Amazon's new shopping 'wand' isn't as magical as it sounds
You probably know all about Amazon's Dash buttons, the little physical buttons that you can press to re-order more of a specific item. They're the lazy man's ultimate shopping device. Because who can be bothered spending more than the time it takes to press a button on buying toilet paper?
The Amazon Dash that you see in the photo above is not to be confused with the Dash buttons. The new Dash... umm, wand is a revamped version of the Dash wand that was previously only available for use with Amazon Fresh items.
Never heard of the Dash wand? You're not alone. Most people haven't. Amazon never made a big deal about it.
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The new Dash wand, available today for $49.99, is 50 percent smaller than the bulky original and now works for buying anything on Amazon.
There's a single button on the device that has two functions: press and hold to scan a product's barcode or press and hold and then say the name of the product you want to buy.
Scanned products and ones ID'd by the voice recognition are added to your shopping cart in your Amazon app.
So how well does the Dash work and will using it really make shopping easier? It depends.
If you're just using the barcode scanner, the Dash works really well, but there are still some caveats. Since barcodes are tied to specific SKUs for a product, it can add the exact item you scanned. I scanned a book, a pack of Fujifilm Instax film and a Roku and the Dash added the items right to my cart.
But it's not perfect. When I scanned a bottle of "McCormick Organic Roasted Cinnamon flavored seasoning," the app said the item was "Not ready for checkout" and needed me to choose a specific flavor or serving size. This happened many times scanning different items, particularly with food, although not always (a scan of a single pack of Trident sugar-free gum added a 12-pack to my cart, no problems).
The voice recognition is also kinda wonky. It understood what I and several of my colleagues said (as evidenced by the voice query log within the app), but the majority of the items we asked it needed further interaction.
At the very least, setting the Dash wand up and connecting it to your home Wi-Fi and your Android or iOS device is dead easy -- something Amazon doesn't get enough props for.
Amazon calls the Dash wand a "one-stop device" that puts an end to shopping lists and lets the "whole family help by adding items to Cart."
I guess you could have it dangling in your kitchen and your family members could scan items that need to be restocked to your Amazon cart, but that's kind of the same thing the Dash buttons do. Yes, I know that there aren't Dash buttons for every item on Amazon. But still!
Not to mention, the Amazon app has both of the Dash's features -- barcode scanning and voice-activated shopping -- built right in for free.
I tested the Dash and the Amazon app on an iPhone side-by-side and noticed no difference. The barcode scanners are both better than the voice shopping, but neither felt any more accurate or faster than adding the items to the cart through the app or online.
Amazon makes many great gadgets like the Echo and Kindles and Fire TV, but the Dash wand isn't one of them.
Amazon Dash (wand)
The Good
50% smaller than original
Barcode scanner is handy
Comes with hook
The Bad
Almost always needs more human interaction via app
Doesn't always understand your voice
The Bottom Line
The new Amazon Dash is a cute idea, but ultimately no one really needs one.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
