I personally am not inclined to put a smart speaker in my kids’ bedrooms, but if I were to, the new Kids Edition Echo Dot would be the one to do it with. Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest.

We did wonder if the manners feature extended to sorting this out… but Alexa answered him clearly, and if it wasn’t able to grant his wish then it suggested other things it could do for him. These games and skills are pretty decent – although some of the voices are slightly robotic sounding. Voice apps are quickly becoming a key part of families' daily routine and "Bing Time" has been carefully crafted to enable our young audience to engage with Bing through songs, audio-stories and games. We've had a fantastic experience with this device, and it's become an invaluable addition to our family life. Magic Word — The Magic Word feature offers positive reinforcement when kids use the word “please” while asking questions to Alexa.Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. Cover for anything that happens to your Echo Dot Kids device including electrical and mechanical breakdowns. As the global publisher of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts stories in digital formats, Pottermore Publishing’s audio team works with some of the best narrators in the world, including Stephen Fry, Noma Dumezweni and Jude Law alongside many others. Sneakily you can block all entertainment content until the educational goals have been met – we loved this feature. Visit the Alexa Privacy Hub to explore how Alexa and Echo devices are designed to protect your privacy.

Fun Kids is the biggest provider of kids audio in the UK with our national radio station” says Matt Deegan, Station Manager of Fun Kids. Very good service from start to finish, great communication throughout, a question was asked and quickly answered much appreciated. Seller has stated it will dispatch the item within 1 working day upon receipt of cleared payment - opens in a new window or tab . audio output, so you can hook the speaker up to external speakers; it seems unlikely that you’ll want to do this but, hey, the option’s there if you want it.These are all accessed via the Alexa smartphone app, so it's very easy to keep track of what your child is up to when using the smart speaker. Household Communications — Gone are the days of shouting up the stairs for the kids to come down to dinner. Maximum volume is loud enough to fill a room, although the midrange tends to get a bit muddled in the middle and the speaker lacks the subtlety of its higher-end competition. Alexa has also come in really useful for things like asking the weather, dropping in on my daughter to tell her to come down for tea and asking Alexa to tell us a random fact! It looks identical to the adult-focused Echo Dot – with a ball shape design first seen in the 4th generation model – but comes in two new colourful design schemes showing a Tiger or Panda on the front.

Starting life on the consumer PC press back in 1998, David has been at the forefront of technology for the past 20 years. In practice, this hasn’t made much of a difference — I can still see it from across the room and it reflects off of most surfaces, so it’s plenty bright. The Reducing CO2 label applies to products certified by the Carbon Trust, that are lowering their carbon emissions year after year for the full life cycle of the product. We're over the moon to have created ten brand new, ad-free, radio stations perfectly suited for little ears, now available on the new Echo Dot Kids. Unlike other sites, we test every smart speaker we review thoroughly over an extended period of time.A flashing yellow light on your Echo device means that you have a notification or a message from an Alexa contact.

Alexa Speaks “Kid” — Alexa has age-appropriate suggestions at the ready, all kids have to say is, “Alexa, I’m bored.Of the new Echo Dot variations available, my favorite is the one that comes with the LED display built into it. Smart home speakers are more common than ever these days – and it's becoming second nature to shout commands at devices to receive instant access to news, weather updates, music playlists or even interact with lights or video doorbells. This smart speaker is not only adorable in its design but also comes packed with features that provide a safe and engaging experience for kids. The main takeaway, though, is that you shouldn’t upgrade from the 3rd Gen hoping for a significant leap in sound quality, it’s just not there. And a drop-in function lets you use the dot as an intercom – no more yelling up the stairs that they need to get their shoes on as they’re already late for school.