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Like all Amazon hardware, "Dash" started off small.

After a couple of years creating the original Dash for Amazon Fresh products and Dash Buttons for single products, there's the "All-New Amazon Dash."

It might not have the catchiest name, but if you order your staples, and, well, everything else from Amazon, it could be your new best friend.

For a small, wand-like device, the All-New Amazon Dash is packed with features. It runs on two AAA batteries and works as a hybrid barcode scanner and vocal-recognition device.

Here's how it works: Let's say you're running out of Cheez-Itz and want more. You can scan the barcode on the bag or box, or hold down the Dash's button and say "Cheez-Itz." You'll hear a chime if your request was accepted, and a different sound, or spoken cue, if it wasn't.

Unlike Dash Buttons, an order isn't automatically placed upon your request or scan. My thinking is that Amazon didn't want to deal with parents cancelling orders placed by their kids. It's easy to say "order the PS4" and have one appear on your doorstep two days later.

At first, I was a little put-off by the concept of having to scan or say products with one device, only to buy them on another. The more I thought about it, though, the more it made sense. This process means fewer individual orders that Amazon has to parse and combine, and cuts down on the notifications you receive on your phone.

Think of the new Dash as a way to digitally create your grocery list.

You see what's running low, grab the Dash, and scan. Then you either make the order right then and there, or keep your Amazon cart as a running tally of what you'll need to buy in the next week.

In my experience, the Dash was able to properly scan anything I threw at it, but kind of stumbled with my voice requests. When I asked for something vague, like toilet paper, it would register my voice but ask me for a specific type of toilet paper in Amazon's app. Ditto for Cheez Itz. Did I want a certain flavor? A few snack-sized bags or a whole box?

If you start ordering the same thing, I'm sure it'll add your preferred choice to the cart automatically, but it's nice that they ask at the beginning.

Is the Dash worth it? Maybe. If you order every and anything from Amazon, it definitely won't hurt to have. It blows Dash Buttons away in terms of usefulness, so if you've accumulated a handful of those, you'll probably love this.

I don't see myself scanning too many barcodes, but the vocal recognition could be something I start using more often, especially around the holidays.

As a bonus, Amazon Fresh customers can get the All-New Dash for $20, with a $20 credit after making their first purchase.

All-New Amazon Dash, $49.99, available at Amazon