Turn your Echo Dot into a portable smart speaker for $27

Maybe it's the tiny size; perhaps it's the adorable, fabric-wrapped puck appearance. Regardless, the third-generation Echo Dot is my favorite of the various smart speakers, and could only be made better with one small improvement: a battery to make it portable. A few companies have filled that need, and for under $50, you have a handful of options for turning your Dot into a portable smart speaker. From now through July 24 you can get the GGMM D3 Battery Base for $27 when you apply discount code GGMM0718 at checkout. That's about $7 off the regular price of $34.

Last week the deal was slightly better -- $25 -- but it expired fairly quickly. Because there was a lot of demand for this gadget, I managed to arrange a CNET exclusive deal for this week that's nearly as good. 

The GGMM base is elegantly simple. Slide your third-gen Echo Dot onto it so the Dot plugs into the power port, and use the power cord that came with the Dot to plug in and charge up the battery base. It's got a 5,200-mAh battery on board that charges in three and a half hours and gives you about seven hours of portable, cable-free operation.

Otherwise, the Dot stays the same; the speaker and microphones aren't obscured, so the Dot works and sounds exactly as designed. One exception: The base blocks the 3.5mm audio port, so you can't plug the Dot into an external speaker. On the other hand, you can unplug the base and carry it anywhere you want, as long as it stays in range of your Wi-Fi network. That means you can move it from room to room or cart it outdoors for a backyard BBQ. 

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