Articles by Jeramy Johnson

Echo Dot (3rd Gen)

Best bang for the buck

$50 at Amazon

Pros

Cheapest Echo
Inconspicuous size
Fully-functional Alexa device

Cons

While improved, sound quality not as good as larger versions
Not as customizable as previous versions

The Echo Dot (3rd Gen) is the Echo to get for most people. Whether you’re just starting with your smart home or you are expanding your current setup, these affordable speakers can do pretty much anything.

Echo (3rd Gen)

Better sounding speaker

$100 at Amazon

Pros

Better sounding than the smaller Echo Dot
Improved styling from previous generations
Great value for excellent smart speaker

Cons

More expensive than the Echo Dot
No built-in smart hub

The Echo (3rd Gen) is also a great device at a great price. You get an outstanding speaker in one of several different colors with room-filling sound.

Amazon offers an abundance of Alexa-enabled speakers, and the Echo Dot and “regular” Echo are among its most popular. The Echo D…

Mass Appeal

Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020)

From $90 at Amazon

Pros

Faster processor
More RAM and higher storage capacity
USB-C charging port
Refreshed design and colors
Game Mode

Cons

No wireless charging
Cameras are still meh

The 2020 edition of Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet brings the iterative updates that you’d expect in terms of increased RAM, storage, and processor capabilities. It adds to that a design refresh and additional color options. It may be bested by the HD 8 Plus in some respects, but for the price, we still think this offers excellent value.

Next Level

Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2020)

From $110 at Amazon

Pros

Even faster processor and more RAM than HD 8
USB-C charging port
Fast-charging
Wireless charging
Game Mode

Cons

More expensive than HD 8
Only available in one color option
Same lackluster cameras as HD 8

The Fire HD 8 Plus marks the first time that Amazon has attempted to differentiate tablets or e-readers in the same line with premium feature…

The Ring Doorbell and Amazon’s Echo Show are a match made in heaven. The Ring Doorbell offers a smart doorbell experience that’ll let you know exactly who’s at the door without having actually to answer it. You can then use that cross-functionality to manage visitors by viewing them through the Ring Doorbell’s camera and communicating with them using the Show’s microphone. Thanks to Amazon Alexa, you don’t even have to use your hands.

Products used in this guide

Alexa, Show Me the Door!: Amazon Echo Show 8 ($100 at Amazon)
Hear and See Who’s There: Ring Video Doorbell 3 ($150 at Amazon)

How to connect your Ring Doorbell with Amazon Echo Show

Connecting your Ring Doorbell with your Amazon Echo Show is easy. It’ll just involve adding the Ring Alexa skill through the Amazon Alexa smartphone app. Here’s how:

Open the Amazon Alexa app.
Tap the three lines in the upper left-hand corner of the app to open the side menu.
Tap Skills & Games.

On this screen, tap the search butt…

Fire 7 Kids Edition Tablet

Child-proof value

$80 at Amazon

Pros

Kid-proof case included
Industry-leading parental controls
One year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited included
Expandable microSD storage

Cons

Not HD resolution
More expensive than standard Fire 7 Tablet

As with its Echo Dots, Amazon is offering kids edition versions of its Fire Tablets for a more premium price than the originals. However, these kid tablets offer some intriguing extras like enhanced parental controls, tons of kid-friendly content, and kid-proof cases.

Fire 7 Tablet

Fire for all

$50 at Amazon

Pros

Unbeatable entry price
Expandable microSD storage

Cons

Not HD resolution
Lower-quality mono speaker

The Fire 7 Tablet is a great entry point into the Amazon ecosystem. It starts cheap and is often on discount, and gives you access to all the great tablet-y content you’d want (minus Google Play), hands-free Alexa, and expandable storage.

You want to get your youngsters an Amazon F…

Protecting our homes and our families with smart technology has never been easier. You can now see what’s going on when you are not at home, even if it’s just to see what the family pet is getting into today. Whatever your reason might be, we’ve got a roundup of indoor security cameras for you to choose from.

Stick it anywhere

Ring Stick Up Cam

Staff pick

This camera sends alerts when it detects any motion, and it has night vision and 2-way audio. It is available in battery-powered, plug-in, or solar-powered versions. You can also mount it easily on any flat surface.

$100 at Amazon
$100 at Best Buy
$110 at Newegg

Facial recognition

Nest Cam IQ Indoor

Nest Cam IQ differentiates between objects and people, shoots at 1080p, and can zoom in on someone as they’re moving across the room.

$300 at Best Buy
$230 at Newegg

All the features

Arlo Pro 3

The Arlo Pro 3 shoots in 2K, has night-vision with 160-degree viewing angles, and two-way audio. With Arlo’s Smart Se…

As our connected lifestyles and smart homes continue to merge, we are finding new ways to secure our houses and belongings. One of the best devices for keeping tabs on our stuff is a smart security camera, and they’re certainly are tons to chose from. In light of recent data breaches and privacy scandals, many are looking for options that feature on-device storage solutions (a.k.a. don’t use the cloud), so we’ve put together a list of the best security cameras with local storage for your reference. My favorite out of the bunch is the eufy Cam 2. It has all of the features I want, with none of the added expenses (subscriptions).

Best Overall Security Camera with Local Storage: eufy Cam 2

Eufy makes a line of quality smart home products like this Indoor/Outdoor camera, but one of the things we like best about its products is the one-time fee model they espouse. You don’t have to purchase an ongoing cloud storage subscription to access or store your videos, and this device even come…

The band for Mi

Xiaomi Mi Band 4

$25 at Amazon

Pros

20-day battery life
AMOLED display
Water-resistant to 50m
Six built-in exercise modes
Better app integration and friend competitions

Cons

Low brand recognition in the U.S.
Charging cradle issues
Atypical band replacement
App problems??? Social?? Integrations??

As with its phones, Xiaomi has set an example of how to offer a compelling fitness band at a competitive price. It brings multi-sport modes and long battery life that let it match up against trackers two-three times its price. As good as it is with fitness, it is lacking in other smart features.

New kid in town

Wyze Band

$30 at Amazon

Pros

Two-week battery life
AMOLED display
Water-resistant to 50m
Integration with Wyze smart home ecosystem
Amazon Alexa built-in

Cons

Band changing can be challenging
No social competitions or integrations
Minimal exercise mode support
App has to be running for smart home features to work

The Wyze Band is a fanta…

Samsung makes some of the most popular, well-built, and acclaimed smartphones in the industry. And while its TouchWiz software skin didn’t have a ton of fans, its newer One UI version is among our favorites. What’s not necessarily our favorite thing is the fact that Samsung’s apps are set as the default when you first set up your Galaxy phone. Whether it’s Samsung Internet (which isn’t bad at all) over Chrome, Samsung Gallery over Google Photos, or Samsung Messages over Google Messages, you have the right and ability to change your preferred app. We’ll show you how easy it is to do so that you can have the optimal One UI experience on your Samsung Galaxy phone.

Products used in this guide

Latest and greatest Galaxy: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ($1,300 at Amazon)
A phone for the masses: Samsung Galaxy A51 ($400 at Amazon)

How to change your default apps on a Samsung Galaxy Phone

We’ve all see the pop-up alerts asking us which app we want to use to open a particular file, link, …

Amazon has been making Fire TV streaming devices for over five years now, and for most of that time, they have had a streaming stick available. Currently, there are three to choose from, so which is the best Fire TV stick to get? We’ve played with them all and want to share our thoughts on which is the best option for you. However, the best option overall is the Fire TV Stick 4K. Make sure you pick up the version with the included Alexa Voice Remote!

Best Overall Fire TV Stick: Fire TV Stick 4K with Alexa Voice Remote

Let’s not mince words here; this is the Fire TV stick that you want to get. Period. Yeah, the others work just about as well, but with the Fire TV Stick 4K, you are future-proofing yourself. As more and more video content is available in better formats like 4K, UHD, HDR 10+, and Dolby Vision, you’re going to want to have a device that can support and stream that content, especially if and when you upgrade your TV to match.

Even at full-price, this device is a barga…

You don’t have to wait any longer to pre-order a Galaxy Note 20 from Amazon.

What you need to know

Amazon.com has opened pre-orders of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra.
The Note 20 starts at $1,000, and the Note 20 Ultra at $1,300.
Both phones were unveiled on August 5th at Samsung’s virtual Unpacked event.

After months of speculation, leaks, and rumors, Samsung finally unveiled its latest flagships, the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, at its virtual unpacked event. These ultra-premium smartphones went up for pre-order yesterday at Samsung.com, and are now available for pre-order at other retailers including Amazon.com.

These new Notes both sport improvements to their cameras and S Pen functionality, and both come in some exciting new colors. The lower-priced Note 20 is available in a gorgeous new Mystic Green and a more standard Mystic Gray, while the Note 20 Ultra comes in a stunning Mystic Black and timeless Mystic White. The most sought-after color …