15 Cool Things You Can Do With The Echo Dot

This post was sponsored by Amazon as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Wondering about all the things you can do with the Echo Dot? From listening to music to planning a vacation, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

As a busy mom, I love anything that makes my life easier. That’s why I don’t know why I waited so long to try out the Amazon Echo Dot! I’ve known about Alexa for awhile and all the great things you can do with the Echo Dot. Now that I’ve finally tried it for myself, I see why everyone loves it so much. It’s pretty awesome!

For starters, the setup was really simple. All I had to do was download the Alexa app, follow a few simple instructions and I was good to go. I’m not all that tech savvy so if I can do it that easily, anybody can.

Once you’ve got the app set up, all you have to do is say “Alexa”, then your command. For example, if I want to hear a joke, I’d just say “Alexa, tell me a joke” and she’ll do the rest.

It even looks cool. The new Echo Dot has a sleek new look with a curved shape and fabric finish. Plus there are three colors to choose from: Charcoal, Heather Gray and Sandstone.

While I like the new look, the very best thing about the Echo Dot has to be all the cool things it does. Keep reading to find out more, then enter to win one of (10) Echo Dots or (1) Echo Show Grand Prize.

15 Awesome Things You Can Do With The Echo Dot

1. Listen To Music
2. Make Phone Calls
3. Set A Timer
4. Schedule A Reminder
5. Find Recipes
6. Get All Your Questions Answered
7. Use The Echo Dot As An Intercom System
8. Place Amazon Orders
9. Order Pizza
10. Wake Up To Favorite Songs
11. Plan A Vacation
12. Get The Latest News & Sports
13. Make A Shopping List
14. Play Games
15. Turn Off The Lights

Listen To Music

This is by far the most used feature in our house. In the past, I’ve connected a bluetooth speaker to my phone and streamed music that way. However, anytime I wanted to listen to something new, I’d have to stop what I was doing and pick up my phone to select a new song or playlist. That could be a pain if I was in the middle of  cooking, crafting or anything else that involved using my hands.

Now I can just tell Alexa what to play and the Echo Dot does all the work. Since I’m an Amazon Prime member already, I switched to their streaming service and recreated all my favorite playlists!

Now when I’m in the middle of something, I can just talk to Alexa and tell her what songs I want to hear.You can also connect it to a bluetooth speaker but the sound quality is already so loud and crisp that we haven’t felt like we needed to. This is definitely one of my favorite Echo Dot features.

Make Phone Calls

Import your contacts and you can use the Echo Dot to call anyone on your list. I chose to import just the people I call most and it’s come in very handy when I need to make a quick call. This is also a great way to find your phone when you’ve put it down and don’t remember where. Just ask Alexa to call you and listen for the ring.

Set A Timer

Need a timer when you’re cooking dinner or when you’ve told the kids they’ve got 10 more minutes before bedtime? Just use Alexa to set a timer and she’ll let you when time’s up.

Schedule A Reminder

Much like the timer, you can set the Echo Dot to remind you when you have a doctor’s appointment or a school function to attend. If you’re a busy mom like me, you totally need this feature!

Find Recipes

Cookbooks use up way too much space, don’t you think? Who needs a cookbook anyway when you can get all the recipes you need with the Echo Dot.

Tell Alexa you need a recipe for turkey meatloaf or chocolate chip cookies and she’ll pull it right up.

Get All Your Questions Answered

Have a random question you need answered? Alexa knows all and you can ask pretty much anything. It’ll answer questions from how many cups in a gallon to what movies are in theaters. You don’t have to bother looking it up on the computer or your phone anymore. Alexa will be your new best friend.

Use The Echo Dot As An Intercom system

Tired of yelling upstairs for the kids to come to dinner? Now if you have multiple Echo Dots, you can connect and use them as an intercom system throughout the house. Remind the kids to bring down laundry or let them know it’s time for movie night just by talking into it.

Place Amazon Orders

I haven’t tried this yet but the Echo Dot can even be used to place Amazon orders. If you ask nicely, Alexa will even tell you about special deals, available to Alexa users only.

Order Pizza

Don’t feel like cooking? Make dinner the easy way by using the Echo Dot to order a pizza.

Once you’ve got the number programmed in, Alexa does all the work (and mom gets a night off from cooking!).

Wake Up To Your Favorite Songs

Not only can you use the Echo Dot as an alarm each morning, you can have Alexa wake you up to your favorite music. It’s so much better than those annoying beeping sounds most alarm clocks make.

Plan A Vacation With Alexa

If you have a Kayak account, Alexa can help you plan your next vacation. Ask her to find the cheapest plane tickets, best vacation packages or just give her a budget and ask her where you can afford to go.

Get The Latest News & Sports Scores

This is the time of year when I’m following all the big football games. With so much going on, I may not always have time to watch them but I can always count on my Echo Dot for the latest scores. When I want to know what’s going on in the world, Alexa makes it easy to keep up with the latest news too.

Make A Shopping List

My next favorite feature is the fact that the Echo Dot helps me keep up with my shopping list. How many times have you finally remembered to write everything down, then get to the store and realize you forgot the list? Please say it’s not just me!

When I notice I’m low on milk or other necessities, I use the Echo Dot to add it to my shopping list. I add things throughout the day as I notice that we need them and when I hit the store, it’s all right there in my Alexa app on my phone. This is another one of those features that makes me ask myself, “How did I ever live without this?”!

Play Games

It’s a lot of fun to play games with the Echo Dot. Song Trivia and Jeopardy are my favorites but there’s also a cool one called Akinator. Alexa has to read your mind to determine what famous character you’re thinking of and so far she’s gotten me every time, though I’m still trying. There are also several versions of Would You Rather and plenty more to choose from. It’s a great way to entertain yourself and the family on a rainy day.

Turn Off The Lights

While I may love being able to listen to music and make shopping lists, my hubby just wants someone to turn off the lights when they leave a room. Now when you have a connected smart home, you can tell Alexa to do it. Saving energy and keeping the peace? It’s a win/win!

What feature do you think you’d use most on the Echo Dot?

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