I really like those basic audio functions on the Triby. Sometimes it's just easier to hit a button for the radio station you want than trying to wrangle Alexa into giving you exactly what you want to hear. And it's also nicer than Amazon's Tap Bluetooth speaker in that you can still just use your voice to trigger Alexa.

The "family" features are cute, but forgettable

But the Triby has other ambitions — those family gadget ambitions — that are fun, but mostly they're forgettable. You are supposed to set up a "family" of people who have the Triby app installed on their phones. Once they have them, you can use in-app Wi-Fi calling between the Triby and those phones. I suppose it might be nice for people with kids who just want to make a quick call, but the speakerphone quality was bad enough that I gave up on it after just a few tests.

There's an e-ink screen on the Triby, too. It displays the time and the current weather by default, which is actually pretty great. You can also use it as a tiny message board on your fridge. From the Triby app you can send short notes, emoji, or even drawings to the Triby. When the Triby receives the message, a cute little yellow flag pops out of the side to let you know there's a new message.

When you see the message on the Triby, you can push the flag back in to send a "Doodle received" notification back to the sender. You can also push a button to cycle through eight different emoji responses — but the screen is so slow and unresponsive that getting to the right emoji is often an exercise in frustration.

Battery life is good as long as you know what to expect. It's good for eight to ten hours of audio playback and two weeks of standby time. However, those numbers only apply if you turn off the always-listening mode for Alexa. If you have Alexa on, that standby time goes from two weeks to two days. So if you want to slap this thing on your fridge with the magnets mounted on the back of it, you are either going to need to string a USB cable to it or remember to charge it (the Triby will send you a notification reminder when the battery is low).

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