Amazon Prime Day (which is actually 2 days) starts at 3 a.m. eastern time on Monday, July 15th, but there are a few early deals you can grab right now. It's no surprise that some of the best discounts are on Amazon devices. If you've wanted to get into the smart speaker craze, but didn't think it was worth the investment, the $14.95 price tag on the Echo Input might change your mind. The Input has no built-in speaker so you must connect your own. Once you do, you can listen to music (like Cat Country 102.9).

I've had several of these smart speakers for a while now and if you can get over the whole blatant invasion of privacy aspects, they're actually pretty handy devices. Earlier today I realized I needed to get some tomato cages, but wasn't sure what time Home Depot closed. "Alexa, what time does Home Depot close?" got me the quick answer of 8 p.m. Of course, I could have asked my phone the same thing, but the point is I tend to use it a few times every day.

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