AMAZON ECHO SPOT REVIEW: AN ALMOST-PERFECT SMART ALARM CLOCK

Alarm clocks haven't exactly been popular for a long time. Most people just use their phone as an alarm clock, since it's often found charging overnight next to their bed. But studies have shown that using a smartphone right up until we go to sleep and looking at it first thing when we wake up is perhaps not a healthy lifestyle. A smart alarm clock provides a way to get your phone out of your bedroom, yet still maintain useful things like weather reports, smart home device control, and of course, telling the time, without including distractions like email, social media apps, or a web browser. The $129.99 Echo Spot is taking another run at this problem, and it's the most promising attempt since, well, ever. The best way to put the Spot in context with Amazon's other Echo speakers is one of those SAT analogies: the Echo Spot is to the Echo Show what the Echo Dot is to the standard Echo. It's a smaller, less expensive version of the Show with virtually all of the same capabilities. It's basically a tiny Amazon Echo with an adorable circular screen.