Tech Savvy: Amazon Alexa smart speaker setup, security Voice assistants have grown in popularity over the past few years with many big-name players such as Apple and Google getting into the game, but one of the first and most popular is Alexa by Amazon, with its Echo devices becoming commonplace in many households, especially as recent Christmas gifts. 9:00 am, Jan. 10, 2021 × The Echo Dot and the Echo Flex are voice assistants by Amazon.com. Frank Lee / Brainerd Dispatch Congrats! For those who may have been gifted an Amazon smart speaker this past Christmas, it’s a futuristic electronic device that holds a world of promise, but where to begin?