I bought one but haven't set it up yet. The description on the site makes it pretty clear that the echo dot is the echo without the speakers. I wouldn't say it's "next generation" in the way the term is normally used-- as in a tech upgrade. It is another product in the echo suite (echo, tap and echo dot) that allows you to use your own speaker system (I will use it with my sound bar) I bought one for myself when I picked one up from one of my niece's wish list. If I like it, I will likely get the full on echo with speakers for another location in the house.

bpathome, the Instant Pot does release steam out the top. Mine never makes a mess, though--it's just steam that goes upward, there is no water or residue on my counter that I've ever noticed. terriks, the IP is a pressure cooker that can also be used as a slow cooker and a rice cooker. I've had one for a year now and I use it multiple times per week. It is great for soups, cooking dried beans without presoaking, making mashed potatoes and hardboiling eggs so they are very easy to peel. I love that I can make soup really fast after I come home from work and I can steam a whole sweet potato for the baby in under 15 minutes. I feel like the IP does save time but for me the primary advantage is that it takes no supervision. I put the soup ingredients in and close the lid, set it for 15 minutes and walk away. Since I am often multi-tasking while I cook, it has saved me time in not having to go back to check if the soup is simmering, adjust the temps, adjust the lid, stir, etc. I've also made mac and cheese in it but did not feel it was any easier or tastier than the traditional way--it was the same and took the same amount of time. We do not cook meat but I can only assume that it comes in very handy for meat dishes, too. Here are the down sides: 1) the steam does vent straight up. If you don't have an island, I think the steam frequently venting under/in front of your cabinets might not be the best thing for them. If you are standing there when it vents you can divert it, but that negates the "no supervision" benefit. 2) It is big-ish and heavy-ish; unless you leave it on the countertop, you will be lifting it. My favorite large soup pot is a Le Creuset, so it's not a lightweight option, either, but if you have carpal tunnel or something, you might want to consider the weight and where you will store your IP.

I really like listening to Pandora on my dot (I have it hooked up to my UE Boom for better sound), and my three-year-old grandson likes being able to ask Alexa to play his favorite songs. I use my dot as a timer when I do washer/dryer loads. I like getting my local weather on demand, and it's so easy to get the weather for anywhere in the country. I love that by using the any.do app I always have my shopping list on my phone. TuneIn radio is handy to get radio stations from across the country, and my local AM channels sound better on TuneIn than on my radio.

My brother has a Sonos which runs off his phone and the sound is amazing. While they were here on Good Friday we were discussing it, and I found a Sonos One for sale on an online group. It has a built-in Alexa. I bought it and tried to hook it up using my computer. Apparently this was able to do, until just a couple of months ago. Now the company only do setup using a phone. I tried downloading the app and it won't install. I put it up for sale and a buyer is coming later today. This is becoming more frustrating than it's worth just to listen to music. Obviously I need to upgrade my phone, which I still might do, as long as I get the Google Home or Mini at a great price to offset the cost of the phone.