Fremo's Evo Battery Frees Amazon Echo Dot From Restraints

If you wanted to get a hold of Amazon's Alexa virtual personal assistant on the cheap, you had not look farther than Amazon's own Echo Dot, which gave you a squashed Echo for $50 only. Looks, however, can be deceiving. Despite the speaker's diminutive size, it isn't exactly portable, require you to plug it into a power source before you can use it. Battery maker Fremo, however, offers a fix: the Evo battery base for the 2nd gen Amazon Echo Dot. That is, if you're willing to pay the same price as the Echo Dot itself.

Sure, you can simply plug in any old 2A power bank, but that's not exactly manageable. Nor is it pretty to look at. In contrast, the Evo matches the size and shape of the Echo Dot, so that you can secure the Echo Dot on top of the Evo, making it simply look like a taller Dot.

In terms of function, however, the Evo would be similar to a power bank, providing up to 6 hours of life for the Echo Dot. It connects to the Dot with a small adapter that juts out at the back of the combined stack. Of course, the benefit is that you can now take the Echo Dot with you anywhere you go. Do mind, however, that Alexa is dependent on an Internet connection and that your smartphone might outclass the Dot in terms of speaker output.

The Fremo Evo is currently on pre-order, with shipping scheduled to start December 31. The pre-order price is $35 but the full price is actually $50. That means paying for the same amount as the Echo Dot itself. That's still cheaper than getting a $130 Amazon Tap however, and looks nicer too.

Check out our review of the 2nd Gen Amazon Echo Dot to see if it's worth investing in an Evo battery base as well.