If you'd asked me a year ago about the worst gadgets I've ever bought, Amazon's Echo Auto probably would've been near the top of the list.

The $50 device—which I'd bought on a whim last year for 50% off—is a small device that adds hands-free Alexa voice controls to any car, and it used to give me all kinds of grief. It struggled to recognize voice commands, would freeze up without explanation, and sometimes just failed to boot up when I started the car. And without a visual element to complement Alexa's voice interactions, it felt less useful than talking to Siri or Google Assistant directly through my phone.

But since my aging automobile only has a radio, a CD player, and auxiliary input, I kept the Echo Auto around, mostly as way to connect my phone to the car's audio system over Bluetooth. (The device uses Bluetooth to relay audio from the phone, and can supply sound to the car via a 3.5mm audio cable.)

Now I'm glad I stuck with it. Over the last year, the Echo Auto has evolved from one of my most-despised gadgets into one that I actually like.

How did this transformation occur? The main reason is a new feature called Auto Mode, which turns your phone into a simple menu that complements Alexa's voice interactions. Ask Alexa to play music, and playback controls will appear on the screen, along with a list of other music you've played recently. Ask for directions, and it'll jump over to your mapping app of choice for turn-by-turn navigation. You can also tap the screen to place a phone call or send a message to your Echo speakers at home.

Auto Mode arrived earlier this month inside the Alexa app on iOS and Android. Once your phone connects to the Echo Auto over Bluetooth, you'll see a prompt to launch the Alexa app into Auto Mode. (It's best to have a car dashboard mount to keep the phone at eye level, like this vent mount on sale for $7 during Prime Day.)
 

In a way, Auto Mode reminds me of Google's Android Auto app, which also presents a driver-friendly interface for things like music, navigation, and phone calls. The difference with Amazon's version is that it works with both iOS and Android, and it has its own dedicated hardware for hearing voice commands. Even with music blasting, I found that the Echo Auto was excellent at picking up the "Alexa" wake word, even when uttered quietly.

I've warmed up to the Echo Auto for other reasons as well. While this is hard to quantify, the experience seems more stable than it was a year ago. There's also a handy "Alexa, start my commute" voice command that reads the weather and traffic before presenting various listening options. And now that I rely on Plex to stream my personal music collection, I appreciate the fact that Plex has an Alexa skill. (Launching music from Plex is a bit clunky, requiring specific phrases like "Ask Plex to play [album name]," but it does work.)

Ideally, you wouldn't need an Echo Auto (or a car with Alexa built in) to use Auto Mode. It should be the kind of feature that works with any car, launching automatically when your phone connects to specific Bluetooth devices and using the phone to listen for voice commands.

But in an act of fortuitous timing, the Echo Auto is one of today's Prime Day deals, bringing the price down to $20. Last year, I would have pleaded with you to avoid it. Now I think it's a neat way to drive safer.
 

Apple's next iPhone event: Later today, Apple will almost certainly launch some new iPhones, possibly with a cheaper version of its HomePod smart speaker in tow. I'm not going to bother rehashing the rumors at this point, as I'll have plenty more to say next week once the news is out. In the meantime, I had fun hanging out in the Advisorator chat room on Slack during last month's iPad-and-Watch event, so let's do it again for this one. Here's the invite link.

More Google gear: Although it didn't make the cut for last week's announcements, Google has released a new Nest thermostat that's both smaller and cheaper than previous versions at $130. It makes a few compromises to get there, though: The original Nest's satisfying dial control is gone in favor of a touch-sensitive strip, it doesn't support remote temperature sensors, and it uses AAA batteries instead of a built-in rechargeable one. Nest's previous budget thermostat, the $169 Thermostat E, is going away, so if you want those fancier features, now might be a good time to snag one at a discount as retailers clear out inventory. (Best Buy has it with a temperature sensor for $130.)

Google also put out a modest update for its Google Wifi mesh router system, with a lower price of $199 for a three-pack. It's a cheaper alternative to Google's Nest Wifi system, which has better range and doubles as a set of Google Assistant speakers. Those systems cost $269 for a two-pack and $349 for a three-pack.

(As a total aside, I miss those innocent days when connected thermostats were the centerpiece of the smart home wars. Now it's all about locking down your home with alarm systems and surveilling your neighborhood with doorbell cameras.)

YouTube Music improves uploads: Just to close the loop on my newsletter from a couple months back, YouTube Music no longer requires a Premium subscription to play uploaded music on Chromecasts and smart speakers. For those with personal music collections, this brings YouTube Music a smidge closer to feature parity with Google Play Music, which is shutting down soon.

Unfortunately, you still can't use voice commands to play uploaded music on smart speakers, and the YouTube Music interface seems openly hostile to uploads in certain ways. (One example: Browsing by artist shows all of their songs in one unwieldy list instead of grouping them by album.) In other words, I am not regretting my investment in Plex at all.
 

Microsoft's easy rebates: Over at PCWorld, Mark Hachman brings word of a new "Bing Rebates" program that can save you some money while shopping online. The savings can be pretty significant, too, including 10% back on non-Apple cellphones from Walmart, 7.5% back sitewide at Sonos.com, and 10% back on accessories from Verizon.

The process of securing the rebates is a bit convoluted, though: Provided you have a Microsoft account, you can head to this page for a list of retailers offering cash back. Click "See latest deals" for any retailer to view the offers and exclusions, then click "shop now." This should take you to a Bing search page where you'll see a "cash back" tag in the top result. Clicking that link will ensure that whatever you buy counts toward the rebate. (You may also need to disable any ad blockers so that Microsoft can track the purchase.)

Payments come via PayPal within 60 to 90 days of purchase. Since I just read about this last week, I can't tell you for sure that it works as advertised, but it could be worth a try for things you were planning to buy anyway.
 

• Vizio's new OLED TVs undercut Sony and LG.
• Mozilla, Brave, and others push for a new web browser privacy standard.
• Android apps get voice-activated "Shortcuts" for getting things done faster.
• Have fun messing around with Roland's classic drum and bass synths in your browser.
• Winstall is a neat new way to install and manage Windows apps.

After pushing off Prime Day from July due to the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon has decided that the show must go on. And since time has no meaning anymore, why not hold a major sales event just one month out from Black Friday? Not that I'm complaining too much, since there are some pretty good deals on offer today.

If you're a Prime subscriber, the first thing you should do is visit this page, tap the "Apply code to your account" button, and proceed to buy a $40 Amazon e-gift card for yourself or someone else. In exchange, you'll get $10 in promotional credit. (You should see "GC Prime Day Promo" under your order total at checkout.) If you buy the card for yourself, make sure to redeem it before doing any Prime Day shopping.

Now, onto the deals. This is not an exhaustive list, but it covers all the noteworthy sales I've seen so far:

Amazon device deals

• The third-gen Echo Dot is down to $19, and comes with a free Wi-Fi light bulb.
• Fire tablets are on sale, including the lowest prices yet on the HD 8 Plus ($75) and HD 10 ($80).
• The new Ring doorbell hits a record low of $70 and includes a free Echo Dot.
• Ring's home alarm kits hit their lowest prices yet, including an eight-piece kit with an Echo Dot for $150.
• Ring's peephole camera with an Echo Dot is down to $70.
• Blink Mini indoor cameras are on sale for $15 if you order using Alexa.
• Amazon's Echo Buds earbuds have dropped to $80, from $130.
• Kindle e-readers have inched to at or below record low prices.

Cord-cutting

• The Roku Streaming Stick+ for $37 is the only Roku deal worth considering today.
• Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K drops to $30. Some folks report being able to get it for $5 with the coupon code 4KFIRETV.
• Amazon's Fire TV Cube hits its lowest price of $80. (My review.)
• The refurbished Tablo Dual Lite DVR is still on sale for $90.

Home theater gear

• Need a cheap TV? Walmart has a 32-inch Roku TV from JVC for $98.
• Want bigger, but still cheap? JVC's 55-inch Roku TV is $248.
• Samsung has a 55-inch TV that looks like a picture frame for $1098.
• BuyDig has some great prices on Sony OLED TVs: 55-inch for $1,298 and 65-inch for $1798.
• Amazon Prime card holders can get 10% back on Sony soundbars.
• TechHive's runner-up pick for best high-end soundbar, the LG SN8YG, is down to $597, about $50 lower than the usual street price.

Headphones and earbuds

• Walmart has Apple's AirPods Pro for $199, a buck cheaper than other retailers today.
• Regular AirPods have dropped to $115.
• Bose's QuietComfort 35 II noise cancelling headphones are $100 off, at $199 from Best Buy.
• Sony's WH-1000XM4 wireless noise-cancelling headphones are $50 off at $298, and include a $25 Amazon gift card.

Smart home gear

• Costco members can get a Nest Hello doorbell cam with a six month Nest Aware subscription for $150, down from $220.
• Nest's Thermostat E with a temperature sensor is down to $130, from $200.
• Automate your garage door for $17 with Chamberlain's smart opener and hub.
• TP-Link's Wi-Fi smart light switch is selling for just $14, a record low.

Computer stuff

• Apple's MacBook Air is $150 off. (The listed price is $900, but you'll save an extra $50 at checkout.)
• The iPad Mini drops to $336 (64 GB) or $490 (256 GB), for discounts of $63 and $59, respectively.
• Walmart has a 1440p 100 Hz curved ultrawide gaming monitor for $300, down from $500. Tempting.
• Samsung's Galaxy Tab S6 is on sale for $500 (down from $650), and Amazon Prime cardholders can get an extra 25% back.
• Amazon's also giving 25% back on some Samsung memory cards and solid state drives.
• Lenovo's Yoga C740 14-inch laptop drops to $550 at Best Buy. PCWorld's Ben Patterson loved it.
• WD's 12 TB desktop storage drive is selling for $175 from Newegg.

Miscellaneous

• I mentioned it earlier, but this $7 phone vent mount for your car is a decent deal.
• Aukey has a 65W charter with USB-C and USB-A ports for $25 when you clip the on-page coupon.

That's about all the deals I can stand to look at right now. If I spot any new ones that intrigue, I'll send out a deal alert email.
 

Good luck out there with any deal-hunting you might be doing. Before buying anything on Amazon, remember to use the website CamelCamelCamel to check the price history. (You can just copy the product link, and paste it into CCC's search bar.) And if you need any more help with vetting deals, send me an email or drop into the Advisorator chat room on Slack.

Until next week,
Jared