dressed, right? So with a few taps, you can set up a weather announcement for specific time or to play after your alarm goes off. Sure, I could try to remember to glance at the weather on my tablet or phone (without getting sucked in), but I have ADHD, and the more I can automate, the better. Work smarter, right? 5. In fact, Alexa in general. I didn't expect Alexa to come in anywhere near has handy as she does. This is my third Dot. The first, a 2nd-Gen hockey puck Dot, now lives in my kitchen, where Alexa sets timers answers cooking questions, updates me on the weather, etc. The second, a 3rd-gen white hockey puck, lives in the living room, where Alexa can launch movies and TV shows, etc. They are all excellent sources of terrible dad jokes, though when I ask Alexa if she's Dad, she consistently denies having any children. I'm not convinced. I suppose that, for me, that's the only major "con." When you install an Echo Dot, you put yourself at the mercy of Alexa's dad jokes, invoked by friends and family whenever you least expect them. For an excellent clocks radio I white noise machine-weather station-personal assistant-information dispenser, it's a small price to pay.