If you missed out on the Amazon Echo deals happening around Prime Day, you’re in luck. There are some big savings on Amazon Echoes once again with the Amazon Echo Dot 5 and Amazon Echo Show 8 enjoying huge price cuts. The Amazon Echo Dot 5 is down to $30, while the Echo Show 8 is down to $105. Neither of these prices are the lowest ever, with both slightly cheaper earlier in the year, but these are still dependable price cuts. Here’s a quick look at what both Echoes have to offer and how they can enrich your home life. Think of them as highly accessible entry points to making your home much smarter and more modern.
The Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) is the little smart speaker that could. We reviewed the Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) with Clock, but the one without a clock is still almost as good. Available in three different colors, the Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) is the best sounding Echo Dot yet, with an improved audio experience over previous models leading to clearer vocals, deeper bass, and more vibrant sound. It’s able to control smart home devices through your voice and you can even set up routines which are triggered through the built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. On a simpler level, you can just ask the Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) for the weather today, to play music, or even to tell you a joke. It’s a fun little companion and takes up hardly any room, easily earning its place as one of the best smart speakers.
In our Amazon Echo Show 8 review, we explained how it’s part photo frame and part boombox, and that’s the perfect way of summing it up. It has an attractive 8-inch HD touchscreen which works in conjunction with the 13MP camera to be a great video calling unit. Place it in the kitchen and you can use the Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd gen) to read recipe instructions or watch a show while you bake. As with the Echo Dot, it’s simple to ask Alexa for assistance, but the Amazon Echo Show feels more practical. That’s because its screen means you can turn it into a digital photo frame, or you can use Adaptive Content to glance at your calendar or reminders. It’s truly a smart assistant.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.