Probably the hottest gift for under $40 is the Echo Dot voice-controlled speaker sold through Amazon. It runs the Alexa Artificial Intelligence system and can be used to play music, control smart appliances, answer questions, set timers and more...
The Echo Dot is their entry level device and the Echo and Echo Plus are available and have bigger speakers with better audio.
Echo, waits for your voice command to carry out your instructions. It's silent until he hears the 'wake word' and the standard wake word is ALEXA. Because of this, most people call the device by the wake word ALEXA and not by it's real name Echo. You have a choice of 4 different wake words which is important if someone near the device is named Alexa or you have 2 devices in close proximity then both will respond. I've set mine to wake with the word 'Echo'
It's not perfect as it often it starts talking thinking I called it by name. I reply with "Echo, I wasn't talking to you" and it apologizes and goes back to sleep.
I received one for Christmas and downloaded the app that connects it to a Wi-Fi signal. It's designed to operate by voice command, but you can also control it through your cellphone.
Echo is great for pulling up facts and figures. I didn't have a calculator handy and asked it to run some numbers... yeah, that worked for me.
Sometimes, I'll stump Echo asking a question the device cannot find an answer. I've read it collects hundreds of thousands of questions and adds them to the learning process, similar to the BORG in the Star Trek movies. The logic comes from a central system that gets smarter with time.
I asked "Echo, what's heavier, a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers" and the response was they weigh the same but the feathers required a considerably larger volume. Satisfied with the response, I asked "Echo, explain trickle-down economics"
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