If you use Amazon's Dash Wand as a convenient way of re-ordering groceries, get ready for a change. Your Dash Wand will no longer be supported next month.
As The Verge reports, Amazon sent out an email to Dash Wand owners informing them that the device will no longer function as of July 21. It's suggested that you de-register the Wand from your account, which can be achieved by navigating to the "manage content and devices" section, and then to recycle the hardware through Amazon's Second Chance recycling service.
Amazon introduced the Dash Wand With Alexa back in June 2017. It was designed to comfortably sit in your hand, had a magnet in the back for easy attachment to your fridge, and came with a hook for hanging it up instead. The functionality on offer was simple, yet effective. Use the the built-in barcode scanner to scan barcodes for groceries you wanted to refresh. Link the Wand to an Android or iOS device and use it to place orders.
At launch, Amazon made the Dash Wand very tempting by pricing it at just $20, but also adding $20 of credit to your account once it was registered. 90 days of AmazonFresh was also included for free it you were a Prime member (it cost $14.99 per month). When PCMag reviewed it, we found the barcode scanning to be useful and the voice detection accurate, but the Wi-Fi connection was spotty and the Alexa feature set incomplete.
Amazon points out that even though the Dash Wand is losing support, you can still use other Alexa-enabled devices to scan barcodes, create shopping lists, and place orders. Are any of them as convenient as a Dash Wand stuck to your fridge, though?
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