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Despite the fact that I've only had an Amazon Echo for three and a half months, I already consider it to be one of the best tech purchases I've ever made.

Like many, I was skeptical about the device. I even had one on preorder during it's soft launch in November 2014, only to cancel my order at the last second.

My skepticism was justified: At the time, the Echo was primarily used to listen to music, answer simple questions when prompted, and reorder products you'd bought from Amazon. I already had a Bluetooth speaker I really liked, Siri answered my questions well enough, and I was more than comfortable with the Amazon app on my iPhone.

But I kept hearing people talk about how great the device was, how it was becoming more intelligent, and becoming the focal point of their smart homes. Home automation has become more interesting to me over the past six months, and I've been itching to see how smart I can make my apartment.

The first thing that struck me about the Echo is how unremarkable it looks — in a good way! Don't get me wrong, the Echo looks fine, but it's not over designed or flashy. It's not made to catch your eye because you're not supposed to be looking at it. After a quick setup, I was ready to see how smart "Alexa", the Echo's voice assistant, really was. As it turns out, she's very smart.

My frame of reference for a voice assistant is Siri, who I've been interacting with through either my iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch since 2012. Siri is smart, and has gotten smarter in the past few years, but Alexa is smarter. In one way, pitting the two against each other isn't fair: The Echo is always plugged into an outlet and connected to a WiFi network. This means it doesn't have the same spotty connection or power constraint problems that Siri has.

But even when both my iPhone and Echo are connected to a power source and on the same network, Alexa comes up with the goods faster, and more accurately. Its 7-mic system picks up my questions clearly, even if I speak softly, or I'm in another another room. But the Echo can do far more than use answer questions.

Unsurprisingly, the Echo pairs very well with Amazon-owned services, so if you'd like to have it play an audiobook from Audible, all you have to do is ask. A newer skill the Echo has learned is the ability to read your Kindle books to you, turning all of your regular books into audiobooks. But the Echo can also connect with other services; something Siri can't. So, if I want to play a song not available on Amazon Prime Music, I can just say, "Alexa, play song X on Spotify," and I'm off to the races.

Amazon Echo AP/Jeff Chiu

It's that willingness to working with third-party hardware and software makers that makes the Echo an ideal hub for your smart home. Unlike other vendors, Amazon isn't interested in selling you a set of highly specific hardware. They're willing to let anyone who wants to integrate with the Echo. And even if a smart home accessory isn't directly integrated with the Echo, the Echo is compatible with the online automation service IFTTT, easily enabling you to gain additional functionality and compatibility.

For example, I own a set of Phillips Hue bulbs, so I can say "Alexa, turn on my bedroom lights", and my lights will turn on. But I opted to buy the multi-colored bulbs, so if I say "Alexa, trigger party time", my command will be sent through IFTTT's servers and my bulbs will begin to cycle through different colors.

Alexa learns new skills regularly, too. So even in the short time I've owned one, some of the third-party solutions I used have been replaced with direct integration.

I'm a big proponent of multi-use products, which is why I can't recommend the Echo highly enough for people looking to start their smart home. Even if you only buy one smart product, you can still use the Echo's skills to add events to your calendar, find out how your favorite sports team is doing, or ask about the weather.

Plus, being able to control any smart device with your voice rather than fumbling in an app makes all the difference in the world. Once you trust that the Echo will hear you and answer both correctly and quickly, it becomes second nature. If you're even slightly interested in starting a smart, home I highly recommend picking one up.

Amazon Echo, $179.99, available at Amazon.

**Temporarily out of stock, will be back in stock before Christmas**

This article was originally published on 6/6/2016.