Is the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) worth buying?

Great gift for a smart-home newbie; redundant for everyone else — do your homework before you checkout. There you have it — seven real-world tech gift picks for dads, one of which I’m actively telling you not to buy. I think that’s the most useful thing a review like this can do: give you a straight answer instead of filling a list with seven winners just to pad it out. The wireless charger and the Tile tracker are my personal top two if you’re trying to narrow it down, but honestly, any of the ‘yes’ picks will land well if they match the dad’s actual life. One piece of advice: whenever possible, think about what problem the dad in question complains about most. Loses his keys? Tile. Always listening to music from a phone speaker? JBL. Perpetually tethered to a wall outlet? Charging station. The best tech gifts don’t impress — they quietly solve something, and a week later the dad can’t imagine life without it. That’s the whole goal. If something on this list worked out for you, or if you’ve got a pick I missed, drop it in the comments — Maggie and I are always open to new research assignments.

Note W000229. Filed.