Put a Google Assistant-powered alarm clock on your nightstand for $25
Best Buy's Insignia Voice smart-speaker is back on sale!
The Amazon Echo Dot makes a great addition to your nightstand -- but it's imperfect in two ways.
First, it has no display. Any bedside accessory worth its salt should be able to show you what time it is (maybe -- see below). Second, it's a pretty weak speaker, which is why I always recommend pairing it with something bigger and better.
Or, you could just buy this: Once again, Best Buy has the Insignia Voice Smart Bluetooth Speaker with Google Assistant for $24.99 (plus tax and $5.99 for shipping). Pro tip: Grab it from eBay's Best Buy store and avoid the shipping charge.
Available in black or gray, the Insignia Voice is basically a Google Home designed for your nightstand. It's a digital clock, an alarm and a smart speaker, one that's large enough to deliver decent, room-filling sound -- unlike the Dot or Google Home Mini .
You can ask it to set an alarm (natch), tell you the weather, check traffic, look up movie showtimes, play music, request an Uber, control other smart-home gadgets and so on.
Read CNET's Insignia Voice review to learn more. Then hit the comments to debate the merits of having a clock on your nightstand. I increasingly prefer not to, because when I'm up during the night (which is always), I don't need the added stress of knowing what time it is.
Your thoughts?
Originally published on June 8.
Update, Sept. 24: Added eBay option.
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