Good Morrow To You One And All!

Over the last week or so, I have been in the process of acquiring and then 
trying the Smatree Battery Bases for both the Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot. 
I began by exhaustively testing the Echo Dot with its 500MA/H battery. The 
results were quite extraordinary and surpassed my expectations by a 
considerable amount.

I found that I could easily get 15 hours of usage per charge cycle, and the 
charge only took 3 hours at most.

The Smatree Battery Base transforms the Echo Dot’s appearance. It is quite 
ingenious actually, given its function. They use a small plastic adapter to 
interface with the battery. This plugs into the USB Micro port on the Echo Dot, 
covering the original audio socket. The audio output socket is moved to the 
battery base itself, as is the power input socket. The latter is a USB Micro, 
as before, but in a different place. The audio socket is located on the battery 
base as well, on the opposite side of the circular case to the new power input.

There is also a full-size USB host output although `at this point I’m not 
entirely sure what its function should be.

As I said, the entire appearance of the Dot is transformed.  It’s about 2.5 
times the height of the Dot, and has a considerably larger circumference.

The Echo is a different design again. The base on the Echo is exceedingly 
simple, yet works extremely well. This is the 900MA/H version, (the AE900A). It 
can also power the Echo for quite a while although I haven’t as yet measured 
it. But the Echo stands upright, as before, only the battery base now becomes 
the bottom of the Echo and it is around 2 inches taller than it previously was. 
On the Echo, there are now two methods of powering up the battery from AC. You 
have a USB Micro which provides 5 Volts, at 900MA/H. Then there is still the 15 
Volt 900MA/H power input. Naturally, the 5 volt USB charge takes considerably 
longer, but it does have some advantages. It means that you can now charge the 
Echo from the USB port on a laptop or desktop. This makes the Echo a very 
portable divide.

I have not as yet discovered whether this device also brings Bluetooth 
streaming “To” the Echo. My understanding is that there are units out there 
which do provide this option. Although whether this is one, I’m not yet sure. 
But I plan to find out soon.

All in all, I’m very impressed and can’t wait for the Summer so that I can take 
my Echo outside and have some listening fun!

========================================

My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
<[email protected]>

Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971

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