The new Amazon Echo Dot is the smartest no-brainer ever

[MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO] Hello. [BLANK_AUDIO] The second gen mini sized Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker is terrific, and well worth the $50 that Amazon is asking you to spend on it. It's an easy recommendation because it's It's functionally the same product as the first gen Amazon Echo Dot which won Editor's Choice from us back in March. The Dot's available in white now which I think looks pretty good. And you also use these two buttons up on top to change the volume, as opposed to turning a ring like you will in the first gen Dot. But aside from that, nothing major has changed and for the most part, that's a great thing. Alexa can still stream music, play podcasts, answer your questions, set kitchen timers, control your smart home gadgets, tell bad jokes, and read the headlines. Even, I might add, the headlines from here at CNET. Today's CNET test today update. This is CNET, and here are the stories that matter right The sound quality in the new model is about that same as the old one too, perhaps a bit fuller and with a little bit less treble. Time of the season by the zombies from prime music. [MUSIC] You can also connect the Echo Dot with an external speaker like this one, using bluetooth or a line in cable. Now one minor quivel, Amazon didn't include a line in cable with the Echo Dot. They only cost a couple of dollars typically and you might even have one lying around in a junk drawer, but still might have been nice if Amazon had included this. I also wanted the second gen Amazon Echo Dot to be a better listener than generation one, and in a lot of cases it is. Just check out this test from our studio. [MUSIC] Alexa, play. Alexa, play [MUSIC] That was a fantastic result. Even with a speaker blaring music behind it, the second gen Echo Dot heard me almost every time. The first gen Echo Dot almost never heard me. So yes, the second gen Amazon Echo Dot is a terrific product and a steal at its $50 asking price. Amazon Echo Dot might be too tempting to pass up.