BUDGET BUYS

TIPS & TRICKS

Fed up of yelling? Alexa’s voice can work like an intercom with connected Echo devices.

Alexa Voice Shopping lets you order from Amazon; add a ‘voice code’ to keep the kids off.

Dot at your bedside? Saying “Alexa, turn on whisper mode” will stop it waking up sleepyheads.

HOT BUY

1 Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)

from £55 /go.stuff.tv/Dot5

The latest Dot offers improved sound quality over the 4th Gen model. Not surprisingly given its size, it still doesn’t have the heft of a full-scale Echo, but this Dot is more than good enough for bedside table or kitchen listening – and light years away from the lame sound of the early models. Be sure to consider the £65 ‘with Clock’ version, which offers a better and much more useful LED display than the previous model.

Stuff says ★★★★★

The 5th Gen brings a nice upgrade to an already excellent little gadget

● NOW ADD THIS

Sportlink Wall Mount

This mount for the Dot (and other small speakers) will keep it clear from wet kitchen surfaces. £19 / amazon.co.uk

2 Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset

£70 /go.stuff.tv/XboxHeadset

With their chunky earpads, these black cans are unmistakably Xbox. And the sound is impressive for the price, with a low-end response so impactful we had to turn down the bass in the Xbox’s EQ app. You might find yourself wishing for some sort of multifunction button for non-gaming use (and there’s no case, suggesting Microsoft expects you to keep it in the house). But if you like the sound of keeping your Xbox headset outlay below three figures, look no further.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Yes, you really can bag a decent gaming headset for under £100

3 Amazon Kindle

£95 /go.stuff.tv/Kindle

The basic Kindle gets its first update for three years – and jumps into the water alongside the interesting new Kindle Scribe. It’s the same size as before at 6in, but slightly lighter; and the wonderful display now has a higher resolution (300dpi), while there are also upgrades to battery life and storage. The latter goes up to 16GB from 8GB, but the stamina improvement is better still: an impressive six weeks instead of four. This is a great sub-£100 e-reader.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Some nice improvements make the latest entry-level Kindle a doozy