我測評科技產品多年，老實說，這是第一次依靠孩子完成評估。

上周，亞馬遜公司發給我一款兒童版Echo Dot智能音箱。我家里已經有很多應用亞馬遜虛擬個人語音助理Alexa的Echo系列設備，但這次的兒童版音箱卻不是給我和妻子用的，是給孩子的。孩子們試用幾天后，我可以告訴大家，這款Echo設備值得買給孩子。

很多家長不喜歡孩子和亞馬遜虛擬語音助理Alexa講話，我可以理解。作為家長，看到孩子似乎天生就會懂得跟設備溝通，晚上還主動要求床頭圓乎乎的虛擬助理講最喜歡的迪士尼電影故事，你難免感覺不安。當孩子找Alexa講最喜歡的故事而不是找你，或者你在隔壁房間聽孩子們跟著喜歡的歌曲音樂起舞，你可能也會覺得不是滋味。這些太容易實現了，孩子們對著機器說一聲就行。

但我也要告訴你，亞馬遜做得很出色，因為提供了家長控制選項。

拆封兒童版Echo Dot智能音箱完成設置以后，我就獲得了所有的控制權，可以決定孩子怎樣用以及何時使用。我可以通過亞馬遜應用FreeTime的家長控制功能，選擇孩子可以接觸的內容。我可以決定孩子何時不能和Alexa交流。如果想關掉亞馬遜音樂服務播放的歌曲（也確實試過），只要通過手機確認即可。

沒想到的是，設置好家長控制功能并確認正常后，我不再擔心讓孩子在房間里跟Echo Dot智能音箱玩了。我也不介意兒子把早上鬧鈴的聲音換成最喜歡的一些角色聲音，或者要求音箱給他講愛聽的故事。

硬件方面，我比較欣賞亞馬遜的兒童版Echo Dot是普通版Echo Dot改裝版。設備體積很小，像個磁盤，隨便放在屋里哪個角落都很方便。不過，你很快會發現其內置揚聲器聲音效果特別差。連我的孩子都說，和家里其他設備比，兒童版Echo Dot播放的歌曲效果很差。如果你想聽起來效果好些，最好連上外部揚聲器。

這款Echo Dot售價80美元，稱得上價廉物美。可事實證明，實際花費可能遠遠不只80美元。

購買設備以后，你有一年時間免費收聽無廣告插播的迪士尼廣播等廣播電臺節目、免費月度Audible音頻書，還可以給孩子設置一些專門的提醒功能。一年之后就得在亞馬遜的應用FreeTime Unlimited上注冊，才能繼續享受孩子喜歡的服務。屆時一個孩子就得花每月4.99美元（如果是亞馬遜Prime會員，每月可以降到2.99美元），要是想為四個孩子辦一個家庭套餐，每月要付9.99美元，Prime會員的套餐價是每月6.99美元。

盡管如此，倘若你想找一款新設備給孩子用，兒童版Echo Dot仍是不錯的選擇。

Echo Dot強大的功能可能同時也是家長選擇時最大的障礙。這款設備可以代替父母、廣播和鬧鐘做很多事，可如果你不喜歡看到孩子和機器講話，就不適合。

另一方面，如果你想找一些無需家長（過多）監督也能放心讓孩子使用的科技產品，兒童版Echo Dot就非常適合你，也適合你的孩子。（財富中文網）

譯者：Pessy

審校：夏林

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I’ve been reviewing tech products for years. But I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve relied so heavily on my children’s opinion before filing a review.

You see, last week Amazon sent me the Echo Dot Kids Edition. Although I have several Echo devices in the home all powered by Amazon’s virtual personal assistant Alexa, the Echo Dot Kids Edition isn’t for me or my wife—it’s for our children. And after several days with the device and time for the kids to try it out, I can tell you that the Echo Dot Kids Edition is worth buying for your children.

Now I can appreciate that there are many parents that don’t like the idea of their children talking to Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa. And I can tell you that you will feel a little uneasy when you see your children, seemingly born with the knowledge of how to communicate with a gadget, ask the virtual assistant in the small disc on their nightstand to tell them a story from their favorite Disney movie. You might also find it odd when your children request to have Alexa read them a story from a favorite book instead of you or listen from the other room as your kids are dancing to some of their favorite songs—all accessible with a simple request.

But I can also tell you that Amazon has done an outstanding job of giving you, the parent, control.

As soon as I broke the Echo Dot Kids Edition out of its box and set it up, I was given full control over how and when my kids could use their new toy. I was able, through Amazon’s FreeTime parental controls, to decide what kind of content my kids could access. I could decide for myself the times when they couldn’t communicate with Alexa. And if I wanted to turn off explicit songs from Amazon Music (and I did), I only had to confirm that choice from my phone.

In an odd twist, after my parental controls were set up and I confirmed they were working, I didn’t worry about leaving the Echo Dot Kids Edition in my child’s room. And I also didn’t mind when he asked to have some of his favorite characters wake him up with the alarm clock or ask for a story he loves.

On the hardware side, I liked that Amazon simply re-purposed its already popular Echo Dot. The device is small, disc-like, and easy to place anywhere in a room. But you’ll notice quickly that if you try to use its built-in speakers, the sound quality is downright awful. My children even remarked at how poorly their songs sounded on the Echo Dot Kids Edition compared to some of the other speakers we have in the house. If you want better-sounding audio, then, you’ll want to connect the device to external speakers.

At $80, the Echo Dot Kids Edition is nicely affordable. But your total cost of ownership might prove to be far more expensive.

The device comes with one year of free access to ad-free radio stations, like Radio Disney, audiobooks from Audible, and special alarms your kids might like, among other features. After that, you’ll need to sign up for Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited, which gives you access to all the content that, after a year, your child probably won’t want to lose. That’ll set you back $4.99 per month (or $2.99 a month if you’re a Prime member) for a single child. If you want the family membership with up to four kids, you’ll be paying $9.99 per month or $6.99 per month if you’re a Prime subscriber.

Despite that, the Echo Dot Kids Edition still offers a nice value, if you’re in the market for a new device for the kids.

And perhaps that’s the biggest hurdle the Echo Dot Kids Edition will face. The Echo Dot Kids Edition does everything you, a radio, and an alarm clock can do. But if you’re not so keen on your kids talking to a machine, it’s not for you.

But if you’re looking for some tech that your kids can enjoy without (too much) parental supervision, the Echo Dot Kids Edition is the device for you—and your kids.