The Amazon Echo Spot is a superbly executed device. We're just not sure that the public is quite ready, especially at this price.

Sound quality is superb; video is crisp; Alexa seems to be more responsive

Who wants an exposed video camera by their bed? The UI is a bit screwy on a round screen; it's expensive

The smartphone made the standalone alarm clock worthless. Sure you probably know some alarm clock holdouts (a parent or grandmother perhaps), but you probably just use your phon e , which is already resting on the nightstand and has a decent enough alarm.

It's loud enough to wake me up in the morning

Creepy nightmares about Jeff Bezos watching me sleep

A tiny Echo with a screen.

It's loud enough to wake me up in the morning

Creepy nightmares about Jeff Bezos watching me sleep

Mashable Choice highlights the best of everything we cover, have experienced first-hand and would recommend to others. Amazon's not declaring it a redo, but the Echo Spot , the company's latest Alexa-powered smart speaker â€" smart alarm clock is probably more accurate â€" might as well be one.

Virtual assistants can have a place in our lives, helping us with information and getting small tasks done. While many people might be familiar with the voice assistants on their smartphones, we are now starting to see standalone devices such as the Amazon Echo lineup and Google Home devices...

Well built; Useful display; Video calling

Poor audio quality

Amazon Echo Spot is the best looking smart speaker in the market right now. The device has a display but it has Alexa at its heart. It hits a sweet spot with its price and makes for a great table clock, too.

Home automation and smart assistants are a burgeoning category of products that not everyone will find value in. There's no denying that they work better in concert with existing connected devices.

ImageTagInstance gallery-bf1b6005-b28f-48ee-9c03-47629e913a50 As it has been doing lately, Amazon has beat top tech manufacturers to the punch on yet another device evolution – a smart assistant with an interactive screen. First introduced in the form of the Echo Show, the Alexa-powered, touchscreen-toting Echo device has taken another form in the more compact Echo Spot. With a built-in camera, a 2.5-inch circular, alarm-clock-esque touchscreen display, and a $129.99 price tag, the Amazon Echo Spot puts a small, interactive face on the company's well-known Alexa assistant and retains all the skills and functionalities consumers have come to love about Echo devices. We now intend to find out if screen-less Echo devices should be a thing of the past.Design ImageTagInstance gallery-071c7b78-c931-42a2-ba6a-a3c9b04d8a98 ImageTagInstance gallery-f27bb28a-dd2d-499d-ad52-c3aa465adbaf The Amazon Echo Spot has an almost totally spherical shape to it, reminiscent of the size and shape of a Magic ...

Touchscreen interface makes some tasks easier and Alexa slightly more tangible; Good looks; can fit in most any room; Decent sound for a small device; Front-facing camera adds value;

Lacking in display integration and touchscreen interaction with Alexa/Skills;

If you're all about having a smart home, owning just one smart assistant probably doesn't cut it. To truly control your home with voice activation, you need smart assistants in multiple rooms so that you're always within range to make a command. Purchasing multiple smart devices can leave a pretty hefty hole in your wallet. Luckily, Amazon is offering $40 off when you buy two Echo Spots together. Amazon's Echo Spot is small enough to fit almost anywhere in your home, but advanced enough to show you news briefings, shopping lists, recipes, and more all from voice commands. The Spot also connects to other Echo and smart devices so your entire home can be synced up. Though it's not just your devices the Spot can recognize — you can make video calls to other people who have Echo Spot and Show devices in their homes. Check it out: Normally two Echo Spots price out at $259.98, but right now when you buy two of the smart assistant devices, you'll save $40. The savings...