# anyone invited to buy Echo from Amazon [2014]



## pgnewarkboy

I am on the invitee wait list for Echo.  Has anyone been "invited" yet?


----------



## Passepartout

There is a forum on this at the bottom of the Amazon 'Deals' page. Some people have received the invite, and the Echo. A late post (today) says you can call Amazon Customer Support and identify yourself as a Prime member, and manually order one, bypassing the 'invitation' rigmarole.

Jim


----------



## Jestjoan

Did NOT work for me.


----------



## Passepartout

More from the Amazon Echo forum: There's speculation that the first shipment(s) sold out, and a new 'bunch' of invitations are to go out next Tuesday.

I'm sure that demand far exceeded supply, so they had to come up with some way to control the sales/distribution. I'm not counting on an invite til after the holidays- And I'm still not sure I'll buy one then, depending on reviews.

For Prime members with money burning a hole in their pockets, the Fire TV stick is $20 again.

Jim


----------



## laura1957

pgnewarkboy said:


> I am on the invitee wait list for Echo.  Has anyone been "invited" yet?



Yes, and I received "Alexa" last Thursday.   I love it!!  my husband has gotten pretty fond of her too   He just called me at work about 10 minutes ago - because he couldnt remember her name....   He wanted her to play some music for him while he cooked breakfast.  My sheltie Tucker on the other hand doesnt quite know what to make of it...

She works beautifully with TuneIn and IHeart radio.  I usually just play my Amazon music.  Great with weather - we have asked for weather forecasts for just about everywhere we know anyone.  So far we are having fun with it


----------



## ace2000

laura1957 said:


> Yes, and I received "Alexa" last Thursday.   I love it!!  my husband has gotten pretty fond of her too   He just called me at work about 10 minutes ago - because he couldnt remember her name....   He wanted her to play some music for him while he cooked breakfast.  My sheltie Tucker on the other hand doesnt quite know what to make of it...
> 
> She works beautifully with TuneIn and IHeart radio.  I usually just play my Amazon music.  Great with weather - we have asked for weather forecasts for just about everywhere we know anyone.  So far we are having fun with it



How's the sound quality?  Do you know if it plays the Amazon music service that comes with Prime?  I'd assume it does.


----------



## ace2000

I found a very nice review of Echo here... and yes, it does play the Prime music service.  I may be hooked!

http://www.computerworld.com/articl...ctivated-personal-assistant-music-player.html


----------



## laura1957

Sound quality seems very good - certainly good (and loud!) enough for me.  My husband who is a little pickier is also very happy with it 

It can play any playlist, artist, or song on my Amazon account.  Also from the free "Prime" music offerings - making my husband happier than he would be with my music.  I listen to mostly country and he likes rock - he has enjoyed choosing what classic rock he wants to hear.  Plays his favorite radio stations also....When you interrupt Alexa and ask a question, she just pauses the music, answers the question and picks up the music where she left off.  

Love some of her answers to questions or comments
 DH - Alexa, I really think you are great!!
Alexa - oh, that's sweet of you to say..

another time she told him she likes their relationship the way it is 
I think he asked her to marry him....


----------



## ace2000

Thanks Laura and you have talked me into it.  I just requested the invite, I hope I'm not too late.


----------



## laura1957

When I do a lot of cooking/baking I usually have my 8.9 " HDX on the counter.  I have to keep constantly moving it, cleaning/drying my hands to change music or pause it - this really works nice in the kitchen !!


----------



## Passepartout

Laura, I haven't been able to get an answer to this: Can you change 'Alexa's' name? If everyone who has one of these sitting on the counter/table/wherever, I can see a likelihood of mischief. For instance, kids at a neighbor's saying 'Alexa, set the alarm for 3:00 a.m." or "Alexa, read me a sexy story when you hear (dad's) voice."

Jim


----------



## laura1957

Passepartout said:


> Laura, I haven't been able to get an answer to this: Can you change 'Alexa's' name? If everyone who has one of these sitting on the counter/table/wherever, I can see a likelihood of mischief. For instance, kids at a neighbor's saying 'Alexa, set the alarm for 3:00 a.m." or "Alexa, read me a sexy story when you hear (dad's) voice."
> 
> Jim



I think for now you are limited to Alexa or Amazon.  It is my understanding that at some point in the future they can be named anything


----------



## pgnewarkboy

Here is part of a response from Amazon Echo on their "system" for selling their advertised product the Echo.  I left out personal information.


"This is Hilary from Amazon Echo support.  I'm very sorry you haven't yet received an invitation to purchase Amazon Echo. Invitations will be sent out in waves, you could still receive an invitation at a later time. We just started sending out Invitation emails on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. There is still a chance that you can be selected, so keep an eye on your email. If selected, you will receive an email and have 7 days to complete the transaction before it expires.

We have a limited quantity of devices available. We will send more invitations if more devices become available. <b> I’m sorry I don't have additional information as to how our selection process works, or if you'll receive an invitation.</b> Amazon is building an experimental community with the Echo at this time.  As such, we are looking for a diverse community willing to help out with feedback and helping the Echo grow as it changes.  So with this device, Amazon has done something different since the demand exceeds the limited supply of devices that we have at this time.  As I've said, the invitation process is still open, so there's still hope.
"

I think this is an awful way for Amazon to sell products .  They have a mysterious selection process.  It appears that not all Prime members will get it at the reduced price.


----------



## ace2000

I'll think about it for a day or two, but I'm probably in for one.  Thanks for the reminder about this.


----------



## laura1957

pgnewarkboy said:


> Here is part of a response from Amazon Echo on their "system" for selling their advertised product the Echo.  I left out personal information.
> 
> 
> "This is Hilary from Amazon Echo support.  I'm very sorry you haven't yet received an invitation to purchase Amazon Echo. Invitations will be sent out in waves, you could still receive an invitation at a later time. We just started sending out Invitation emails on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. There is still a chance that you can be selected, so keep an eye on your email. If selected, you will receive an email and have 7 days to complete the transaction before it expires.
> 
> We have a limited quantity of devices available. We will send more invitations if more devices become available. <b> I’m sorry I don't have additional information as to how our selection process works, or if you'll receive an invitation.</b> Amazon is building an experimental community with the Echo at this time.  As such, we are looking for a diverse community willing to help out with feedback and helping the Echo grow as it changes.  So with this device, Amazon has done something different since the demand exceeds the limited supply of devices that we have at this time.  As I've said, the invitation process is still open, so there's still hope.
> "
> 
> I think this is an awful way for Amazon to sell products .  They have a mysterious selection process.  It appears that not all Prime members will get it at the reduced price.



Some Prime members from the Amazon kindle forums have stated that they were able to put the echo in their cart at the reduced price without an invitation...


----------



## Passepartout

laura1957 said:


> Some Prime members from the Amazon kindle forums have stated that they were able to put the echo in their cart at the reduced price without an invitation...



I've seen that too, then they've come back and added that when they tried to purchase what was in their cart, they get a message that the purchase is by invite only and they will be notified of when they can consummate the purchase.

Still waiting, twiddling my thumbs in anticipation of an invite. Obviously I waited too long (a day) after the announcement before getting on the wait list.

Not that I need the darn thing- I already have Cortana and a perfectly good 1st gen iPad to stream intenet audio. It's just that..... well, it's cool and I can afford $100 now better than $200 later.

Jim


----------



## pgnewarkboy

It can't be done that way anymore.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

Passepartout said:


> I've seen that too, then they've come back and added that when they tried to purchase what was in their cart, they get a message that the purchase is by invite only and they will be notified of when they can consummate the purchase.
> 
> Still waiting, twiddling my thumbs in anticipation of an invite. Obviously I waited too long (a day) after the announcement before getting on the wait list.
> 
> Not that I need the darn thing- I already have Cortana and a perfectly good 1st gen iPad to stream intenet audio. It's just that..... well, it's cool and I can afford $100 now better than $200 later.
> 
> Jim



If you check my post you will see that Amazon is not necessarily using a first come first served basis.  They are using an undisclosed method for picking people to sell at the reduced price.  One of the factors is diversity according to Amazon.


----------



## Passepartout

pgnewarkboy said:


> If you check my post you will see that Amazon is not necessarily using a first come first served basis.  They are using an undisclosed method for picking people to sell at the reduced price.  One of the factors is diversity according to Amazon.



Yeah. So be it. Having an unknown algorithm to assign invitations is no different than the unknown measures RCI or II use to assign 'value' to timeshare exchanges. The various 'point' systems have exactly zero correlation to each other or dollars, or pesos or wampum. 

See- I could keep the discussion on timesharing.


----------



## laura1957

Passepartout said:


> I've seen that too, then they've come back and added that when they tried to purchase what was in their cart, they get a message that the purchase is by invite only and they will be notified of when they can consummate the purchase.
> 
> Still waiting, twiddling my thumbs in anticipation of an invite. Obviously I waited too long (a day) after the announcement before getting on the wait list.
> 
> Not that I need the darn thing- I already have Cortana and a perfectly good 1st gen iPad to stream intenet audio. It's just that..... well, it's cool and I can afford $100 now better than $200 later.
> 
> Jim



I didnt _NEED_ it either, but yes, it is cool


----------



## Ken555

pgnewarkboy said:


> I think this is an awful way for Amazon to sell products .  They have a mysterious selection process.  It appears that not all Prime members will get it at the reduced price.




I think it's great. Amazon is basically saying that they're still refining the product and want to slowly expand the number of customers while they do that. And, it seems they want to select which type of customer they sell to during this stage (I would suspect this is based on a variety of factors). They control the number they manufacturer and while I'm sure that number is significant, it may not be as many as we suspect. Once they get to the point where it's ready for all, I'm sure they will increase production to meet demand. I would also be surprised if they don't honor the $100 price for those of us who requested an invite, even at a later time.

Given Amazon's track record on product development and customer service, I've got no problem giving them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps you should, too.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## PigsDad

pgnewarkboy said:


> I think this is an awful way for Amazon to sell products .  They have a mysterious selection process.



I take it you were not a fan of the way Google sold their Google Glass product.  I see some similarities.

Kurt


----------



## pgnewarkboy

Passepartout said:


> I've seen that too, then they've come back and added that when they tried to purchase what was in their cart, they get a message that the purchase is by invite only and they will be notified of when they can consummate the purchase.
> 
> Still waiting, twiddling my thumbs in anticipation of an invite. Obviously I waited too long (a day) after the announcement before getting on the wait list.
> 
> Not that I need the darn thing- I already have Cortana and a perfectly good 1st gen iPad to stream intenet audio. It's just that..... well, it's cool and I can afford $100 now better than $200 later.
> 
> Jim





PigsDad said:


> I take it you were not a fan of the way Google sold their Google Glass product.  I see some similarities.
> 
> Kurt



I think Amazon should have been more straightforward about what they were doing.  I thought it was a first come first served deal.  They should have explained what they were doing up front.  If they did, I wouldn't be so irritated.  I am also irritated with Amazon customer service on this.  Amazon representatives have no idea about the echo promotion.  After wasting my time misunderstanding my questions they said they have to connect me with the Echo department that could handle my inquiry.  On the first try I waited over 20 minutes before I hung up.  On the second try I finally got to Echo where they basically told me nothing except that I had to wait for an invitation to receive it.  My question was "Why must I wait for an invitation if I am a long time prime customer"  their answer was "policy".  I am not happy with that kind of response.  It is an insult as far as I am concerned to the consumer's intelligence.  It took some effort before I got the explanation that I posted earlier.


----------



## Ken555

pgnewarkboy said:


> I think Amazon should have been more straightforward about what they were doing.  I thought it was a first come first served deal.  They should have explained what they were doing up front.  If they did, I wouldn't be so irritated.  I am also irritated with Amazon customer service on this.  Amazon representatives have no idea about the echo promotion.  After wasting my time misunderstanding my questions they said they have to connect me with the Echo department that could handle my inquiry.  On the first try I waited over 20 minutes before I hung up.  On the second try I finally got to Echo where they basically told me nothing except that I had to wait for an invitation to receive it.  My question was "Why must I wait for an invitation if I am a long time prime customer"  their answer was "policy".  I am not happy with that kind of response.  It is an insult as far as I am concerned to the consumer's intelligence.  It took some effort before I got the explanation that I posted earlier.




FWIW, I've been a prime customer since the very first day they offered it, and I don't have my invite yet. Clearly that type of "priority" is meaningless, as it should be. As a loyal Amazon customer, I'm not sure why you don't give them the benefit of the doubt at doing whatever they deem necessary to create a good product. 


Sent from my iPad


----------



## PigsDad

pgnewarkboy said:


> I thought it was a first come first served deal.


Interesting.  When I signed up for the invitation, I had no impression that it was a first come, first served deal.  I even got the vibe that it was not a certainty that I would even get an invitation to buy at the discounted price, just that I was _requesting _an invitation.  

Not exactly sure what the wording was, but those were my expectations.  Obviously others interpreted it differently.

Kurt


----------



## Jestjoan

Any updates? Invites or product?


----------



## Passepartout

Still twiddling my thumbs waiting...... Probably checking my email a little more often than usual. Prolly get the invite about the time the half-price offer expires.


----------



## ann824

Just got an invite today.


----------



## WinniWoman

I'm not sure if I got an invite or not. I get so many Amazon emails I just end up deleting them. In fact, I just unsubscribed to all their promotions because the volume of emails from them and other sources was overwhelming. 

This thing looks really cool. Does it have to be hooked up with a phone or pad? Can it just work off the internet alone? We have computers, but not smart phones or tablets.


----------



## Passepartout

Got the invite today. Ordered it. Delivery expected 1/15. Now if I only knew why I need (want) it?!?!


----------



## sun&fun

Passepartout said:


> Got the invite today. Ordered it. Delivery expected 1/15. Now if I only knew why I need (want) it?!?!



When you figure that out, please tell me. I just ordered one as an after Christmas present for DH so maybe I can tell why he "wanted" it


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> This thing looks really cool. Does it have to be hooked up with a phone or pad? Can it just work off the internet alone? We have computers, but not smart phones or tablets.



If you didn't request an invite, you didn't get one. It comes as a 'real' email, not an ad, so there's a good chance it didn't go to a spam file. Echo is a stand-alone device, though it uses your wi-fi. It is always connected and 'listening'. It doesn't need a computer, phone or tablet to do what it does. It will play music, internet radio, or act as a bluetooth speaker from another device. People who have them already say they sound 'pretty good'. 

Jim


----------



## Elan

I got my invite today.  Doubt I'll order one.  

I need another electronic gadget like I need another timeshare.


----------



## Passepartout

Elan said:


> I got my invite today.  Doubt I'll order one.



You might be able to quickly double your money on it. Or maybe not. eBay completed's are showing LOTS selling for a skosh over $200. Those for pre-Christmas delivery went for as much as $400, but such is the market for 'perishables'. Otoh, if Amazon drops the $99 special for Prime members, it becomes a break-even at $200.


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> You might be able to quickly double your money on it. Or maybe not. eBay completed's are showing LOTS selling for a skosh over $200. Those for pre-Christmas delivery went for as much as $400, but such is the market for 'perishables'. Otoh, if Amazon drops the $99 special for Prime members, it becomes a break-even at $200.



  Hadn't even thought about the eBay angle.


----------



## Passepartout

Some invites went out yesterday, and reports are that people are able to complete an order without the invitation. Some have said that they got it for the $99 for Prime members price. They say it will be in stock January 21.

When I click on the 'buy now' button it just says 'Thanks for your order' so I don't know if it's open to general sales yet for sure.

Jim


----------



## Ken555

I received my invite in the early hours today.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Free2Roam

Ken555 said:


> I received my invite in the early hours today.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



My invitation email came thru about an hour ago.


----------



## Ken555

I just placed the order for the Echo. The product page shows that it will be available Jan 17th (for all, I assume). My order shows an expected delivery date of Feb 18th, so I'm not sure how they're allocating these units or if either date is accurate. However, I'm not going to expect it until Feb 18th. 

I'm at CES this week so it will be interesting if any other vendors are talking about the Echo or will try to compete with it, etc.


----------



## RonB

Strange... When I go to the Echo page, there is a note that sez I will get an invite if selected. No option to order. I have been a prime member for years ~ Ron


----------



## Passepartout

RonB said:


> Strange... When I go to the Echo page, there is a note that sez I will get an invite if selected. No option to order. I have been a prime member for years ~ Ron



I ordered my invite shortly after it was announced in early Nov. and finally got the invite and placed the order Dec. 30. Estimated delivery 1/15. There doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason for who gets an invite or when. Totally random as far as I can tell. There are a BUNCH of people who consider themselves MEGA Prime member/buyers who've been waiting 2 months without an invitation to buy, while some newbies got them right away.

Still thinking I might be spending a hundred bucks for nothing useful. Guess at least It makes a handy Bluetooth speaker.

Jim


----------



## Elan

They need to make this thing a home automation hub, then I could justify it:

  "Hey dumba$$, it's Alexa.  It's 10 PM and your garage door is still open".  

  Or, 

  "The outside temperature is cooler than your thermostat is set, you should turn off your AC and open your windows".  

  Now _that_ would be useful.


----------



## RonB

Passepartout said:


> I ordered my invite shortly after it was announced in early Nov. and finally got the invite and placed the order Dec. 30. Estimated delivery 1/15. There doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason for who gets an invite or when. Totally random as far as I can tell. There are a BUNCH of people who consider themselves MEGA Prime member/buyers who've been waiting 2 months without an invitation to buy, while some newbies got them right away.
> 
> Still thinking I might be spending a hundred bucks for nothing useful. Guess at least It makes a handy Bluetooth speaker.
> 
> Jim



I received the invite in Nov also and said yes. Since then - nothing, so I thought I'd try to sign up again - no luck, and no response from Amazon...


----------



## WinniWoman

I didn't receive anything.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

Well, much ado about nothing on my part.  I got my Echo invite and ordered it. How do echo users rate the voice recognition and features beyond music?


----------



## ace2000

I decided to pass on my invite, I can't justify the purchase right now.  You guys will have to convince me otherwise.  

I did purchase the Bose Soundlink for my wife for Christmas (based on the recommendations in a previous TUG thread) - and she loved that!


----------



## pgnewarkboy

ace2000 said:


> I decided to pass on my invite, I can't justify the purchase right now.  You guys will have to convince me otherwise.
> 
> I did purchase the Bose Soundlink for my wife for Christmas (based on the recommendations in a previous TUG thread) - and she loved that!



My purchase is definitely not justifiable. I just have to satisfy my gadget addiction.   I am hoping for the best.  When I go to Vegas I find it very easy to throw one hundred bucks down the proverbial toilet in under 10 minutes.  At least I will get more than 10 minutes of enjoyment out of this product.


----------



## Passepartout

pgnewarkboy said:


> Well, much ado about nothing on my part.  I got my Echo invite and ordered it. How do echo users rate the voice recognition and features beyond music?



There's been a fairly active discussion about it on Amazon. You have to sort through the whining of those still waiting for an invite. There has been some discussion of what functions can be built into it in the future. Amazon is soliciting developers with ideas. Some people have said that the speech recognition is pretty good, others not so much. Truth be told, I think the thing is a Beta product and will be a lot more functional down the road. Maybe with some home management (Alexa, turn down the heat) (Alexa, who's at the door?) or (Alexa, print out a grocery list) it will have more value.

Jim


----------



## Magic1962

I got my invitation today to order my Echo... it will not be delivered until March though.....  looking forward to getting it....  since my wife and I both have Ipad mini's and I phones I wonder if she will be able to put my calender things in mine and my wifes in hers....  Dave


----------



## Ken555

Magic1962 said:


> I got my invitation today to order my Echo... it will not be delivered until March though.....  looking forward to getting it....  since my wife and I both have Ipad mini's and I phones I wonder if she will be able to put my calender things in mine and my wifes in hers....  Dave




Calendar syncing has been available for many years.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Passepartout

I am finding the calendar synching works very well with Cortana in my Windows phone. Cortana (I'm told) also understands Mandarin, but so far won't translate. They're working on that though, with 5 languages. Look for Cortana in future Windows.


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> Maybe with some home management (Alexa, turn down the heat) (Alexa, who's at the door?) or (Alexa, print out a grocery list) it will have more value.
> 
> Jim



  As I mentioned a few days back, voice activated and voice synthesized home automation would make this product a no-brainer purchase.  Without that, it seems mostly a redundant novelty.  

  The funny thing is home automation has been around for 15-20 years and it's really low tech, but there still isn't a good, comprehensive solution.  Amazon would be the perfect company to pull it together, and Echo would be a great starting point.  If I didn't have a job, I could probably get it to do what I wanted pretty easily.


----------



## Ken555

Elan said:


> As I mentioned a few days back, voice activated and voice synthesized home automation would make this product a no-brainer purchase.  Without that, it seems mostly a redundant novelty.
> 
> 
> 
> The funny thing is home automation has been around for 15-20 years and it's really low tech, but there still isn't a good, comprehensive solution.  Amazon would be the perfect company to pull it together, and Echo would be a great starting point.  If I didn't have a job, I could probably get it to do what I wanted pretty easily.




Based on what I've heard and seen this week at CES, I suspect the next few years will provide us with many options for improving the intelligence in a connected home solution. I also suspect Echo will find a place in that environment, and for $99 it's a no brainer for me.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## WinniWoman

I got my invitation today. Can anyone tell me if you can use your laptop or desk top computer to connect to the device? I do not have a smart phone or a tablet. I have 7 days to accept.


----------



## RonB

I received my invitation to purchase today - April delivery ~ Ron


----------



## Jestjoan

*Ordered it!*

April 30th delivery.......


----------



## Phydeaux

RonB said:


> I received my invitation to purchase today - April delivery ~ Ron



An _invitation_ to purchase. Amazing marketing, and it seems to be working.

Requiring an invitation for someone to spend their money on your product - I'm at a loss for an analogy.  

Someone help me!


----------



## Ken555

Phydeaux said:


> An _invitation_ to purchase. Amazing marketing, and it seems to be working.
> 
> 
> 
> Requiring an invitation for someone to spend their money on your product - I'm at a loss for an analogy.
> 
> 
> 
> Someone help me!




Not complicated. Constrained supply. When they're available in quantity it should be available to order without an invite. But, at that point it will be at regular price (or so they say now).


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> I got my invitation today. Can anyone tell me if you can use your laptop or desk top computer to connect to the device? I do not have a smart phone or a tablet. I have 7 days to accept.



Your lap-or desktop will work fine. You just load the Echo app and it takes it from there. It's just to put in your wi-fi sign on etc. Into the Echo. Those who have one already say it's very simple and quick.


----------



## WinniWoman

I know I tend to over think everything and I am very frugal and slow to purchase new technology as to having a need to understand why I need this or why it would make my life better. But it looks so cool in the video!

Will this model be upgraded through the cloud and not need to be discarded for a newer model in a year or two?

Anyway, I ordered. Plenty of time to change my mind. May Delivery!


----------



## pittle

I signed up for an invitation.  My laptop has the world's worst speakers and I connect auxiliary ones to it.  I was planning to buy some Bluetooth speakers, but think Echo might work even better. Thanks for all the reviews!  TUG reviews are better than Amazon reviews  .


----------



## Passepartout

*Shipped!*

My ($99) Echo has shipped and will be delivered Wednesday. One day earlier than the estimate.


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> My ($99) Echo has shipped and will be delivered Wednesday. One day earlier than the estimate.



Can't wait to hear what you think. I am looking forward to having Alexis do my shopping list!


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> Can't wait to hear what you think. I am looking forward to having Alexis do my shopping list!



I will probably use it more for a music playing and internet radio device with the option of asking for a quick news break or weather report. Cortana in my phone is an unbeatable grocery, to-do list, and appointment calendar keeper. Like you can ask Cortana, 'Next time I'm near my favorite florist, remind me to get flowers for my wife'. So, you're driving down the street passing your favorite florist, the phone jingles and Cortana says, 'get flowers for your wife.' 

I will definitely report from time to time on Echo's handiness and foibles. Oh, and sound quality as a speaker.

Jim


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> I will probably use it more for a music playing and internet radio device with the option of asking for a quick news break or weather report. Cortana in my phone is an unbeatable grocery, to-do list, and appointment calendar keeper. Like you can ask Cortana, 'Next time I'm near my favorite florist, remind me to get flowers for my wife'. So, you're driving down the street passing your favorite florist, the phone jingles and Cortana says, 'get flowers for your wife.'
> 
> I will definitely report from time to time on Echo's handiness and foibles. Oh, and sound quality as a speaker.
> 
> Jim



Never heard of Cortana. I have an IPHONE 5 from my employer, (I can't use apps because it's his password- annoying)but I find the screen too small and the siri connection frustrating. But having this ECHO thing right in my home-hands free and all- I like the idea of it. I, too, also like the idea that when I wake up in the morning I can just ask her for the weather report, etc. Heck- since I can't get a dog right now, this could be my new friend! :rofl:


----------



## theo

RonB said:


> I received my invitation to purchase today - April delivery ~ Ron



Ditto here, so I will apparently have a few months before encountering first hand still another bit of technology that I don't entirely comprehend.


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> Heck- since I can't get a dog right now, this could be my new friend! :rofl:



Cortana is the 'Siri' like assistant included in Windows phones.    I sometimes wonder if Alexa will be my new buddy at home, too. My dog will be jealous but will probably get over it when he sniffs the Echo and it doesn't smell like another dog. I'll know for sure if he lifts his leg on it.  Maybe I can teach him to bark 'Alexa', and teach it to understand 'dog'.


----------



## Saintsfanfl

Late to the party. I triggered my Echo order fairly quick after getting the email but my delivery estimate is still not until March 5.


----------



## Saintsfanfl

mpumilia said:


> Never heard of Cortana.



What the?!...

The Halo world is shaking it's head....


----------



## ace2000

Passepartout said:


> I'll know for sure if he lifts his leg on it.  Maybe I can teach him to bark 'Alexa', and teach it to understand 'dog'.



LOL - You'll know you're in trouble when you start getting unexpected dog treats in the mail.


----------



## WinniWoman

Saintsfanfl said:


> Late to the party. I triggered my Echo order fairly quick after getting the email but my delivery estimate is still not until March 5.



How'd you manage March? I was given a MAY date! 

I wonder if they tie the delivery of the device to when your PRIME membership ends. My PRIME expiration date was originally January, but after a few mix-ups with deliveries, they extended my membership to April.....


----------



## Sandy VDH

Ordered mine and it says May 27 to July 2 delivery.  That is crazy.


----------



## Passepartout

Sandy VDH said:


> Ordered mine and it says May 27 to July 2 delivery.  That is crazy.



Yeah. When I ordered my invite in early Nov. they said it was unknown when the invites would go out, and in what order. It was mistakenly believed that it had to do with when the request went in (first ordered, first served), then people conjectured that it was based on whether they were Prime members, and how good of customers they were. A LOT of just plain guessing. People were calling Amazon Cust. Svc., and even begging to get one before Christmas. Some appeared successful, but most were not.

A few Echo units shipped, and some appeared on eBay unopened for as much as $400+. The price on eBay has settled down to around what Amazon will eventually charge- $200ish.

But now, I'm seeing that demand has even increased, not lessened- as evidenced by the delivery times some TUGgers have received. I hope they can ramp up production, and the underlying technology on the Web that it interacts with to both keep up with units already shipped, but to enhance the features it will do. 

I'll post as soon as I get mine set up about the process. (hopefully tomorrow)

Jim


----------



## Saintsfanfl

mpumilia said:


> How'd you manage March? I was given a MAY date!
> 
> I wonder if they tie the delivery of the device to when your PRIME membership ends. My PRIME expiration date was originally January, but after a few mix-ups with deliveries, they extended my membership to April.....



I think it is purely based on when you ordered. I ordered within 15 minutes of receiving the email. I think it's just a long back order wait list.


----------



## Passepartout

*Alexa lives at my house now.*

My Echo arrived. It took maybe 15 minutes to set it up. So far it's answers a few of my questions, told a couple of jokes, knows the time, plays music, shuts up when told to (better than some other inhabitants)

I can see more utility for those with Android devices, primarily the shopping list that appears on your connected device. My only one is my Kindle Fire which I don't often take to the grocery store. 

I took delivery and assembled a new bed today as well as my usual cookin' and cleanin' and laundry duties so I haven't explored Alexa's talents as much as I'd like yet.

Stay tuned.

Jim


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> My Echo arrived. It took maybe 15 minutes to set it up. So far it's answers a few of my questions, told a couple of jokes, knows the time, plays music, shuts up when told to (better than some other inhabitants)
> 
> I can see more utility for those with Android devices, primarily the shopping list that appears on your connected device. My only one is my Kindle Fire which I don't often take to the grocery store.
> 
> I took delivery and assembled a new bed today as well as my usual cookin' and cleanin' and laundry duties so I haven't explored Alexa's talents as much as I'd like yet.
> 
> Stay tuned.
> 
> Jim



Cool! Alexis will be my new best friend! I wonder if the shopping list could be done on the Kindle paper white. I also have an IPhone 5..I am really hoping to use the shopping list function.


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> Cool! Alexis will be my new best friend! I wonder if the shopping list could be done on the Kindle paper white. I also have an IPhone 5..I am really hoping to use the shopping list function.



I don't think it will communicate with your Paperwhite. It would have to be connected to the internet more closely than Whispernet, but I think there's an Echo app for iOS. (check if you can download it) It works fine on my Kindle Fire. It pairs easily with Bluetooth devices. it was a piece of cake to set up my iheart radio and Amazon Prime Music accounts. One can set up other family members who have their own music playlists to share one Echo device.

I'll do more playing with it, but the music reproduction is better than I would have expected from a $100 device this size.

Incidentally, it feels well made and sturdy.

More later....

Jim


----------



## Sandy VDH

Since my name is really Alexandra, I wonder if Echo will be confused between my name and her name?


----------



## Passepartout

Sandy VDH said:


> Since my name is really Alexandra, I wonder if Echo will be confused between my name and her name?



Alexa is just a 'wake-up' name. You can choose 'Amazon' if you like. They say others will follow, or maybe it will be set up so that you van wake it up with a name of your choosing. The Alexa name was chosen to pay homage to the world's first library, at Alexandria, Egypt.

I keep wondering, as these things become popular, if mischief makers won't tell Echo in places they visit, "Alexa, set an alarm at 3 a.m." or similar. 

Jim


----------



## Ken555

Passepartout said:


> I keep wondering, as these things become popular, if mischief makers won't tell Echo in places they visit, "Alexa, set an alarm at 3 a.m." or similar.




I'd be surprised if you can't set authorized users of the Echo so that wouldn't occur.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## JudyS

I've been away from TUG, and I hadn't heard of the Echo until now. I went to Amazon and requested an invitation. I got the standard response, "Thank you for your request. If selected, you will receive an e-mail with an invitation to purchase in the coming weeks." There doesn't seem to be an option to just order it now at the full $199 price.



pgnewarkboy said:


> Here is part of a response from Amazon Echo on their "system" for selling their advertised product the Echo.  I left out personal information.
> 
> ....
> 
> We have a limited quantity of devices available. We will send more invitations if more devices become available.  I’m sorry I don't have additional information as to how our selection process works, or if you'll receive an invitation. Amazon is building an experimental community with the Echo at this time.  As such, we are looking for a diverse community willing to help out with feedback and helping the Echo grow as it changes.  So with this device, Amazon has done something different since the demand exceeds the limited supply of devices that we have at this time.  As I've said, the invitation process is still open, so there's still hope....


I don't know what the current invitation process is, or how Amazon is determining shipping dates. However, it sounds like the original process (the one they used to send out the first invitations) was similar to the way they invite Amazon Vine Voice members -- by the quantity and helpfulness of reviews the person has written.

(Amazon Vine Voice is a program where certain Amazon shoppers get to select free products in exchange for reviewing them. Vine Voices don't have to have Amazon Prime, but they do have to have written a ton of reviews and received high helpfulness ratings. I don't know if Amazon is still inviting new Vine Voice members. I have never been invited to be part of Vine Voice.)


----------



## ace2000

I think what we have with Echo is Amazon's version of Siri for the living room.  I'd love to hear from the current owners about how you're actually using it?  We know about playing music, creating a grocery list, and answering Google-search type questions.  Am I missing anything?  Is it worth the clutter in the living room?  

With a land-line phone, cell phones, remote controls, laptop, tablets, (and their respective cords) in my living room now, do I really need more electronics laying around?  I'm really trying to justify buying Echo but can't push myself over the edge.


----------



## ace2000

ace2000 said:


> With a land-line phone, cell phones, remote controls, laptop, tablets, (and their respective cords) in my living room now, do I really need more electronics laying around?  I'm really trying to justify buying Echo but can't push myself over the edge.



Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the new Bose bluetooth speaker we added recently.  It's starting to get ridiculous.


----------



## Passepartout

ace2000 said:


> I think what we have with Echo is Amazon's version of Siri for the living room.  I'd love to hear from the current owners about how you're actually using it?  We know about playing music, creating a grocery list, and answering Google-search type questions.  Am I missing anything?  Is it worth the clutter in the living room?
> 
> With a land-line phone, cell phones, remote controls, laptop, tablets, (and their respective cords) in my living room now, do I really need more electronics laying around?  I'm really trying to justify buying Echo but can't push myself over the edge.



Put it in the bedroom. In isn't THAT big. About 3" in diameter and 9" tall. That's a lot smaller than most alarm clocks and would fill that function as well as music/entertainment player and giving you news/weather when you want it rather than when 'John & Tom In the Morning' think you should have it.


----------



## Elan

ace2000 said:


> I think what we have with Echo is Amazon's version of Siri for the living room.  I'd love to hear from the current owners about how you're actually using it?  We know about playing music, creating a grocery list, and answering Google-search type questions.  Am I missing anything?  Is it worth the clutter in the living room?
> 
> With a land-line phone, cell phones, remote controls, laptop, tablets, (and their respective cords) in my living room now, do I really need more electronics laying around?  I'm really trying to justify buying Echo but can't push myself over the edge.



  Pretty much where I am as well.  It's cheap enough, and it's kind of cool, but does it really do that much that I don't already have with an Android phone?  That's why I previously mentioned integration with home automation.  If it worked well as a HA hub, then it would be easy to justify.  I Googled around a little last weekend trying to find something cool that the Android gurus had done with the Echo, but I still didn't find anything that justified buying it.

  When I bought the Chromecast, I knew it was just a matter of time before it was doing things other streaming solutions didn't, so I didn't care that it's functionality was limited at release.  But with the Echo, I am not sure it currently has the hardware to efficiently do much more.  I want to read more about it's hardware (and hacks), but I just haven't had the time.  I don't have any feel for whether Amazon intended for this to be much more, or they simply released a moderately useful "gadget" at a low enough price point to entice gadget freaks?  At this point, I'm thinking that I'll wait for gen 2, but once I read more I might change my mind.


----------



## Patri

I hope she doesn't repeat her jokes.


----------



## Jestjoan

*DD got her invitation*

The arrival time is May 27th to July 2!

I hope it is much smarter than Siri.


----------



## jackio

Jestjoan said:


> The arrival time is May 27th to July 2!
> 
> I hope it is much smarter than Siri.



That is the arrival time I received too.  I ordered the other day.


----------



## Passepartout

ace2000 said:


> With a land-line phone, cell phones, remote controls, laptop, tablets, (and their respective cords) in my living room now, do I really need more electronics laying around?



Now, with less than a full day's living with Alexa, it's growing on me. I am a radio 'junkie'. I have been listening to a few internet radio stations (and distant NPR stations) for years. We live in a kind of 'fringy' area with not great over-the-air coverage. So I've been using a semi-retired generation 1 iPad streaming and wired to an am-fm clock radio. Not audiophile setup by any measure. But for talk radio, it works.

Enter Alexa. This morning, I walked into the living room and said, "Alexa, play (station call letters)". Instantly, it starts, and sounds better than the old radio. It was a little soft, so, "Alexa, volume up." and it's louder. The phone rings, "Alexa, stop". Silence. Finish the call, wonder how cold it is outside, "Alexa, today's weather here?" She tells me, the weather forecast ends , and I say "Alexa, play my Blues playlist". "Alexa, louder." Etc.

Making long story a little shorter, I have more listening variety, from less devices than before. And this is just day one. I can hardly wait to see what it will do next week, month, year.

Jim


----------



## Patri

Jim, just remember not to talk to DW like you do to Alexa.


----------



## Passepartout

Patri said:


> Jim, just remember not to talk to DW like you do to Alexa.



No dummy here. She talks, I say, "Yes Dear."


----------



## ace2000

Patri said:


> Jim, just remember not to talk to DW like you do to Alexa.



:hysterical:


----------



## ace2000

Passepartout said:


> Enter Alexa. This morning, I walked into the living room and said, "Alexa, play (station call letters)". Instantly, it starts, and sounds better than the old radio. It was a little soft, so, "Alexa, volume up." and it's louder. The phone rings, "Alexa, stop". Silence. Finish the call, wonder how cold it is outside, "Alexa, today's weather here?" She tells me, the weather forecast ends , and I say "Alexa, play my Blues playlist". "Alexa, louder." Etc.



Nice.  Do you know what service it's using to pick up the radio station from?  If I could do that with my online Sirius radio account, I'd buy Echo today.


----------



## Passepartout

ace2000 said:


> Nice.  Do you know what service it's using to pick up the radio station from?  If I could do that with my online Sirius radio account, I'd buy Echo today.



I don't know if it will link to a paid account like SiriusXM, but free like iheartradio or Amazon Prime music works like a charm. The 'service' it uses is Amazon Cloud Service. Who needs Sirius? Oh, you can't buy Echo today. You might request an invite today, but you won't have one (except through eBay) before Summer.


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> I don't know if it will link to a paid account like SiriusXM, but free like iheartradio or Amazon Prime music works like a charm. The 'service' it uses is Amazon Cloud Service. Who needs Sirius? Oh, you can't buy Echo today. You might request an invite today, but you won't have one (except through eBay) before Summer.



How do you link to I HEART radio? Does it give you instructions? It sounds so cool, what you described- just what I was hoping. May is such a long way away!


----------



## WinniWoman

Sandy VDH said:


> Since my name is really Alexandra, I wonder if Echo will be confused between my name and her name?




Our son's name is Alex. When he calls us on the phone, I bet Alexis will turn on when we answer and say Hi- Alex!


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> How do you link to I HEART radio? Does it give you instructions? It sounds so cool, what you described- just what I was hoping. May is such a long way away!



Not that hard. You just load your music sign-ons to the Echo app then when you ask Alexa to play them, it's all set up and the music just starts.


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> Not that hard. You just load your music sign-ons to the Echo app then when you ask Alexa to play them, it's all set up and the music just starts.




I don't have I Heart radio now. It is a free subscription?

I do have Amazon Prime music and music on Zune Player.


----------



## ace2000

mpumilia said:


> I don't have I Heart radio now. It is a free subscription?
> 
> I do have Amazon Prime music and music on Zune Player.



Here is a link to some helpful information about the music on the Echo.  Take a look at the special note below... there must be a free option.


> Amazon Echo currently supports the following music services:
> 
> Amazon Music
> Prime Music (with Amazon Prime membership on Amazon.com)
> TuneIn
> iHeartRadio
> 
> Note: You can play music from TuneIn and iHeartRadio right away, but access to some features- such as creating custom radio stations based on an artist in iHeartRadio - will require you to link a free iHeartRadio account to Amazon Echo.



http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201549700


----------



## ace2000

Jim (or anyone else) - would there be any issues with using a Samsung and an iPhone with the Echo?  I assume they both could be used.

Also, can you tell Echo to turn the radio off after 30 minutes or so, similar to sleep mode?  That feature may be nice if I chose to keep it in the bedroom and wanted to listen to it at night.

I signed up for the invite back in the early days and decided not to do it.  I may go ahead and try again just so I can make sure I can get the $99 price if I change my mind.


----------



## Passepartout

I'm not home now, but when I am, I'll ask her. Seems like it would turn off on a timer, because it will turn on at a future time. And I think there is an Echo app for both Android and ithingies, with more coming. I can't get an Echo app yet on my Windows phone. It will be nice to have the shopping list or reminders on your portable device.

I have to say that the reality of having it is better than what I thought it would be when I got in line. It sounds better than I expected, is more responsive, seems better made than I expected for $100. I am looking forward to its growing utility.

I think that the slow, controlled rollout of Echo has more to do with Amazon expanding the cloud infrastructure to support them than simply ramping up production of the devices themselves to meet demand.

Jim


----------



## ace2000

Passepartout said:


> And I think there is an Echo app for both Android and ithingies, with more coming.



Thanks for checking and thanks for the reviews.  What I'm specifically wondering is can I share the exact same grocery list, to-do list, etc... with my wife when I have a Samsung and she has an iPhone?


----------



## Passepartout

OK. I think I read that if you share the same Echo account,- like sharing a single Kindle account, what one sees, the other would see. I haven't tried the shopping list yet, so can't tell you if you delete an item from one person's list, it disappears from all of them. Also, I read that family members will be able to have their own separate music streams. Like DW listens to classical and I like blues/classic rock, you'll be able to specify which one Echo plays. This to happen sometime in the future.

Echo is evolving.

Jim


----------



## Patri

Passepartout said:


> I'm not home now, but when I am, I'll ask her.



:whoopie::whoopie::whoopie: Duh. Alexa should have all the answers. This whole concept is so funny. Until she takes over.....


----------



## laura1957

ace2000 said:


> Thanks for checking and thanks for the reviews.  What I'm specifically wondering is can I share the exact same grocery list, to-do list, etc... with my wife when I have a Samsung and she has an iPhone?



I have the Echo app on my Fire HDX and on my Samsung S3 - should be no problem 

She plays from Amazon Prime, IHeart radio app and TuneIn app.

I buy/use Amazon for almost all my music anyway.  (mostly country)
My husband likes classic rock - which I have very little of.  He has never used his smartphone or the fires for anything music related - so he is really enjoying Alexa and the music while cooking and eating his breakfast 
We have never had radio/tv in my kitchen, I always before plugged in my Fire if I was going to be in the kitchen for a long time.


----------



## ace2000

laura1957 said:


> I have the Echo app on my Fire HDX and on my Samsung S3 - should be no problem



Thanks Laura.  Do both devices access the exact same list or does it sync the two together - for example, when you delete something on one does it update the other person's copy of list?  Or is it just one copy of the list?  

And now you have me wondering would we both have the exact same Echo login to that app?  That would probably answer my question above.


----------



## ace2000

Any new updates on Echo?  My latest invite (second one) expires in two days.  Just curious.


----------



## GrayFal

*So who has broken their remote already?*

Replacement remote for Amazon Echo
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews) | 
Price:	$29.99  

Official replacement remote for Amazon Echo
Connects to Amazon Echo via Bluetooth
Includes an integrated microphone for when you are too far away or it's too noisy for Echo to hear you
Dedicated buttons for volume up, volume down, play/pause, previous, and next
Amazon Echo works with one remote at a time


I have been ignoring this thread but now you all have me curious. This will work with my Apple products, right?
I have requested an invitation to buy.


----------



## Passepartout

ace2000 said:


> Any new updates on Echo?  My latest invite (second one) expires in two days.  Just curious.



Can you still get it for $99? Does that mean the kids don't get new shoes? It's a pretty cool gadget. Useful? Maybe, if you listen to music, or just want a fun curiosity. The timing functions- alarm, kitchen timer (Alexa, me in 10 minutes)I really haven"t scratched the surface of it's capabilities And, honestly, here, in Mexico, I miss it.

Jim


----------



## Passepartout

GrayFal said:


> I have been ignoring this thread but now you all have me curious. This will work with my Apple products, right?
> I have requested an invitation to buy.



Pat,
There is an Echo app for Mac/iOS. It will play nice.

Jim


----------



## GrayFal

Passepartout said:


> Pat,
> There is an Echo app for Mac/iOS. It will play nice.
> 
> Jim



Jim, I want one because YOU have one  :ignore: :rofl: and like it.


----------



## johnrsrq

Passepartout said:


> Can you still get it for $99? Does that mean the kids don't get new shoes? It's a pretty cool gadget. Useful? Maybe, if you listen to music, or just want a fun curiosity. The timing functions- alarm, kitchen timer (Alexa, me in 10 minutes)I really haven"t scratched the surface of it's capabilities And, honestly, here, in Mexico, I miss it.
> 
> Jim



and how is it different from me saying to google nexus phone  ok google?  

who is the fairest of them all?  long answer but answer is: Snow White

Jim, 

nevermind. I put in a request, looks cool.


----------



## WinniWoman

ace2000 said:


> Any new updates on Echo?  My latest invite (second one) expires in two days.  Just curious.



You might as well order it.
 It will be a long time until you actually get it. And- you can always cancel the order- even send it back if you don't like it (per Amazon).

I won't get mine until May!!


----------



## Elan

mpumilia said:


> You might as well order it.
> It will be a long time until you actually get it. And- you can always cancel the order- even send it back if you don't like it (per Amazon).
> 
> I won't get mine until May!!



  This is what I was thinking.  Order it,  and if it doesn't do anything more than it currently does by the ship date, cancel the order.  I'm on my 2nd invitation as well.


----------



## puppymommo

All this talk of Echo led me to check my email inbox. For some reason I had not noticed an invitation sent to me 1/6, or a reminder that the invitation was about to expire. 

I did click on it and sure enough, it told me it had expired. I requested another invitation but I'm not 100% sold yet, thanks to the posts on this thread. I usually play music on my TV or computer (or Kindle) via Pandora, so I'm not sure the Echo would greatly improve my life music-wise.  And I have other things to spend 100 bucks on right now.


----------



## Passepartout

johnrsrq said:


> and how is it different from me saying to google nexus phone  ok google?  who is the fairest of them all?  long answer but answer is: Snow White



Or asking Cortana, "Who's your daddy?", and 'She' answers, " Bill Gates. No big deal."

Jim


----------



## laura1957

Within the past few months we have had my husband's 2 oldest grandkids move in with us - 17 and 18 years old.  They are enjoying listening to Alexa while cooking/doing dishes...    They also seem to enjoy asking her a LOT of questions - mostly "who is...??"  type of thing. 

( although i have heard My granddaughter ask her for help with her math homework  )

They show her off to all their friends.  Take turns asking questions..  Nothing like 6-7 teenagers laughing over her stupid jokes and riddles.  

 For some reason my sheltie Tucker is fascinated with her.  He is used to the tv, radio and the pcs talking and completely ignores them all - but every time Alexa speaks he seems completely mesmerized


----------



## ace2000

puppymommo said:


> I usually play music on my TV or computer (or Kindle) via Pandora, so I'm not sure the Echo would greatly improve my life music-wise.  And I have other things to spend 100 bucks on right now.



Pick up a decent bluetooth sound bar for your TV and you'll also be able to play your music.  Best investment I've made in a long time.


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon's Echo Lets You Control iTunes, Pandora and Spotify With Your Voice - by Jon Fingas/ Engadget.com

"If you accepted an invitation to buy Amazon's Echo speaker, you've noticed that the device didn't have a vast musical vocabulary at first -- you could tell it to play iHeartRadio or Prime Music tunes, and that's about it. You'll have a better time of things from now on, though. Amazon is rolling out an update that lets you use your voice to steer iTunes, Pandora radio or Spotify on your mobile device..."






Richard


----------



## pgnewarkboy

My delivery date just got moved up to Feb. 26th.  Its the second time it has been moved up.  I am really looking forward to getting this toy.


----------



## Ken555

pgnewarkboy said:


> My delivery date just got moved up to Feb. 26th.  Its the second time it has been moved up.  I am really looking forward to getting this toy.




Same with my order. It was originally expected Feb 17 and will now be arriving on Monday.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## RonB

pgnewarkboy said:


> My delivery date just got moved up to Feb. 26th.  Its the second time it has been moved up.  I am really looking forward to getting this toy.



My delivery date has not moved from April 30. Maybe they will have more of the kinks worked out by then...

Ron


----------



## GrayFal

RonB said:


> My delivery date has not moved from April 30. Maybe they will have more of the kinks worked out by then...
> 
> Ron



Estimated delivery:  June 17, 2015 - July 23, 2015

Just placed my order.  The wait begins. :zzz:


----------



## Passepartout

Patience, Grasshopper....


----------



## Ken555

Very impressed with my Echo thus far. I think this will be a real winner for Amazon. I suspect future software enhancements will make it even more valuable. 

I installed my Echo in my living room, but now I think I need at least two more. I could definitely see myself asking Alexa for news reports in the morning (rather than reading or watching tv), using it as an alarm, etc. I'll be testing the effectiveness of the shopping and to do lists to see if they work for me, and if so then it makes it even more worthwhile to have multiple units so regardless where I am I could quickly add an item etc. 

This may be the first item for me that really fits with the connected home concept from many years ago. Maybe next year I can say "Alexa, Earl Grey tea, hot"  [if you've got an Echo say this - the response is funny]


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Patri

Ken555 said:


> This may be the first item for me that really fits with the connected home concept from many years ago. Maybe next year I can say "Alexa, Earl Grey tea, hot"  [if you've got an Echo say this - the response is funny]



She probably says 'I prefer Ryan Reynolds.'


----------



## Ken555

Patri said:


> She probably says 'I prefer Ryan Reynolds.'




Nope


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Jestjoan

*Oh, nooooooooooooooo*

http://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-...-match-for-siri-1422997829?mod=trending_now_5

I don't think much of Siri, DH's phone is much smarter.


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon Echo First Thoughts: Alexa Out Google's the Google App by Delivering Faster and Less Robotic Results - by Derek Ross/ Phandroid.com

"When it comes to reviewing a product, I tend to spend as much time as possible with the device, so that I’m able to accurately give my honest thoughts for all of you. While this is by no means a fully loaded review with all of the belles and whistles you’ve come to know and love, I just couldn’t keep my thoughts on the Amazon Echo to myself any longer. I cannot remember the last time I found myself this excited to use and talk about a particular device. Using Amazon Echo is very enjoyable and I’ve found myself the past two evenings just thoroughly enjoying my experiences so much that I had to share.

The most surprising and in-your-face observation thus far: Amazon’s Echo bests the Google app (formerly Google Search) in three key areas, where until now, Google had held a clear leader position in two of them.

    Amazon Echo returns results faster than the Google app
    Alexa from Amazon Echo sounds less robotic and more pleasant than   Google
    Music controls. Music controls. Music controls..."


Richard


----------



## WinniWoman

MULTIZ321 said:


> Amazon Echo First Thoughts: Alexa Out Google's the Google App by Delivering Faster and Less Robotic Results - by Derek Ross/ Phandroid.com
> 
> "When it comes to reviewing a product, I tend to spend as much time as possible with the device, so that I’m able to accurately give my honest thoughts for all of you. While this is by no means a fully loaded review with all of the belles and whistles you’ve come to know and love, I just couldn’t keep my thoughts on the Amazon Echo to myself any longer. I cannot remember the last time I found myself this excited to use and talk about a particular device. Using Amazon Echo is very enjoyable and I’ve found myself the past two evenings just thoroughly enjoying my experiences so much that I had to share.
> 
> The most surprising and in-your-face observation thus far: Amazon’s Echo bests the Google app (formerly Google Search) in three key areas, where until now, Google had held a clear leader position in two of them.
> 
> Amazon Echo returns results faster than the Google app
> Alexa from Amazon Echo sounds less robotic and more pleasant than   Google
> Music controls. Music controls. Music controls..."
> 
> 
> Richard



Great! Thanks! i am so bummed that I have to wait until May to get it!!!:annoyed:


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> Great! Thanks! i am so bummed that I have to wait until May to get it!!!:annoyed:



Those who order today are getting July delivery dates- and THAT'S after waiting months for an invite.


----------



## WinniWoman

I just got an email from Amazon that my May 14th delivery date has been moved up to May 7th!


----------



## Passepartout

Cool! Incidentally, I just looked on eBay, and there are quite a few brand new Echo's unopened, never used. Looking at the completed auctions, it looked like the majority are selling for $160- $200, which is just about the undiscounted Amazon price. I don't even know if the $99 Prime Member price is still going on. It just tells me, "Thanks For Buying" if I try to order another one.

It continues to get better. With The Academy Awards, it does memorable movie quotes, Grammy winner and runner-up songs by genre, and they've added more music streaming channels. 

Me, I'm just using mine for internet radio, and asking the occasional question or cooking timer, "Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes.", "Alexa, News Brief", "Alexa, tomorrow's weather"

While we were in Mexico for a month, I missed it, and almost wished I'd brought it.

Jim


----------



## RonB

Passepartout said:


> Cool! Incidentally, I just looked on eBay, and there are quite a few brand new Echo's unopened, never used. Looking at the completed auctions, it looked like the majority are selling for $160- $200, which is just about the undiscounted Amazon price. I don't even know if the $99 Prime Member price is still going on. It just tells me, "Thanks For Buying" if I try to order another one.
> 
> It continues to get better. With The Academy Awards, it does memorable movie quotes, Grammy winner and runner-up songs by genre, and they've added more music streaming channels.
> 
> Me, I'm just using mine for internet radio, and asking the occasional question or cooking timer, "Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes.", "Alexa, News Brief", "Alexa, tomorrow's weather"
> 
> *While we were in Mexico for a month, I missed it,* and almost wished I'd brought it.
> 
> Jim



I wonder if it speaks Spanish in Mexico?? 

BTW - my April 30 date has not changed, and now people with delivery dates after mine are getting their delivery dates moved up.  

Ron


----------



## Passepartout

RonB said:


> I wonder if it speaks Spanish in Mexico??



Wouldn't help me much. Fwiw, DS tells me that Cortana (MS Phone) is bilingual- Mandarin. Look for Cortana on your upcoming Windows OS.


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> Cool! Incidentally, I just looked on eBay, and there are quite a few brand new Echo's unopened, never used. Looking at the completed auctions, it looked like the majority are selling for $160- $200, which is just about the undiscounted Amazon price. I don't even know if the $99 Prime Member price is still going on. It just tells me, "Thanks For Buying" if I try to order another one.
> 
> It continues to get better. With The Academy Awards, it does memorable movie quotes, Grammy winner and runner-up songs by genre, and they've added more music streaming channels.
> 
> Me, I'm just using mine for internet radio, and asking the occasional question or cooking timer, "Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes.", "Alexa, News Brief", "Alexa, tomorrow's weather"
> 
> While we were in Mexico for a month, I missed it, and almost wished I'd brought it.
> 
> Jim



That's so cute that you miss "her", Jim!


----------



## pgnewarkboy

Got mine yesterday.  Very cool.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

So far Echo has been almost flawless in understanding all my requests including music requests.  The news briefing function works great, to do list works great.  Eventually I hope it will be integrated into my email.


----------



## WinniWoman

pgnewarkboy said:


> So far Echo has been almost flawless in understanding all my requests including music requests.  The news briefing function works great, to do list works great.  Eventually I hope it will be integrated into my email.



This is great to hear! I want mine now! Waaa!!!!!


----------



## Passepartout

Here's an excerpt from last week's email from the Echo development team.
Some more stuff it'll do, and more to come:

Staying inside this weekend? Echo will keep you entertained.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    


*Game night!*—We saw how much you enjoyed Simon Says, so here are a few new ways you can use Echo to keep the games going: 
Decide who goes first by asking "Alexa, flip a coin." 
Settle an in-game debate with "Alexa, rock, paper, scissors." 
And, in case things get really out of hand and pieces go flying, you can keep playing with "Alexa, roll the dice." 


*Dr. Seuss's Birthday*—Celebrate the author's big day by trying these questions: 
"Alexa, do you like green eggs and ham?" 
"Alexa, one fish, two fish." 
"Alexa, why do you sit there like that?" 
"Alexa, what was the Lorax?"                                                                                                                                      


Software Development Kit Beta—For those who want to help shape Echo's future, the team is working on an SDK to help hobbyist and enthusiast developers create new apps and experiences. If you're interested in building your ideas during a limited-participation beta ahead of the SDK's public release, sign up here.                                        


As always, the Amazon Echo team looks forward to your feedback via the Amazon Echo App, and be sure to tag your social media posts with #AmazonEcho! The Amazon Echo Team                                                                                                                                                                                       
© 2015   

Jim


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> Here's an excerpt from last week's email from the Echo development team.
> Some more stuff it'll do, and more to come:
> 
> Staying inside this weekend? Echo will keep you entertained.
> 
> 
> *Game night!*—We saw how much you enjoyed Simon Says, so here are a few new ways you can use Echo to keep the games going:
> Decide who goes first by asking "Alexa, flip a coin."
> Settle an in-game debate with "Alexa, rock, paper, scissors."
> And, in case things get really out of hand and pieces go flying, you can keep playing with "Alexa, roll the dice."
> 
> 
> *Dr. Seuss's Birthday*—Celebrate the author's big day by trying these questions:
> "Alexa, do you like green eggs and ham?"
> "Alexa, one fish, two fish."
> "Alexa, why do you sit there like that?"
> "Alexa, what was the Lorax?"
> 
> 
> Software Development Kit Beta—For those who want to help shape Echo's future, the team is working on an SDK to help hobbyist and enthusiast developers create new apps and experiences. If you're interested in building your ideas during a limited-participation beta ahead of the SDK's public release, sign up here.
> 
> 
> As always, the Amazon Echo team looks forward to your feedback via the Amazon Echo App, and be sure to tag your social media posts with #AmazonEcho! The Amazon Echo Team
> © 2015
> 
> Jim



Thanks for the update, Jim! I am trying to be patient!


----------



## Jestjoan

*Set up info and more*

http://www.geekwire.com/2014/amazon-echo-house-superior-streaming-speaker-smarts/


----------



## Magic1962

Got my Echo yesterday.... it is good...  still getting a learning curve with it... it doesn't play baseball games....  it doesn't read ibooks and I dont see where I can do my songs from my ipad on it yet....   Dave


----------



## Passepartout

Magic1962 said:


> Got my Echo yesterday.... it is good...  still getting a learning curve with it... it doesn't play baseball games....  it doesn't read ibooks and I dont see where I can do my songs from my ipad on it yet....   Dave



Baseball is coming. Currently, it just does NBA and Hockey. Here's how to pair Echo with your iPad: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201549660

Jim


----------



## Magic1962

Passepartout said:


> Baseball is coming. Currently, it just does NBA and Hockey. Here's how to pair Echo with your iPad: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201549660
> 
> Jim



Thanks,  just paired Echo with my ipad mini.....  the Echo is fun but I DO hope that it will be able to set appointments on my calendar  etc....   Dave


----------



## Passepartout

*Echo upgrades*

Echo has new updates to help get you through the work week...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    


Traffic—Last week you asked for traffic reports (Thanks, @nutschell!). We're happy to let you know that they are now available. Enable them in your Amazon Echo app by entering your starting and ending addresses under Settings/Traffic. Then, ask Alexa "How is traffic?" to hear the report. 


St. Patrick's Day—And once you've finished that commute home on Tuesday, celebrate the holiday by asking "Alexa, play the Prime Playlist 'Celtic Music'." You can also enjoy a little Irish wit by asking "Alexa, tell me a St. Patrick's Day joke" or "Alexa, where are you from?"     

I hope keeping a calendar on Echo will be coming soon, along with home automation management too.    

Jim


----------



## Passepartout

I woke up this morning to an invite to join Amazon's 'Echo Customer Panel'. I filled out a fairly lengthy questionnaire about my Echo use, and how it fits into my life. There were other questions aimed at identifying my demographic group (age, gender, education, income range, location).

It gave me a little insight about the directions the development team are considering. It asked, for instance, about my familiarity or knowledge of various home automation products like certain thermostats, lights, routers, etc. It asked about my use of more darned social networking sites than I'd ever heard of. TUG wasn't listed (!). It asked about my sports following habits, my music listening, and which streaming services I use. It asked about my use of various audio book services, both streaming and subscription. It asked about what traffic info and commuting resources I might use (I don't). It asked what source and how often I get news.

I just thought I'd share what I gleaned from this as it gives some clues on future developments and capabilities. I'll share more at it comes along.

Jim

P.S. I don't know how long people who ask for an invite to buy now are waiting for the invitation, but I hear that current invites are slated for delivery in June/July. As far as I know the $99 price is still good for Prime members. $199 for non-members, making a year of Prime free.


----------



## Passepartout

*Some home automation is now on Echo*

WeMo and Hue products now work with Amazon Echo. That would be lights and outlets. You install the above products to your home network, then say, "Alexa, discover my appliances." Then you can voice control them via Echo.

Things to try: "Alexa, turn on the hallway light" 
"Alexa, turn on the coffee maker" 
"Alexa, dim the living room lights to 20%" 
"Alexa, turn on the electric blanket" 
"Alexa, turn on the outdoor decorations" 


Supported products: WeMo: Switch, Insight Switch, and Light Switch Hue: A19, Lux, BR30, Bloom, and LightStrip lights 

Jim


----------



## Ken555

Passepartout said:


> WeMo and Hue products now work with Amazon Echo. That would be lights and outlets. You install the above products to your home network, then say, "Alexa, discover my appliances." Then you can voice control them via Echo.
> 
> 
> 
> Things to try: "Alexa, turn on the hallway light"
> 
> "Alexa, turn on the coffee maker"
> 
> "Alexa, dim the living room lights to 20%"
> 
> "Alexa, turn on the electric blanket"
> 
> "Alexa, turn on the outdoor decorations"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Supported products: WeMo: Switch, Insight Switch, and Light Switch Hue: A19, Lux, BR30, Bloom, and LightStrip lights
> 
> 
> 
> Jim




This is a great improvement, and I'll be reviewing which of these products to buy... 


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Elan

Elan said:


> They need to make this thing a home automation hub, then I could justify it:
> 
> "Hey dumba$$, it's Alexa.  It's 10 PM and your garage door is still open".
> 
> Or,
> 
> "The outside temperature is cooler than your thermostat is set, you should turn off your AC and open your windows".
> 
> Now _that_ would be useful.





Passepartout said:


> WeMo and Hue products now work with Amazon Echo. That would be lights and outlets. You install the above products to your home network, then say, "Alexa, discover my appliances." Then you can voice control them via Echo.
> 
> Things to try: "Alexa, turn on the hallway light"
> "Alexa, turn on the coffee maker"
> "Alexa, dim the living room lights to 20%"
> "Alexa, turn on the electric blanket"
> "Alexa, turn on the outdoor decorations"
> 
> 
> Supported products: WeMo: Switch, Insight Switch, and Light Switch Hue: A19, Lux, BR30, Bloom, and LightStrip lights
> 
> Jim



  Getting closer to being useful.  But it needs a lot of improvement in terms of user customization to be really useful.  Unfortunately, I doubt Amazon is up to the task, for various reasons.  Now if Google came out with something similar, I'd give it a much greater chance.


----------



## ace2000

Elan said:


> Now if Google came out with something similar, I'd give it a much greater chance.



With Google's Now and Apple's Siri technology, I'd be shocked if either of them don't enter this market soon.  Now, the question is why you would need a device sitting on your coffee table when you can do most of the same with a handheld phone?  That's the main reason why I haven't jumped in to buy Echo.


----------



## Elan

ace2000 said:


> With Google's Now and Apple's Siri technology, I'd be shocked if either of them don't enter this market soon.  Now, the question is why you would need a device sitting on your coffee table when you can do most of the same with a handheld phone?  That's the main reason why I haven't jumped in to buy Echo.



  Depends on the usage, I suppose.  I'm big into these types of devices making my life easier, which infers voice-activated automation.  If one's after automation, then a home unit makes sense, because it's utility isn't dependent on who is home at the time.  If all one wants is a way to play Pandora or check the weather, then I agree, Echo is not a significantly better solution than a cell phone.  It's limited capability has also kept me from buying.  

  Echo needs some way (software/firmware) to customize it's functionality.  I don't think Amazon has the desire or capability to see this through, which is why I really wish Google would tackle home automation.  They're the one tech company with most of the pieces in place and they seemingly have the  inspiration/creativity to get it done.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

ace2000 said:


> With Google's Now and Apple's Siri technology, I'd be shocked if either of them don't enter this market soon.  Now, the question is why you would need a device sitting on your coffee table when you can do most of the same with a handheld phone?  That's the main reason why I haven't jumped in to buy Echo.



Why not have both.  With Echo that is exactly what you have.  The wemo products also have apple and android apps.


----------



## ace2000

pgnewarkboy said:


> Why not have both.  With Echo that is exactly what you have.  The wemo products also have apple and android apps.



Clutter!  We've already got the laptop, cordless phone, kindle, and our cell phones plugged into our living room outlets, and then the remotes for the respective electronics.  I don't think this is for me yet, though I can definitely understand the appeal.  I'm definitely not dogging this concept, I think it's going to be a winner.


----------



## Elan

ace2000 said:


> Clutter!  We've already got the laptop, cordless phone, kindle, and our cell phones plugged into our living room outlets, and then the remotes for the respective electronics.  I don't think this is for me yet, though I can definitely understand the appeal.  I'm definitely not dogging this concept, I think it's going to be a winner.



  Same here.  Great idea with huge potential, but not there yet.  I'd rather pay more for more functionality, so I'm willing to wait for someone to have a more comprehensive solution.


----------



## Passepartout

Being honest (aren't I always?) I use the Echo mostly for streaming Internet Radio and Pandora- and company. I have Cortana in my phone, but that requires at least fishing the phone out of my pocket and unlocking it before pressing a button to ask Cortana. half a dozen or more keystrokes. With Echo, it sounds pretty good, and if I have a question (What time does XYZ store close today?), all I have to do is ask.

Greatest device in the world? I doubt it. But they've already improved it's functionality by a degree of magnitude and more upgrades weekly. I go to the app and every question, command and list item is right there. You can see the improvement in it's understanding of your speech patterns. 

I won't miss the $99 it cost.

Jim


----------



## pittle

Jim - will it work as axillary speakers for a laptop?  My laptop has lousy speakers and I have to keep speakers plugged in to have decent sound - both volume and quality.  I was about to buy some Bluetooth speakers, but I am hoping that Echo will work with my computer via Bluetooth.  I am on the waiting list and will use it for internet radio or with my iPod too, but would really love to have it as a multipurpose device.


----------



## Saintsfanfl

pittle said:


> Jim - will it work as axillary speakers for a laptop?  My laptop has lousy speakers and I have to keep speakers plugged in to have decent sound - both volume and quality.  I was about to buy some Bluetooth speakers, but I am hoping that Echo will work with my computer via Bluetooth.  I am on the waiting list and will use it for internet radio or with my iPod too, but would really love to have it as a multipurpose device.



Echo does have built-in Bluetooth for connectivity. It does not have a line-in but it should connect to a PC just fine via bluetooth although I haven't tried it.


----------



## RonB

Just had my delivery date moved up a week to 4/23. And Amazon had just announced "Prime Stations" where you can listen to a particular artist or genre. My wife, (who doesn't know it's coming). will love this ~ Ron


----------



## Passepartout

Cool! Did you get the $99 Prime member price? Last week the discount got halved so Prime members now pay $150. My DW really seems to like having it, but she won't ask it anything. Self conscious about talking to a machine? Maybe.

Jim


----------



## RonB

Passepartout said:


> Cool! Did you get the $99 Prime member price? Last week the discount got halved so Prime members now pay $150. My DW really seems to like having it, but she won't ask it anything. Self conscious about talking to a machine? Maybe.
> 
> Jim



I signed up @ $99, but in my open orders it now shows a price of $199. I will have to sort this out with them if I don't get the $99 price.

Ron


----------



## Passepartout

RonB said:


> I signed up @ $99, but in my open orders it now shows a price of $199. I will have to sort this out with them if I don't get the $99 price.
> 
> Ron



You should get the $99 price when it ships. It isn't charged until then.


----------



## Ken555

RonB said:


> Just had my delivery date moved up a week to 4/23. And Amazon had just announced "Prime Stations" where you can listen to a particular artist or genre. My wife, (who doesn't know it's coming). will love this ~ Ron




They've had this functionality all along with iHeartRadio. I just say "Alexa, play Mozart" and it starts.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## RonB

Amazon just moved up the delivery date again. It should be here this Friday ~ Ron


----------



## WinniWoman

RonB said:


> Amazon just moved up the delivery date again. It should be here this Friday ~ Ron



I am really jealous. My delivery date hasn't changed from the second week of May!


----------



## Gracey

Mine was just shipped today and will have it Thursday :whoopie::whoopie: Want supposed to ship till the 23rd


----------



## RonB

Mine shipped today and will arrive Thur also ~ Ron


----------



## Passepartout

Looking over comments on Amazon's Gold Box Forums, I think there is a big shipment this week. You folks will have a fun new family member soon. Mine is 3 months old today,

Jim


----------



## Gracey

Lol Jim, you even remember her birthday :rofl:


----------



## Passepartout

Loops said:


> Lol Jim, you even remember her birthday :rofl:



I really didn't remember, I just looked back upthread.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

*Alexa part of the household*

Alexa has integrated herself   in the daily routines of my house.  

Alexa give us the time, the weather, and news headlines.
Alexa wakes us in the morning and also wakes us from naps.
Alexa settles some family disputes instantly like "what is the population of Oklahoma? or who is the governor of New York".
We use Alexa many hours a day to listen to music on I Heart Radio, or Amazon Prime playlists.
Alexa finds music by the name of artist or by song and plays the whole song or gives us a sample that we may want to buy. She will also shuffle all the prime music of a particular singer or artist.

Alexa controls lighting in our home theater area making it convenient to turn off lights without moving from our favorite viewing spots.
Alex controls lights in other parts of the house so we don't have to get out of bed to turn a light on or off in a different room.


----------



## Patri

pgnewarkboy said:


> Alexa has integrated herself in the daily routines of my house.



Better than Rosie Jetson.
But did you know Alexa is corresponding with Alex, still in production? She has transferred your banking info and passwords. One day you will come home and the door will be locked. You will have no identity. You will be wandering the streets in confusion.
Alex and Alexa will be inside, happily creating baby Alexi. They plan to rule the world!


----------



## RonB

Yes Jim - I was charged $99 ~ Ron


----------



## pgnewarkboy

Patri said:


> Better than Rosie Jetson.
> But did you know Alexa is corresponding with Alex, still in production? She has transferred your banking info and passwords. One day you will come home and the door will be locked. You will have no identity. You will be wandering the streets in confusion.
> Alex and Alexa will be inside, happily creating baby Alexi. They plan to rule the world!



Actually, pgnewarkboy, no longer exists.

Sincerely,

Alexa


----------



## Jestjoan

*Mine has finally been moved up*

to the 21st from the 30th! Woo hoo!


----------



## GrayFal

pgnewarkboy said:


> Alexa has integrated herself   in the daily routines of my house.
> 
> 
> 
> Alexa controls lighting in our home theater area making it convenient to turn off lights without moving from our favorite viewing spots.
> Alex controls lights in other parts of the house so we don't have to get out of bed to turn a light on or off in a different room.



How does this work?
Or rather, what do you need to make this work?
Thx

My delivery is still June 28-July 28


----------



## pgnewarkboy

GrayFal said:


> How does this work?
> Or rather, what do you need to make this work?
> Thx
> 
> My delivery is still June 28-July 28



All you need is wifi, download the android or iPhone App , connect her to your network,   and  place Alexa where you are most likely to use her.  That is all there is to it.


----------



## Passepartout

GrayFal said:


> How does this work?
> Or rather, what do you need to make this work?
> Thx
> 
> My delivery is still June 28-July 28



You DO have to have the special lights and switches that work with your home automation system. I posted the brands upthread, when notice came from Amazon. In the next couple months before yours arrives, more will be added. Echo/Alexa becomes more capable almost daily.

Jim

EDITED: *WeMo* and *Hue* are the brands that Echo works with so far.


----------



## Patri

pgnewarkboy said:


> Actually, pgnewarkboy, no longer exists.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Alexa



Thanks for the belly laugh.


----------



## GrayFal

Passepartout said:


> You DO have to have the special lights and switches that work with your home automation system. I posted the brands upthread, when notice came from Amazon. In the next couple months before yours arrives, more will be added. Echo/Alexa becomes more capable almost daily.
> 
> Jim
> 
> EDITED: *WeMo* and *Hue* are the brands that Echo works with so far.



Thanks. Very interesting!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ace2000

pgnewarkboy said:


> Actually, pgnewarkboy, no longer exists.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Alexa




Alexa - play Bruce Springsteen at full volume for pgnewarkboy at 3am.


----------



## Elan

pgnewarkboy said:


> Alexa has integrated herself   in the daily routines of my house.
> 
> Alexa give us the time, the weather, and news headlines.
> Alexa wakes us in the morning and also wakes us from naps.
> Alexa settles some family disputes instantly like "what is the population of Oklahoma? or who is the governor of New York".
> We use Alexa many hours a day to listen to music on I Heart Radio, or Amazon Prime playlists.
> Alexa finds music by the name of artist or by song and plays the whole song or gives us a sample that we may want to buy. She will also shuffle all the prime music of a particular singer or artist.
> 
> Alexa controls lighting in our home theater area making it convenient to turn off lights without moving from our favorite viewing spots.
> Alex controls lights in other parts of the house so we don't have to get out of bed to turn a light on or off in a different room.



  Nevermind.  Finally found the info I was looking for on Amazon.


----------



## RonB

*Echo - bummed...*

Echo arrived today, but my win7.1 computer does not see it, (and yes, I did plug it in...  ), so I can't connect it. It's about 4' from the pc and 5' from the router. Wifi is working because my wife just started watching a show on netflix, but that was after I tried getting Echo seen by my pc.

I tried to add it through "add a device", but it doesn't show up in the window. Suggestions anyone?

Thanx,
Ron


----------



## Passepartout

Did you install the Echo app? I run mine through my Kindle (Android) tablet. If you continue to have problems, just use the Amazon 'Help' button. Here's the link. http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_gt_kind_echo?nodeId=201399130 If you can't get it set up, just click 'call me' in the 'Contact Us' box on the left side. and your phone will be ringing almost before you get your finger off the 'send' button. I have never failed to be helped any time I've used this feature.


----------



## riverdees05

Has anyone tried to order and use more than one unit?  I would like to have two.


----------



## Passepartout

riverdees05 said:


> Has anyone tried to order and use more than one unit?  I would like to have two.



So far I think one person can just get one Echo. For instance, if I click on 'Order an invitation', it returns, "Thank You for your order." I suppose it's possible that if different people in a household have different Amazon accounts, they might be able to order a second unit. 'Course, there's always eBay.

As far as use, there is no reason I can think of that two units couldn't share one wi-fi source. You wouldn't want to have them within earshot of each other though, as when you say, 'Alexa' both of them would wake up.


----------



## RonB

I just found out that you must set Echo up through a mobile device. Setup went smoothly once I tried doing it through my phone ~ Ron


----------



## RonB

Passepartout said:


> Did you install the Echo app? I run mine through my Kindle (Android) tablet. If you continue to have problems, just use the Amazon 'Help' button. Here's the link. http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_gt_kind_echo?nodeId=201399130 If you can't get it set up, just click 'call me' in the 'Contact Us' box on the left side. and your phone will be ringing almost before you get your finger off the 'send' button. I have never failed to be helped any time I've used this feature.




Thanx. I had them call me and the call came through immediately. We spent a few minutes trying and the the rep asked if I was using a mobile device. Once I realized setup must be done through my phone, it went smoothly. 

Thanx again ~ Ron


----------



## ace2000

RonB said:


> I just found out that you must set Echo up through a mobile device.



I understand the rep kind of mentioned that, but I'm not sure it's exactly true.  Maybe it was just easier to deal with the bluetooth via the phone (or your PC might not have bluetooth enabled).  The main thing is that you got it going and you're happy with it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201602060


----------



## Passepartout

ace2000 said:


> I understand the rep kind of mentioned that, but I'm not sure it's exactly true.  Maybe it was just easier to deal with the bluetooth via the phone (or your PC might not have bluetooth enabled).



Echo doesn't communicate with the app via Bluetooth. It has the remote for that. It uses the internet to communicate such stuff as your shopping list and minute-by-minute communications in the mobile app. Right now, I'm using my Kindle Fire for that, because they don't have an Echo app for my Windows phone. Just Android, Fire phone, and iOS.


----------



## Passepartout

RonB said:


> Thanx. I had them call me and the call came through immediately. We spent a few minutes trying and the the rep asked if I was using a mobile device. Once I realized setup must be done through my phone, it went smoothly.
> 
> Thanx again ~ Ron



Amazon support is like that. Helpful, and no waiting on hold.


----------



## RonB

ace2000 said:


> I understand the rep kind of mentioned that, but I'm not sure it's exactly true.  Maybe it was just easier to deal with the bluetooth via the phone (or your PC might not have bluetooth enabled).  The main thing is that you got it going and you're happy with it.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201602060



Actually, the main thing is that I think my wife will love it...


----------



## ace2000

Passepartout said:


> Echo doesn't communicate with the app via Bluetooth. It has the remote for that.



Actually I was thinking about the set up.  So, you can't do that with a computer?  I'm surprised, but not disputing what you're saying, since I don't own one.


----------



## WinniWoman

RonB said:


> I just found out that you must set Echo up through a mobile device. Setup went smoothly once I tried doing it through my phone ~ Ron



Amazon told me that isn't so. You can set up via computer. I only have a workplace cell phone and I do not use it for personal things like this.


----------



## WinniWoman

RonB said:


> Thanx. I had them call me and the call came through immediately. We spent a few minutes trying and the the rep asked if I was using a mobile device. Once I realized setup must be done through my phone, it went smoothly.
> 
> Thanx again ~ Ron



This is not supposed to be the case. Before I ordered Echo I asked about set up via computer and I got an email from Amazon saying it can absolutely be set up from a computer. I have Vista on my laptop.


----------



## Passepartout

A little research on this shows that if you don't have an eligible Android or ithingy device, you can control your Echo via www.echo.amazon.com/ I looked there and sure enough my Echo was there and I could see my connections to Pandora 'statons', Amazon Prime music playlists, and the commands I've given it.


----------



## ace2000

mpumilia said:


> Amazon told me that isn't so. You can set up via computer. I only have a workplace cell phone and I do not use it for personal things like this.



I am more likely to agree with this.  Plus the Amazon web site seems to suggest what you're saying also.  I'm not positive that the Echo app (mentioned in the link below) guides you through the set up though, but don't see why it couldn't.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201601770


----------



## Ken555

Passepartout said:


> A little research on this shows that if you don't have an eligible Android or ithingy device, you can control your Echo via www.echo.amazon.com/ I looked there and sure enough my Echo was there and I could see my connections to Pandora 'statons', Amazon Prime music playlists, and the commands I've given it.




Good info!


Sent from my iPad


----------



## RonB

I'm not going to disagree, but the rep told me that it had to be done through a mobile device, and that worked for me ~ Ron


----------



## Jestjoan

*Echo/Alexa*

It did get here this Sunday morning! FUN! Thanks so much the OP or we wouldn't have known about it.

Did the 3 steps from CNet and put Pandora on it so far..........Even DH likes it.

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/make-amazon-echo-understand-you-better/


----------



## Elan

Got my third invite today.  Any new functionality I should know about?  Can it make me a sandwich yet?


----------



## hypnotiq

:ignore:


----------



## Passepartout

Elan said:


> Got my third invite today.  Any new functionality I should know about?  Can it make me a sandwich yet?



No sammy yet, but MLB & some lights and switches if you spring for the hardware. The Prime discount is now just $50 from $100 and it looks like you can still get $250ish NIB on eBay. Order it now & you might get delivery in July.


----------



## WinniWoman

Just got an email from Amazon and Alexa is coming a few weeks early- next Wed.! Considering my house painters went AWOL, I wonder if she also paints! LOL!


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> Just got an email from Amazon and Alexa is coming a few weeks early- next Wed.! Considering my house painters went AWOL, I wonder if she also paints! LOL!



Nope, but she'll seranade you while you paint, tell you jokes and answer questions.


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> Nope, but she'll seranade you while you paint, tell you jokes and answer questions.



LOL! Maybe if the painters show up next week, she could hypnotize them to keep them here until the finish the job!


----------



## PStreet1

RonB said:


> I'm not going to disagree, but the rep told me that it had to be done through a mobile device, and that worked for me ~ Ron



It well may have been easier to do that with you, but we used only a computer--we're among the last people on the planet who don't even have a smart phone--and all went quite smoothly.


----------



## WinniWoman

PStreet1 said:


> It well may have been easier to do that with you, but we used only a computer--we're among the last people on the planet who don't even have a smart phone--and all went quite smoothly.[/QUOTE
> 
> 
> Great! We don't own a smart phone either. (I do have one that my job gave me but I do not want to tie in Echo with that one).
> 
> Just got another email from Amazon and my Echo has shipped and I am now getting her tomorrow- two days earlier than expected! :whoopie:


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> Just got another email from Amazon and my Echo has shipped and I am now getting her tomorrow- two days earlier than expected! :whoopie:



Don't hold your breath about getting it on Sunday unless you get a lot better service from Buster Brown than I do.

[Venting] I checked tracking on a FedEx shipment yesterday (Saturday). It was 'On truck- out for delivery'. Of course, no show all day. Last night I check tracking again and there was a message in bright red- Attempted Delivery (at 11:15) Business closed- will schedule for next Tuesday. We were home all day. FedEx just pi$$es me off!

Jim


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> Don't hold your breath about getting it on Sunday unless you get a lot better service from Buster Brown than I do.
> 
> [Venting] I checked tracking on a FedEx shipment yesterday (Saturday). It was 'On truck- out for delivery'. Of course, no show all day. Last night I check tracking again and there was a message in bright red- Attempted Delivery (at 11:15) Business closed- will schedule for next Tuesday. We were home all day. FedEx just pi$$es me off!
> 
> Jim



No no. Not Sunday- Monday! Tomorrow Jim!


----------



## WinniWoman

Got her today as promised! Love her! Already started my shopping list! Had her play my prime music. My husband has her starting his "honey do" list and playing his Beatle music on Pandora.! The sound is awesome! I knew I was gonna have fun with her!


----------



## Jestjoan

*Sunday!*

Ours was delivered on a Sunday morning much to my surprise!


----------



## WinniWoman

HOPING SHE WILL BE ABLE TO GET RECIPES FOR ME! I also suggested to Amazon that they develop a way for other household members to have their own "To Do" and "Shopping Lists".


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> HOPING SHE WILL BE ABLE TO GET RECIPES FOR ME! I also suggested to Amazon that they develop a way for other household members to have their own "To Do" and "Shopping Lists".



The recipe thing would be difficult. There are BILLIONS of recipes on the internet. Isn't enough that it will assemble a shopping list, time the cooking and convert quantities of ingredients?

Perhaps when capability (the cloud) and production/supply allow more than one per account, and other family members have their own Echo linked to just them, each echo will be able to produce it's own lists.

But, hey, send Amazon the suggestions. I'm sure that you are not the first to suggest it.

Below from a feedback I got from them:

As always, the Amazon Echo team looks forward to your feedback via the Amazon Echo App and on social media (#AmazonEcho). 

Jim


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> The recipe thing would be difficult. There are BILLIONS of recipes on the internet. Isn't enough that it will assemble a shopping list, time the cooking and convert quantities of ingredients?
> 
> Perhaps when capability (the cloud) and production/supply allow more than one per account, and other family members have their own Echo linked to just them, each echo will be able to produce it's own lists.
> 
> But, hey, send Amazon the suggestions. I'm sure that you are not the first to suggest it.
> 
> Below from a feedback I got from them:
> 
> As always, the Amazon Echo team looks forward to your feedback via the Amazon Echo App and on social media (#AmazonEcho).
> 
> Jim



Yeah- you're right. Recipes might be complicated, unless they can hook her up to maybe just one simple site- who knows? Anything is possible.

I spoke to a guy at Amazon who worked on the BETA for Echo and he thought it was a good suggestion about the separate shopping lists. 

For now I guess I just have to tolerate my husbands' "Change the lawnmower oil" added to my "clean out the hall closet." LOL! :rofl:


----------



## Elan

Interesting....

http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/03/amazon-echo-ifttt-support/

  The big enhancement here would be some sort of per user "synchronize" macro that would perform the types of actions mentioned in the IFTTT article.  

  "Alexa, SYNCHRONIZE to Bob's phone" would push (and/or pull) everything (as configured by Bob) from the Echo to/from a user's phone.


----------



## Passepartout

I got the announcement from A-Z about IFTTT. It doesn't mean much to integrate that much into my life, but it looks like it adds to the usefulness of Echo.

Bear in mind that 6 months ago, there was no such thing as Echo. 5 months ago it was announced as little more than a Bluetooth speaker that would also play your Amazon music purchases, and answer a few simple questions from Wikipedia, and act as an alarm clock.

More people ask for more functionality, A-Z adds it to Cloud Services (Echo's 'real' brain) rather than simply ramping up production of more home units.

It's kinda fun to see the thing evolve. I can't say that my life is better because of it, but when I consider new technology purchases, I will consider those that are integrated with Echo. The voice method of input is a powerful tool.


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> I got the announcement from A-Z about IFTTT. It doesn't mean much to integrate that much into my life, but it looks like it adds to the usefulness of Echo.
> 
> Bear in mind that 6 months ago, there was no such thing as Echo. 5 months ago it was announced as little more than a Bluetooth speaker that would also play your Amazon music purchases, and answer a few simple questions from Wikipedia, and act as an alarm clock.
> 
> More people ask for more functionality, A-Z adds it to Cloud Services (Echo's 'real' brain) rather than simply ramping up production of more home units.
> 
> It's kinda fun to see the thing evolve. I can't say that my life is better because of it, but when I consider new technology purchases, I will consider those that are integrated with Echo. The voice method of input is a powerful tool.



Jim- I got this email as well, but didn't understand it. I guess I should reread it. Wasn't sure what it meant. But, I do not have it synced with my phone and I don't have any apps anyhow since it is a business phone paid for by my employer and I don't have the head honcho's password. I just have her set up with my computer and print out my shopping list. I really like my to do list on my - um- old fashioned paper calendar.

I use Alexa everyday for the weather, shopping list, sometimes music, and an occasional question. I moved her off my kitchen counter only because I use my appliances in that spot because of the outlets and I felt she was somewhat in the way. We have her now set up right in the den which is actually part of our kitchen and keep her right under the elevated TV on the stand near the sound bar. The only thing is- being the frugal nuts we are-we always used to shut off the power strip after watching TV and now I am afraid to do it because of Alexa being plugged into it. I assume she should be plugged into a power strip? Would shutting her on and off every night "hurt" her?


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> I got the announcement from A-Z about IFTTT. It doesn't mean much to integrate that much into my life, but it looks like it adds to the usefulness of Echo.
> 
> Bear in mind that 6 months ago, there was no such thing as Echo. 5 months ago it was announced as little more than a Bluetooth speaker that would also play your Amazon music purchases, and answer a few simple questions from Wikipedia, and act as an alarm clock.
> 
> More people ask for more functionality, A-Z adds it to Cloud Services (Echo's 'real' brain) rather than simply ramping up production of more home units.
> 
> It's kinda fun to see the thing evolve. I can't say that my life is better because of it, but when I consider new technology purchases, I will consider those that are integrated with Echo. The voice method of input is a powerful tool.



  Definitely improving, as we all knew it would.  Still a long way to go, which is frustrating because all of the needed technology for the thing to be really useful already exists.


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon's Echo Wireless Speaker Gets Voice-Controlled Prime Stations - by Mariella Moon/ Engadget.com


"Amazon has added Prime Stations to Echo, its wireless speaker-slash-personal assistant, perhaps in hopes that it would get more people to press the "Request an invitation" button. Prime Stations are the company's ad-free radio feeds -- basically playlists that bundle Prime Music's offerings based on artists and genres. The feature's been available for iOS and Android devices for a month or so, but since Echo is a voice-activated assistant, it comes with a bunch of spoken commands. You can, for instance, play a specific station by saying "Alexa (that's Echo's voice assistant name), play the Bruno Mars Prime Station."


Richard


----------



## Iwant2gonow

*Set up Question*

I am going to set up my Echo today. If I understand correctly I can set it up either using my Samsung phone or my laptop.

 If I set it up on one device can I also get the App on the other device?

I want to be able to use the list on my phone but I only print from my laptop and want to be able to print a list if necessary. Also when using maps to check traffic I might prefer using one device over the other at any given time.


----------



## ace2000

Iwant2gonow said:


> I am going to set up my Echo today. If I understand correctly I can set it up either using my Samsung phone or my laptop.
> 
> If I set it up on one device can I also get the App on the other device?
> 
> I want to be able to use the list on my phone but I only print from my laptop and want to be able to print a list if necessary. Also when using maps to check traffic I might prefer using one device over the other at any given time.



Go for it.  It'd be nice to have confirmation that it sets up fine with the laptop.  Yes, you'll be able to use the app on either or both, it's all stored in the Cloud.


----------



## WinniWoman

Mine is set up only with a laptop because I do not have a personal smart phone. No problems. Only- sometimes she misunderstands my voice and puts something I can't make out on my shopping list. Then, I can't remember what it was supposed to be!


----------



## theo

MULTIZ321 said:


> <snip> Amazon has added Prime Stations to Echo, its wireless speaker-slash-personal assistant, perhaps in hopes that it would get more people to press the "Request an invitation" button. Prime Stations are the company's ad-free radio feeds -- basically *playlists that bundle Prime Music's offerings based on artists and genres*. The feature's been available for iOS and Android devices for a month or so, but since Echo is a voice-activated assistant, it comes with a bunch of spoken commands. You can, for instance, play a specific station by saying "Alexa (that's Echo's voice assistant name), play the Bruno Mars Prime Station."



I received my Echo yesterday from Amazon and, to my amazement, was able to set it up and begin to use it without too much confusion, fanfare or difficulty.
I used my Nook HD+ for the Echo app download and WiFi setup (I don't have a smartphone --- I'm not smart enough for a smartphone). 

I have yet to figure out how / where to access artist-specific Prime Stations via the Echo app. Maybe some separate action in the way of selection / setup needs to precede voice-activated request for artist / song retrieval?.


----------



## WinniWoman

theo said:


> I received my Echo yesterday from Amazon and, to my amazement, was able to set it up and begin to use it without too much confusion, fanfare or difficulty.
> I used my Nook HD+ for the Echo app download and WiFi setup (I don't have a smartphone --- I'm not smart enough for a smartphone).
> 
> I have yet to figure out how / where to access artist-specific Prime Stations via the Echo app. Clearly, some overt action in the way of selection / setup needs to precede voice-activated request for retrieval.



I don't think I set anything up with the Prime Stations. I just ask "Alexa- play James Taylor Prime Station", etc.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

mpumilia said:


> I don't think I set anything up with the Prime Stations. I just ask "Alexa- play James Taylor Prime Station", etc.



Correct. No setup required.  Just tell Alexa to play the "prime station".  You do need to know the names of the prime stations.  I found them on my Amazon music app.  The poster can download that to his Fire for free - or you can use trial and error.


----------



## hypnotiq

Keep the posts coming on Echo! 

I'm one of the QAMs on Echo, specifically my team handles Home Automation.

 I can't give an insights to what may be coming ignore or help you get one any sooner (or cheaper) but if you have any questions or issues, don't hesitate to ping me. I'll do my best to help.


----------



## DavidnRobin

hypnotiq said:


> Keep the posts coming on Echo!
> 
> I'm one of the QAMs on Echo, specifically my team handles Home Automation.
> 
> I can't give an insights to what may be coming ignore or help you get one any sooner (or cheaper) but if you have any questions or issues, don't hesitate to ping me. I'll do my best to help.



I would love to input, but still haven't gotten ours (it has been months…) - they were kidding when they said June.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

*Alexa sent an e-mail for me*

Last night, I sent a  short email to 4 people through Alexa.It was cool to sit on my couch, dictate the email, and have Alexa send it.    It was a "hack" or recipe from the web site "if this, then that".  It was actually pretty easy to set up.  Soon I will try sending short text messages through Alexa.


----------



## WinniWoman

pgnewarkboy said:


> Last night, I sent a  short email to 4 people through Alexa.It was cool to sit on my couch, dictate the email, and have Alexa send it.    It was a "hack" or recipe from the web site "if this, then that".  It was actually pretty easy to set up.  Soon I will try sending short text messages through Alexa.



Cool! How do you do this? I went on that website, but for email it looked like you had to establish a gmail account which I didn't want to do. I already have several email accounts and, frankly, I don't like Google or anything affiliated with it for security reasons.


----------



## jackio

We got our Echo the other day, but I haven't had the time to set it up yet.  I'm looking forward to playing with it this long holiday weekend.


----------



## Elan

mpumilia said:


> Cool! How do you do this? I went on that website, but for email it looked like you had to establish a gmail account which I didn't want to do. I already have several email accounts and, frankly, I don't like Google or anything affiliated with it for security reasons.



  I don't have an Echo, but I've had IFTTT on my Android phones for years.  In the Android app there are a couple different email options -- gmail, and email.  Within the settings portion of the email option one can specify which email account to use.


----------



## WinniWoman

Elan said:


> I don't have an Echo, but I've had IFTTT on my Android phones for years.  In the Android app there are a couple different email options -- gmail, and email.  Within the settings portion of the email option one can specify which email account to use.



This doesn't seem to be the case with the laptop which is what I use. or at least I couldn't see how. I don't even understand the whole IFTTT thing! Ugh!


----------



## Elan

mpumilia said:


> This doesn't seem to be the case with the laptop which is what I use. or at least I couldn't see how. I don't even understand the whole IFTTT thing! Ugh!


Yeah, hard to say without having the Echo interface available.

IFTTT is basically a set of macros that allow one to write "recipes".   Typically a recipe will consist of a trigger and an action.  For instance, a trigger could be that you're in a particular location (say the local grocery, as determined by your phone's GPS) and the action could be to text your spouse the message " I'm at the grocery store.  Do we need anything? ".  All happens automatically.  

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## WinniWoman

Elan said:


> Yeah, hard to say without having the Echo interface available.
> 
> IFTTT is basically a set of macros that allow one to write "recipes".   Typically a recipe will consist of a trigger and an action.  For instance, a trigger could be that you're in a particular location (say the local grocery, as determined by your phone's GPS) and the action could be to text your spouse the message " I'm at the grocery store.  Do we need anything? ".  All happens automatically.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk



I still don't get it, but thanks. One of these days when I have nothing better to do and I am not too tired I will have to sit down and figure this stuff out.


----------



## ace2000

Not positive, but this might be helpful for the IFTTT setup.  It appears the key step is to get started with the ifttt web site, and then it starts to make sense.  Good luck! 

http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle/...ge=184&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx1LI8F2XZ6JQ5G


----------



## WinniWoman

ace2000 said:


> Not positive, but this might be helpful for the IFTTT setup.  It appears the key step is to get started with the ifttt web site, and then it starts to make sense.  Good luck!
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle/...ge=184&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx1LI8F2XZ6JQ5G




Yes, Thanks. I did go on and sign up and then when I saw the google mail thing I inactivated my account. Wasn't sure how to use anything else on there. Didn't get it.Really wanted the email thing because I wanted Alexa to send me my shopping list via email. I will have to attempt it another time.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

mpumilia said:


> Cool! How do you do this? I went on that website, but for email it looked like you had to establish a gmail account which I didn't want to do. I already have several email accounts and, frankly, I don't like Google or anything affiliated with it for security reasons.



There is a recipe or 'hack' for sending a short sms message.  No need for gmail on this.  I haven't tried this one yet.


----------



## Jestjoan

*Agree*

http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-echo-it-sucks-its-awesome-it-sucks-we-want-two-more/


----------



## Elan

Jestjoan said:


> http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-echo-it-sucks-its-awesome-it-sucks-we-want-two-more/


Thanks for posting that.  Pretty much confirms that I've made the right choice in not purchasing one (yet).  I know they're only $150, and I'm sure they're kind of fun to play with, but the article points out why I'm more likely to be frustrated by its limitations than wowed by it's convenience.    

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## jackio

We just set ours up and we are having a great time with it.  "Alexa, play Bobby Sherman" - wow, music I loved as a pre-teen brought back such memories.  DH asked her to play Simon and Garfunkle and the playlist included some of the obscure stuff you never hear on Pandora.  We asked it some fun questions.  This week we will try out the lists.  I don't think I will ever use her to turn on our lights or appliances.  We are just not that techie but for $99 this is a lot of fun.


----------



## hypnotiq

Introducing this weeks newest Echo feature... 



> Amazon Echo
> 
> Now you can quickly access your Google calendar events with Echo—just use your voice. If you want to know what's on the calendar for the day or check if you're free for dinner with friends, simply ask Echo.
> 
> To get started, link a Google Calendar within Settings in the Amazon Echo app. Once your calendar has been added, here are some questions you can ask:
> 
> "Alexa, what's on my calendar today?"
> "Alexa, what's on my calendar tomorrow at 9PM?"
> "Alexa, what's on my calendar Saturday?"
> "Alexa, when's my next event?"
> 
> We will be adding even more calendar features over the coming weeks. As always, we look forward to your feedback via the Amazon Echo app and on social media (#AmazonEcho). You can also follow @AmazonEcho on Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news and updates for Echo.


----------



## GrayFal

hypnotiq said:


> Introducing this weeks newest Echo feature...




No iCal ??!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Ken555

hypnotiq said:


> Introducing this weeks newest Echo feature...




Just got the email, and I agree with GrayFal. There's more than Google out there for calendars, like the appointment I hand wrote on a post-it note. I fully expect Alexa to know what I wrote earlier today so she will remind me later. I mean, really, enough is enough.

On a more serious note, many of us won't use Google for lots of data intensive needs due to privacy concerns. I would hope eventually there will be an easy connection to a CalDAV (and CardDAV, for contacts) server. And, of course, I would expect this data to not ever be resident on an Amazon server...


Sent from my iPad


----------



## hypnotiq

> *We will be adding even more calendar features over the coming weeks.*



However, I cannot say what will or will not be coming, nor whether something will be supported later.


----------



## pittle

*I'm still waiting for mine.*

I ordered one on January 21 and was given a ship date of between June 3 - July 9.  I guess a 5 week window for delivery will keep it from being late.  It will probably come while we are out of town.  I do look forward to using it when it does get here.  I mostly wanted it because the speakers on my computer are awful and I always have portable ones plugged in.  I was about to buy some Bluetooth speakers so I could be wireless when I started reading the good reviews here on TUG about Echo and the various features.  So, I chose it since we have Amazon Prime.  I hope it is worth the 5 month wait.

The new calendar feature could be useful, but I also would prefer iCal and not Google since  I use my Outlook Calendar with a couple of special iCal's connected and not a Google calendar.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

The calendar function is great.  It is a big help when we sit around in the living room and make plans.  I use pocket informant which is a calendar and task organizer.  It syncs with google calendar automatically.  That makes it a one entry situation because I never enter information directly into google calendar.  More calendar functions are promised by Amazon. Perhaps they will sync with other calendar apps. 

 I am beginning to see that the Echo is the real deal.


----------



## pittle

Sure enough, when I checked email this morning at 5:30AM, I got a message that my Echo will be delivered tomorrow!  We we leaving for Mazatlan at 6:00AM, so I will not get to activate it for 3 weeks!    At least I was able to alert my neighbor to snag it and put it inside our house.


----------



## WinniWoman

pittle said:


> Sure enough, when I checked email this morning at 5:30AM, I got a message that my Echo will be delivered tomorrow!  We we leaving for Mazatlan at 6:00AM, so I will not get to activate it for 3 weeks!    At least I was able to alert my neighbor to snag it and put it inside our house.




Wouldn't you know it?! You wait so long and it comes now when you are going away. That's like something that would happen to me!


----------



## hypnotiq

Released last Friday.



> Now you can listen to audiobooks from Audible with Echo. Audiobooks offer a great way to enjoy your favorite books while relaxing, cooking, or spending time together with family.
> 
> Listening to audiobooks from your Audible library is easy. Here's how:
> 
> Start any book you own with "Alexa, read [Audible book title]"
> Resume the current book you're reading by saying "Alexa, read my book."
> Control playback with "Alexa, go back/forward."
> 
> Echo also supports Whispersync for Voice, which allows you to seamlessly switch between reading and listening with your eligible Kindle books. You can read on your Kindle, tablet, or smartphone and then continue listening on your Echo, right where you left off.
> 
> New to Audible? We've made it easy to get started with complimentary extended samples from popular titles and a free trial. Learn more.
> 
> As always, the Amazon Echo team looks forward to your feedback via the Amazon Echo App and on social media (#AmazonEcho). You can also follow @AmazonEcho on Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news and updates for Echo.


----------



## ace2000

hypnotiq said:


> Released last Friday.



Thanks for the update!  That's a feature that might be interesting for my grandmother (she has trouble with her vision and can't read anymore).  

Any word on when Echo will be easily available to all and able to be shipped quickly?


----------



## Passepartout

ace2000 said:


> Any word on when Echo will be easily available to all and able to be shipped quickly?



Since they are adding functionality almost weekly, and it isn't simply production of the Echo units that is causing the delay- rather adding servers to Amazon Cloud Services to keep up with functionality. It still remains that in order to get one sooner, order the invitation sooner. (or you can get one immediately- for a premium- on eBay)

Amazon says Echo is in stock July 8.

Jim


----------



## Elan

Anybody have any comments regarding the sound quality of the Echo relative to a high end Bluetooth speaker (TDK, Bose, etc)?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## ace2000

Elan said:


> Anybody have any comments regarding the sound quality of the Echo relative to a high end Bluetooth speaker (TDK, Bose, etc)?



I've always been curious about this question also - I know I've asked a few times earlier in the thread.  And what I heard was the sound was not great, but not too bad either.  Purchasing a bluetooth sound bar has been one of the best electronic investments I've ever made, so I've held off on buying the Echo.  Take away the music playing abilities from Echo, and I don't really see any other features that interest me - yet.  

On the other question about mass availability, I'm willing to bet it will definitely happen by Christmas.  It's not going to be long before they have some competition in this area.


----------



## Passepartout

Elan said:


> Anybody have any comments regarding the sound quality of the Echo relative to a high end Bluetooth speaker (TDK, Bose, etc)?
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk



The thing only has about a 3" speaker- and just one, so you won't hear stereo. I don't have a 'high end' speaker to compare it with, but would put the sound quality about on par with my clock radio with iPad/Pod docking. It sounds better than my Samsung TV's internal speaker, but not as good as a 200 watt sound bar (duh).

I find it entirely fine for listening to FM radio 4-5 hours a day and would be fine for listening to audiobooks. It doesn't crackle, cut-out, distort- though I don't crank it up as loud as it will go.

Otoh, my Echo was $99. So that would mean it sounds twice as good as the same item that now costs $200.


----------



## Elan

ace2000 said:


> I've always been curious about this question also - I know I've asked a few times earlier in the thread.  And what I heard was the sound was not great, but not too bad either.  Purchasing a bluetooth sound bar has been one of the best electronic investments I've ever made, so I've held off on buying the Echo.  Take away the music playing abilities from Echo, and I don't really see any other features that interest me - yet.
> 
> On the other question about mass availability, I'm willing to bet it will definitely happen by Christmas.  It's not going to be long before they have some competition in this area.



  I have a small portable bluetooth speaker that I use when travelling or when outside, etc.  It's got decent sound, but it's so small it's audio capabilities are limited.  I was thinking of buying another BT speaker that was bigger and had better sound (TDK A33 or A34, likely), which led me to think that if I could buy the Echo for a little more and it sounded good, I'd go that route.  Doesn't appear as though the sound is great from Jim's comments.

  ETA: WRT competition, it'll be interesting to see what happens.  One can effectively make their own Echo with a BT speaker and an unused smartphone using "OK Google".  It works pretty well, actually.  I think if I had the time to play with it, I could get it working better than the Echo in some respects.


----------



## Passepartout

Apparently Amazon has discontinued the 'Gold Box Forums' where there was a thread of some 7,000 messages about Echo. But of all the comments about it, "Lousy sound quality" was not among them. The majority of people report that they are satisfied with it's sound quality.

It fills the 25'X15' family room where it resides with sound. There is a nice Sony surround sound stereo with 6-7 speakers in the same room. I could turn on the stereo with a touch of a button. Instead, I say, "Alexa, play __________"

Jim


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> Apparently Amazon has discontinued the 'Gold Box Forums' where there was a thread of some 7,000 messages about Echo. But of all the comments about it, "Lousy sound quality" was not among them. The majority of people report that they are satisfied with it's sound quality.
> 
> It fills the 25'X15' family room where it resides with sound. There is a nice Sony surround sound stereo with 6-7 speakers in the same room. I could turn on the stereo with a touch of a button. Instead, I say, "Alexa, play __________"
> 
> Jim



  Yes, convenience is huge.  

  I'm sure the Echo sounds decent.  So does my small BT speaker.  Looking for an upgrade from decent to better-than-decent.

  Speaking of which, when playing Pandora through the Echo, can the Echo control the Pandora "channel" that's playing via voice command?


----------



## Passepartout

Elan said:


> Speaking of which, when playing Pandora through the Echo, can the Echo control the Pandora "channel" that's playing via voice command?



Yup. You can like, skip, change 'channels' volume up, down, mute, resume. Not only Pandora, but Prime music and other services. I suppose that if I had one 'item' on my Echo wish-list would be an audio out jack. Not that I dislike the sound, but so that it could be even better.


----------



## Elan

A general Echo question:  

  How user configurable is it?  Does the interface allow the user to assign an action(s) to a keyword?  In other words, can I configure it so that I can say "Alexa, Snicklefritz", and it knows to start Pandora and switch to my pre-defined favorite Pandora channel?  Can I say say "Alexa, Fognorton" and it knows to turn a specified 2 of my 59 wifi connected lights on?


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> Yup. You can like, skip, change 'channels' volume up, down, mute, resume. Not only Pandora, but Prime music and other services. I suppose that if I had one 'item' on my Echo wish-list would be an audio out jack. Not that I dislike the sound, but so that it could be even better.



  Cool.  _How_ does one change channels w/Pandora?


----------



## Passepartout

Elan said:


> Cool.  _How_ does one change channels w/Pandora?



Just say, "Alexa, play my Blues channel", or "Alexa Play my Beach Boys Channel". You have to assign the channels in the Echo app. 

As to your 'user definable 'code' question, I don't know. Waaay back when it first came out, even before I got mine, I speculated on the possibility of mischief. Like visiting in someone's home and seeing an Echo, and saying, "Alexa, set an alarm at 3:00 a.m. and every 15 minutes thereafter".  

Jim


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> Just say, "Alexa, play my Blues channel", or "Alexa Play my Beach Boys Channel". You have to assign the channels in the Echo app.
> 
> As to your 'user definable 'code' question, I don't know. Waaay back when it first came out, even before I got mine, I speculated on the possibility of mischief. Like visiting in someone's home and seeing an Echo, and saying, "Alexa, set an alarm at 3:00 a.m. and every 15 minutes thereafter".
> 
> Jim



  Thanks for the info  .   Good to know.  

  A general Echo comment:  

  I hope Amazon recognizes that the Echo has amazing potential and sees it as a stand-alone device.  If they view it primarily as a gateway to entice users to buy Amazon product, they're selling themselves short.  I'd pay $499 or even $999 for an Echo if it had high quality sound, a small high res display, a high capacity rechargeable battery and was fully user configurable.  All of the technology exists on most Android phones, so it's not an unreasonable expectation.


----------



## Passepartout

Elan said:


> I hope Amazon recognizes that the Echo has amazing potential and sees it as a stand-alone device.  If they view it primarily as a gateway to entice users to buy Amazon product, they're selling themselves short.  I'd pay $499 or even $999 for an Echo if it had high quality sound, a small high res display, a high capacity rechargeable battery and was fully user configurable.  All of the technology exists on most Android phones, so it's not an unreasonable expectation.



I don't see it as any sort of gateway to promote other Amazon product (except Prime music). I don't even see a way to do so. It IS a stand-alone device, supported by the app, and with a portable display.

An audio out jack would solve the sound quality issue for those who are not satisfied with it as is. 

What would a 'small hi-res display' do? You already have the phone display from your Android or i phone that reads out what the Echo is doing, and contains your list(s), and displays a running itemized dialog of what commands you give Echo, and it's response. So, for instance you have the grocery list to take to the store, or your schedule whenever you open the Echo app.

Why do you need a battery in it? It's not really conducive to carrying around. You have the phone for that anyway, as well as it's bluetooth remote with voice command you can use all over the house when you don't happen to be in the same room. And since it's connected to the Web by wi-fi, connection via cell phone network would just be redundant and/or slow down the device and/or both networks.

I suppose for the died-in-the-wool techie hobbyist, more personalization and configurability might be desireable, but for the vast majority of users, the ability to open the box, plug it in, have it recognize the user and do what it was designed to do without 'looking under the hood' is preferable. For those like you, there is a 'developers kit' (I got an invitation to do this once, and dismissed it) that you might sink your teeth into.

Other than the aforementioned audio-out jack- purely a nicety, not necessity, I find it pretty close to perfect as is.


----------



## Free2Roam

I've had my Echo a few months now and I love it. The BEST undocumented feature in my opinion... it doesn't recognize my 3 year old granddaughter's voice at all... Otherwise I'd be listening to songs from Frozen and Beauty and the Beast! She's even tried to change her voice so it'll hear her. 

Anyone else have a voice that Echo won't recognize?


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> I don't see it as any sort of gateway to promote other Amazon product (except Prime music). I don't even see a way to do so. It IS a stand-alone device, supported by the app, and with a portable display.
> 
> An audio out jack would solve the sound quality issue for those who are not satisfied with it as is.
> 
> What would a 'small hi-res display' do? You already have the phone display from your Android or i phone that reads out what the Echo is doing, and contains your list(s), and displays a running itemized dialog of what commands you give Echo, and it's response. So, for instance you have the grocery list to take to the store, or your schedule whenever you open the Echo app.
> 
> Why do you need a battery in it? It's not really conducive to carrying around. You have the phone for that anyway, as well as it's bluetooth remote with voice command you can use all over the house when you don't happen to be in the same room. And since it's connected to the Web by wi-fi, connection via cell phone network would just be redundant and/or slow down the device and/or both networks.
> 
> I suppose for the died-in-the-wool techie hobbyist, more personalization and configurability might be desireable, but for the vast majority of users, the ability to open the box, plug it in, have it recognize the user and do what it was designed to do without 'looking under the hood' is preferable. For those like you, there is a 'developers kit' (I got an invitation to do this once, and dismissed it) that you might sink your teeth into.
> 
> Other than the aforementioned audio-out jack- purely a nicety, not necessity, I find it pretty close to perfect as is.



  I absolutely understand your points.  For $199, it's fine as is.  A bargain, actually.  I'm after the "Echo Plus" at a higher price point.  Nothing says they can't market multiple devices at multiple price points, right?  Amazon is the pioneer in this market -- all I'm suggesting is that they not get complacent and that they continue to push the envelope.  Take the ball and run with it.      

  As I pointed out, I can already do most of what the Echo does with an Android device, OK Google, and a BT speaker.  I don't need more devices that have restricted or limited functionality.  This is precisely why I haven't bought one. 

  The Echo has the potential to further unify a lot of existing technology.  I think you might be grossly under-estimating the capability/utility/demand for such.  If folks could get their hands on a unified, voice activated, voice synthesized automation product with a friendly, easily customized user interface, they'd be all over it at a much higher price.  Folks currently pay $500-$750 for tablets and phones that do a fraction as much.  

  Home automation and connected devices aren't a pipe dream or of interest to "techies" only.  It's a huge potential market and it's coming.  10-20 years from now, home life will be completely different.   20 years ago did you think all-electric cars would be driving themselves?    

  I won't go into the gory details of why I think the Echo enhancements I mentioned would be useful.  But a lot of the reasons have come up in this thread, and they're relatively insignificant hardware cost adders.   The big challenge, as always, is the supporting software.


----------



## Elan

BTW, this is why I referenced using Echo to buy Amazon product:

  "Alexa, reorder Crest Toothpaste."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_left_v4_sib?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201807860

  "Alexa, buy Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_left_v4_sib?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201619480


----------



## Passepartout

I guess I forgot about those examples, Jim. Just one more of life's many temptations one can choose to ignore or use as they see fit. As I drive down the street, there's a used book store, several gas stations, florists, dentists, auto parts store, grocers, a K Mart, multiple car washes etc. etc. etc

Just because the capability exists to do commerce doesn't mean one HAS to do business with every one of them. The fact that I can have Echo place an order for me (if I have one-click-ordering turned on) is not of even enough interest to me to remember reading that it's a 'feature'.


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> I guess I forgot about those examples, Jim. Just one more of life's many temptations one can choose to ignore or use as they see fit. As I drive down the street, there's a used book store, several gas stations, florists, dentists, auto parts store, grocers, a K Mart, multiple car washes etc. etc. etc
> 
> Just because the capability exists to do commerce doesn't mean one HAS to do business with every one of them. The fact that I can have Echo place an order for me (if I have one-click-ordering turned on) is not of even enough interest to me to remember reading that it's a 'feature'.



  Sure. But what I was saying is that if the focus of future development is "How can we get people to buy more Amazon stuff with this thing?", and not "How can we make this thing way more useful so more people buy it?", then the latter will suffer, which would be unfortunate given Amazon's head start in the market.  That's what I meant by making Echo a "stand alone" consumer electronics product -- emphasizing functionality and minimizing the "buy from Amazon" factor.  

  Let's face it, if people had to list the top 20 things an Echo-like device should do, I don't think re-ordering Crest toothpaste from Amazon makes the cut.  And yet............


----------



## Passepartout

Elan said:


> Sure. But what I was saying is that if the focus of future development is "How can we get people to buy more Amazon stuff with this thing?", and not "How can we make this thing way more useful so more people buy it?", then the latter will suffer, which would be unfortunate given Amazon's head start in the market.  That's what I meant by making Echo a "stand alone" consumer electronics product -- emphasizing functionality and minimizing the "buy from Amazon" factor.
> 
> Let's face it, if people had to list the top 20 things an Echo-like device should do, I don't think re-ordering Crest toothpaste from Amazon makes the cut.  And yet............



OK, so I'm confused. You seem to be against the use of the device for commerce. Particularly commerce with the outfit that did (and continues to do) the research and development, and investment in the software and servers that make the genre work. 

Functionality will continue to increase- as it has almost weekly since before they started shipping them. Along with that will be the ability to do business with other entities- like they do now with Audible, Pandora, iheartradio and others. Bear in mind that Amazon is at it's heart a retailer. That they want to sell you that Crest toothpaste and keep you out of Albertson's may well be their underlying motive. No one is forcing you to purchase from them. It's just that 'convenience factor' you mentioned earlier.

If people list the 20 things they want to own a Chevrolet for, I suspect buying toothpaste isn't going to make that list either. That it will help people do so doesn't keep them from buying one.


----------



## Ken555

Elan said:


> Sure. But what I was saying is that if the focus of future development is "How can we get people to buy more Amazon stuff with this thing?", and not "How can we make this thing way more useful so more people buy it?", then the latter will suffer, which would be unfortunate given Amazon's head start in the market.




Amazon appears to have their products support each other, and I doubt that will change. I would like more integration with Echo and the Amazon ordering process. For instance, I would like Echo to announce when an order shipped, or when it is scheduled to be delivered, etc (this is available via multiple methods currently, so shouldn't be a big deal). It would be great to also handle the entire ordering process via Echo, though I'm not sure I'd do that very often - though examples have been made of ordering a specific item, and I could see myself do that. 

Based on the current price of Echo ($99/$199) I don't think there's any doubt this product is intended for those who already order from Amazon. I see it as yet another way for Amazon to tighten their grip on two+ of their prime markets - books, music, etc. 

I doubt we will see an enhanced version of Echo any time soon. 

As for better audio, I don't want an aux out. I want wifi/Bluetooth (wifi preferred) to stream to other devices, such as Roku. And really this just means allowing us to control our Amazon Prime music account via Echo while streaming from the existing Roku Amazon Prime app. Or similar. I could see this happening.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> OK, so I'm confused. You seem to be against the use of the device for commerce. Particularly commerce with the outfit that did (and continues to do) the research and development, and investment in the software and servers that make the genre work.
> 
> Functionality will continue to increase- as it has almost weekly since before they started shipping them. Along with that will be the ability to do business with other entities- like they do now with Audible, Pandora, iheartradio and others. Bear in mind that Amazon is at it's heart a retailer. That they want to sell you that Crest toothpaste and keep you out of Albertson's may well be their underlying motive. No one is forcing you to purchase from them. It's just that 'convenience factor' you mentioned earlier.
> 
> If people list the 20 things they want to own a Chevrolet for, I suspect buying toothpaste isn't going to make that list either. That it will help people do so doesn't keep them from buying one.



  I'm not sure where the confusion come from???  I've already said this a few times, but I'll say it again.  It's the *focus of the development group* that I'm referring to.  Joe Amazon Echo Programmer can spend the next 3 months getting the Echo to buy Gummy Bears from Amazon via voice command, or he can spend the next 3 months enhancing the UI.  He can't do both.  To me, one of these is a viable selling point.  The other, while nice, isn't.  But there are *finite resources* working on this thing, so make the right choice.  What's so confusing about that?      

My comments don't have anything to do with commerce directly.  I, probably much more than most, want Amazon to make a ton off the Echo.  I want them to do so by making a better version and selling it for higher prices with higher margins to a lot more people.  Perhaps even developing a full line of Echo connected home automation devices.  Not by trying to get me to buy Gummy Bears via voice command.  Why is that so confusing?  

  If the Fire Phone should have taught Amazon anything it's that consumers don't view the ability to quickly and easily order from Amazon to be much of a selling point.  And no, this isn't a razor & blade situation, because as you so astutely pointed out, in this case the razor works fine even if you never, ever buy a blade.


----------



## WinniWoman

FreeIn2010 said:


> I've had my Echo a few months now and I love it. The BEST undocumented feature in my opinion... it doesn't recognize my 3 year old granddaughter's voice at all... Otherwise I'd be listening to songs from Frozen and Beauty and the Beast! She's even tried to change her voice so it'll hear her.
> 
> Anyone else have a voice that Echo won't recognize?



She doesn't like my husband's Brooklyn accent! She can't understand him sometimes- the way he pronounces his words. LOL!


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> She doesn't like my husband's Brooklyn accent! She can't understand him sometimes- the way he pronounces his words. LOL!



I think there is a 'training' thingy in the Echo app that one can read certain words and train their Echo to understand the way they say them. I haven't used it, as my English is pretty much plain vanilla unaccented American English.


----------



## pgnewarkboy

*Audible Books*

Listening to audible books on the echo is great.  I can basically walk around much of my home and listen to a book.  At first, I had a glitch with syncing between my kindle fire and the echo.  I contacted Echo support and they fixed the issue.   Basically I can put down my audible e-book and resume listening on Echo without losing my place.  I can also stop listening on Echo and resume at the correct place in my e-book.  I really like this feature.


----------



## WinniWoman

Passepartout said:


> I think there is a 'training' thingy in the Echo app that one can read certain words and train their Echo to understand the way they say them. I haven't used it, as my English is pretty much plain vanilla unaccented American English.




Yes, you are right. I saw it. Only, hubby doesn't have a lot of patience for this kind of thing. I am going to have to persuade him.


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> Yes, you are right. I saw it. Only, hubby doesn't have a lot of patience for this kind of thing. I am going to have to persuade him.



His choice. He can either teach Echo how he pronounces command words, or ask you to do it for him. I suspect he'll come around in time, but it will have to seem like HIS idea.

Accents/dialects are funny things. We were recently in Northern Europe, and the Dutch, Danish and Swedish spoke darn near unaccented English. Easier to understand than the British or even Americans from the South or Brooklyn. Russians and Germans, not so much.


----------



## Ken555

Now available to all without an invite. $180


Sent from my iPad


----------



## RonB

Is anyone having trouble with the echo app? It works for a week or two for me, then won't open on my android phone. I have to delete it and reinstall it to get it to work ~ Ron


----------



## Passepartout

RonB said:


> Is anyone having trouble with the echo app? It works for a week or two for me, then won't open on my android phone. I have to delete it and reinstall it to get it to work ~ Ron



Mine is working fine, though I don't ask a lot of it. Have you called Amazon support? They are fast, friendly, and knowledgeable. I bet they can solve the problem in a flash. 

Look for 'Help' at the top of any page, and click telephone help, leave your number and they'll be calling almost before you click send. It's amazing.

Jim

'Course the problem might be with your phone, and Amazon might not be able to fix that.


----------



## RonB

Passepartout said:


> Mine is working fine, though I don't ask a lot of it. Have you called Amazon support? They are fast, friendly, and knowledgeable. I bet they can solve the problem in a flash.
> 
> Look for 'Help' at the top of any page, and click telephone help, leave your number and they'll be calling almost before you click send. It's amazing.
> 
> Jim



I did talk to Amazon the first time it stopped working and they told me what to do. I haven't spoken to anyone since ~ Ron


----------



## pittle

*After 2 weeks, I'm dissapointed.*

I bought Echo because I thought it would work as Bluetooth speakers for my laptop that has horrible speakers - I keep portables ones attached at all times.  Echo does not connect to a laptop like that so it is sitting on my desk and will get limited use because we are not music people.

It works great for a timer,  local weather, and to play Pandora or Clear Channel Radio but those features are not a huge deal for us.   We prefer the settings on our Boom Box for Clear Channel Talk Radio when we do turn on the radio.  Pandora works fine, but like I said, we do not listen to music very often.

I am a list maker, but tend to write on 3x5 cards, so that is not too enticing for me to send the list to my phone. I do have a smartphone and basically use it only when I need it.   Only immediate family members have my cell number because I do not want people calling or texting me all the time. My phone is in my purse, not on my body or counter top. A text can be on my phone for days before I see it. 

It is OK and I got it at the Prime Member price, so I just consider it as another technology thing that I have given a chance.    It is a pretty expensive timer (I have used that more than anything else).  I expected more and have been disappointed. 

I will keep checking out other features, but since it does not work with my laptop, I consider it a dud.


----------



## dlca1

I've been having a lot of fun with my Amazon Echo

I've connected it to my home automation system. I can tell it to turn off/on family room lights and turn off or/on TV

We play prime music for the toddlers. My two year old loves to ask, what song is this? Half the time I don't know. Now I just ask Alexa what is this song?

Haven't setup the shared todo list yet, but like that multiple people can add to the shared grocery list and view on phone while at the store

Sound quality is ok, not great. Good enough

I'm really impressed with the voice recognition. Works way better than my Apple Siri or voice recognition in the car.


----------



## RonB

RonB said:


> Is anyone having trouble with the echo app? It works for a week or two for me, then won't open on my android phone. I have to delete it and reinstall it to get it to work ~ Ron



I just got off the phone with an Amazon rep. They could not figure out why my app stops working repeatedly, so they will put the developers on it and get back to me...


----------



## Ken555

pittle said:


> I will keep checking out other features, but since it does not work with my laptop, I consider it a dud.




Perhaps I shouldn't ask, but I can't help myself.

Why did you think it would work as an external speaker for your laptop? Did you see this as an included feature for the device?

FYI, while there are excellent expensive speakers for computers, there are also quite decent units at very reasonable prices which are significantly less than the price of an Echo.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Ken555

I've connected my Echo to Evernote via IFTTT.com, and I'm now using my to do and shopping lists more often than previously. I found that I didn't use the Echo app, while I use Evernote frequently.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## WinniWoman

Ken555 said:


> I've connected my Echo to Evernote via IFTTT.com, and I'm now using my to do and shopping lists more often than previously. I found that I didn't use the Echo app, while I use Evernote frequently.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



What is this evernote? I was n IFTTT last night. I just want it to send me an email of my shopping list, but I would have to set up a GMAIL account. I don't know why I can't just have it sent to me current personal email account.

I am having a hard time grasping the whole IFTTH thing.


----------



## Ken555

mpumilia said:


> What is this evernote?



https://evernote.com/evernote/guide/web/



> I was n IFTTT last night. I just want it to send me an email of my shopping list, but I would have to set up a GMAIL account. I don't know why I can't just have it sent to me current personal email account.
> 
> 
> 
> I am having a hard time grasping the whole IFTTH thing.




https://ifttt.com/wtf

And no, you don't need gmail for this. It will send your Echo shopping list to any email address (and defaults to the email you used to setup IFTTT).


Sent from my iPad


----------



## pittle

Ken555 said:


> Perhaps I shouldn't ask, but I can't help myself.
> 
> Why did you think it would work as an external speaker for your laptop? Did you see this as an included feature for the device?
> 
> FYI, while there are excellent expensive speakers for computers, there are also quite decent units at very reasonable prices which are significantly less than the price of an Echo.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



I had asked earlier if they would connect to the computer and work as the axillary speakers and someone said they did not think it would be a problem.  Also, I have other things that connect via Bluetooth, so I thought it would.  I wish i could find speakers that worked with the Logitech unifying Nano receiver that I use for my mouse and keyboard.  That would solve the problem of cords.  For now, my inMotion speakers work fine, they just have a cord.


----------



## WinniWoman

Ken555 said:


> https://evernote.com/evernote/guide/web/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://ifttt.com/wtf
> 
> And no, you don't need gmail for this. It will send your Echo shopping list to any email address (and defaults to the email you used to setup IFTTT).
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



I can't see how to do it with the email. I am very challenged, I know.


----------



## Ken555

mpumilia said:


> I can't see how to do it with the email. I am very challenged, I know.




Try this:

1. Login to your account
2. Click "my recipes" at top of page and then "create recipe" on the following page
3. For "this" choose the "Amazon Alexa" channel
4. For "choose a trigger" select "Ask what's on your Shopping List" (you may choose a different trigger, but I think this is the most appropriate of the available options)
5. Click "create trigger"
6. For "that" type "mail" in the search box and select "Mail"
7. Choose "send me an email" as the action
8. On the next page, you may optionally edit the fields and/or just click "create action".
9. Review summary and recipe title and click "create recipe" (your email that is used for your IFTTT account will be entered by default, and I'm not sure if you may modify this).

That's it. Try it and let us know how it works for you!



Sent from my iPad


----------



## WinniWoman

Thanks Ken555!! It worked!! I have no idea what that all was, but it worked! Now I have to see about putting the app on my company smart phone. Right now I have it on my laptop. LOL!


----------



## Passepartout

pittle said:


> I had asked earlier if they would connect to the computer and work as the axillary speakers and someone said they did not think it would be a problem.  Also, I have other things that connect via Bluetooth, so I thought it would.  I wish i could find speakers that worked with the Logitech unifying Nano receiver that I use for my mouse and keyboard.  That would solve the problem of cords.  For now, my inMotion speakers work fine, they just have a cord.



I feel bad, because I think I told you, apparently erroneously, that you could (a) use your computer to control it, and (b) that it would work as a bluetooth auxiliary speaker. I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry. But since you bought it at the introductory Prime price, I'll bet it would sell for at least that $99 on eBay.

I hope you can find something that works better for you.


----------



## Ken555

Passepartout said:


> I feel bad, because I think I told you, apparently erroneously, that you could (a) use your computer to control it, and (b) that it would work as a bluetooth auxiliary speaker. I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry. But since you bought it at the introductory Prime price, I'll bet it would sell for at least that $99 on eBay.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope you can find something that works better for you.




Hey, if it's not wanted I'd be happy to buy it for $99. I need one to give to a family member... 


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Ken555

mpumilia said:


> Thanks Ken555!! It worked!! I have no idea what that all was, but it worked! Now I have to see about putting the app on my company smart phone. Right now I have it on my laptop. LOL!




Congrats. This really isn't that hard to do, as you can see. This app doesn't require your phone to work at all, though you can do more with the associated apps if you want.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Sandy

*dialing phone?*

I have read through all of the comments, and some of the reviews on Amazon. I did not see an answer, so it may not work. I thought I would give it a shot here: 

My DH is legally blind and cannot dial the phone or call me when I am out. Will the Echo dial a number on our house phone? I read somewhere that it calls 911 (I think) so I wonder about other numbers.

thanks


----------



## Passepartout

Sandy said:


> I have read through all of the comments, and some of the reviews on Amazon. I did not see an answer, so it may not work. I thought I would give it a shot here:
> 
> My DH is legally blind and cannot dial the phone or call me when I am out. Will the Echo dial a number on our house phone? I read somewhere that it calls 911 (I think) so I wonder about other numbers.
> 
> thanks



I don't think so. I haven't seen any interface for a 'standard' phone. Perhaps he could use a cell phone with a digital 'assistant'. For instance, on my Windows Phone, I just touch the lower right corner to access Cortana, and say, Cortana, Call my Wife (she knows who my wife is), or (anyone in your phone book list) She can also look up unknown numbers and call or text them. Siri, on iOS phones would work similarly, and there's a digital assistant on Android phones as well.

But I don't think Echo is your solution for this.


----------



## Sandy

Passepartout said:


> I don't think so. I haven't seen any interface for a 'standard' phone. Perhaps he could use a cell phone with a digital 'assistant'. For instance, on my Windows Phone, I just touch the lower right corner to access Cortana, and say, Cortana, Call my Wife (she knows who my wife is), or (anyone in your phone book list) She can also look up unknown numbers and call or text them. Siri, on iOS phones would work similarly, and there's a digital assistant on Android phones as well.
> 
> But I don't think Echo is your solution for this.



Thanks for getting back so quickly.  I appreciate the suggestions. I will look into this solution. My problem is that my DH cannot even see well enough to touch the parts of the phone you mention.  Although we haven't tried this yet, it might work with a little practice. I would have to buy another cell phone for him to use for this purpose.  I will look into it. 

It is a difficult situation for someone who loses sight late in life, as opposed to a person who was visually impaired throughout life. That person has learned to adapt to their world and manipulate things around, including braille. For my DH, this is all a struggle as the late-in-life disability comes. 

I was hopeful that the voice activation would be a feature for phones. Perhaps it will come.


----------



## pittle

Passepartout said:


> I feel bad, because I think I told you, apparently erroneously, that you could (a) use your computer to control it, and (b) that it would work as a bluetooth auxiliary speaker. I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry. But since you bought it at the introductory Prime price, I'll bet it would sell for at least that $99 on eBay.
> 
> I hope you can find something that works better for you.



Don't feel bad.  It works like it is supposed to, just not like I wanted it to.  I may move it to the kitchen where I can easily use it for a timer for the dryer and oven.  Both of those only beep once and I seldom hear it.  I will explore some of the other features like the recipes. 

I have spent $100 or more on lots other things that did not work out like I wanted - much more than that if you count any timeshare we bought from the developer! :ignore:


----------



## Elan

Sandy said:


> Thanks for getting back so quickly.  I appreciate the suggestions. I will look into this solution. My problem is that my DH cannot even see well enough to touch the parts of the phone you mention.  Although we haven't tried this yet, it might work with a little practice. I would have to buy another cell phone for him to use for this purpose.  I will look into it.
> 
> It is a difficult situation for someone who loses sight late in life, as opposed to a person who was visually impaired throughout life. That person has learned to adapt to their world and manipulate things around, including braille. For my DH, this is all a struggle as the late-in-life disability comes.
> 
> I was hopeful that the voice activation would be a feature for phones. Perhaps it will come.



  Firstly, sorry for your husband's difficulties.  I can't even imagine.

  Although I agree with Jim's assessment that the Echo won't work, there are voice activated dialers for landlines that are designed with the visually impaired in mind.  I know nothing about how well they work, but you might want to look into them.  

  As far as seeing a cell phone, with an Android device that's not necessary.  Just say "OK, Google" then say "Call Sandy Work" or "Call Sandy Mobile" and the phone will dial your number.  If the cell phone was set up to be in a fixed location on a charger and configured to speaker mode, I think it would be a decent solution.   As you mentioned, you'd have to get a phone and a cell plan.


----------



## hypnotiq

everyone. Sorry I've been busy w/GA launch of Echo. 

I'm happy to see this thread keeps going and going. 

Can't wait to see everyone's reaction to the new stuff coming to Echo soon. 




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Elan

This is the best news regarding the Echo so far:

*Amazon?s Alexa voice assistant becomes a platform with dev tools, third-party hardware support*

http://liliputing.com/2015/06/amazons-alexa-voice-assistant-becomes-a-platform.html


----------



## MULTIZ321

Elan said:


> Firstly, sorry for your husband's difficulties.  I can't even imagine.
> 
> Although I agree with Jim's assessment that the Echo won't work, there are voice activated dialers for landlines that are designed with the visually impaired in mind.  I know nothing about how well they work, but you might want to look into them.
> 
> As far as seeing a cell phone, with an Android device that's not necessary.  Just say "OK, Google" then say "Call Sandy Work" or "Call Sandy Mobile" and the phone will dial your number.  If the cell phone was set up to be in a fixed location on a charger and configured to speaker mode, I think it would be a decent solution.   As you mentioned, you'd have to get a phone and a cell plan.



Elan's advice is spot on. If you do a Google Search on 'voice-activated dialers for land-line phones' , you'll come up with several choices.

Also, I suggest checking out www.lighthouse.org for services and technologies that are available for individuals with low-vision and/or legally blind.  Perhaps there's a local Lighthouse Chapter in the area where you live.

Also, you might want to contact the Ophthalmology Department of a local major hospital and ask if they have a vision specialist who coordinates services and equipment availalbe for vision-impaired individuals.  In addition to phone services, a talking book program comes to mind. Your husband would potentially qualify for free equipment and books through this program.

Good luck.


Richard


----------



## Jestjoan

*Echo Review from Fortune*

http://fortune.com/2015/06/23/amazon-echo-review/


----------



## Passepartout

Jestjoan said:


> http://fortune.com/2015/06/23/amazon-echo-review/



Good article for those 'on the fence' about what Echo can do in their home.

*Added*: I found it interesting that though the original price of $199.99 and $99.99 for Prime Members, and the current price of $179.99, The linked article says that doesn't include a remote. Feeling smug to have gotten mine back in February for $99 and including the bluetooth remote.


----------



## Ken555

Passepartout said:


> Good article for those 'on the fence' about what Echo can do in their home.
> 
> *Added*: I found it interesting that though the original price of $199.99 and $99.99 for Prime Members, and the current price of $179.99, The linked article says that doesn't include a remote. Feeling smug to have gotten mine back in February for $99 and including the bluetooth remote.




Do you use the remote? I haven't touched mine since the day I installed my Echo.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Passepartout

Ken555 said:


> Do you use the remote? I haven't touched mine since the day I installed my Echo.



Mine is still encased in it's little plastic zip-loc- Oops, it's the magnetic mount. The remote is attached. I'm a good little instruction follower. The quick setup guide said to install the included batteries. So I did. At least they won't get lost.


----------



## WinniWoman

hypnotiq said:


> everyone. Sorry I've been busy w/GA launch of Echo.
> 
> I'm happy to see this thread keeps going and going.
> 
> Can't wait to see everyone's reaction to the new stuff coming to Echo soon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Why does Alexa wake up and start talking even though we haven't called her name? Even if we have the TV on, her name is not mentioned, yet she comes on and starts talking sometimes!


----------



## WinniWoman

Ken555 said:


> Do you use the remote? I haven't touched mine since the day I installed my Echo.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



I never used the remote. I am not sure what I would need it for. You wouldn't here Alexa talk if you are that far away.


----------



## GrayFal

mpumilia said:


> I never used the remote. I am not sure what I would need it for. You wouldn't here Alexa talk if you are that far away.



I live in an older home that does not have an open floor plan.  I can hear Alexa in LR,DR & Kitchen but there are walls in between the rooms, I have the remote in the kitchen and use it by pushing the button and speaking just as if I was in the other room. 
I find if I try to command from the kitchen, Alexa does not always hear me clearly especially if there are people in there talking,  if I speak into the remote, no problem. 
I also take the remote to the back yard as Alexa is by a window and can be heard outside, but again, there is "stuff" in between me and Alexa.  I would rather just speak into the remote then use the app on my phone.


----------



## GrayFal

mpumilia said:


> Why does Alexa wake up and start talking even though we haven't called her name? Even if we have the TV on, her name is not mentioned, yet she comes on and starts talking sometimes!



We recently had two power outages a day apart that lasted maybe 30 seconds. When the power comes back on, Alexa tells us there is a problem with the Internet connection.  That is the only time I have had it speak without being asked a question.


----------



## Elan

Similar Sony product that will make/receive calls:

http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/accessories/smart-bluetooth-speaker-bsp60/#tabs


----------



## WinniWoman

GrayFal said:


> We recently had two power outages a day apart that lasted maybe 30 seconds. When the power comes back on, Alexa tells us there is a problem with the Internet connection.  That is the only time I have had it speak without being asked a question.



That's funny, because I turn down the power every single day- the power strip- and when I turn it back on she just says "hello"


----------



## hypnotiq

mpumilia said:


> That's funny, because I turn down the power every single day- the power strip- and when I turn it back on she just says "hello"




That's because with a power outage it takes longer for the modem + router longer to come online than Alexa, so it initially doesn't detect an Internet connection.

When toggling a power strip on that turns Alexa on and Internet was already online, you won't experience same issue. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## WinniWoman

hypnotiq said:


> That's because with a power outage it takes longer for the modem + router longer to come online than Alexa, so it initially doesn't detect an Internet connection.
> 
> When toggling a power strip on that turns Alexa on and Internet was already online, you won't experience same issue.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Oh, right! That makes sense. Silly me! Thanks!


----------



## DavidnRobin

Ken - So... this is interesting. Just received ECHO before our StJ trip. Upon returning, my work computer (MacPro) lost the functionality to have a single-click (basic function).  However, the single-click function worked fine while at work.  CIT was stumped after attempting to fix.

They suggested I turnoff BlueTooth while at home and see what happens, and that fixed it.  After a bit of investigation (and sucks not to have BT since it operates mouse/pad) - turns out it was ECHO - turned ECHO off with BT on, and issue went away... now that is crazy.


----------



## Passepartout

DavidnRobin said:


> They suggested I turnoff BlueTooth while at home and see what happens, and that fixed it.  After a bit of investigation (and sucks not to have BT since it operates mouse/pad) - turns out it was ECHO - turned ECHO off with BT on, and issue went away... now that is crazy.



I wonder if this is a known bug. Call Echo Support and explain it to them. It shouldn't work that way.


----------



## Ken555

DavidnRobin said:


> Ken - So... this is interesting. Just received ECHO before our StJ trip. Upon returning, my work computer (MacPro) lost the functionality to have a single-click (basic function).  However, the single-click function worked fine while at work.  CIT was stumped after attempting to fix.
> 
> They suggested I turnoff BlueTooth while at home and see what happens, and that fixed it.  After a bit of investigation (and sucks not to have BT since it operates mouse/pad) - turns out it was ECHO - turned ECHO off with BT on, and issue went away... now that is crazy.




Good question. I haven't paired my Mac with my Echo though will try it when I get home next week (in Portland for the 100+F temp and other fun activities, including a college reunion...). I suspect the Echo is classified as an input device on the Mac, so the Mac is confused which to use, which to listen to, etc. There are lots of threads online at Amazon about Bluetooth connectivity in general though I wasn't able to quickly find a relevant answer to this issue. 

I'm curious, though, what use have you found for connecting the Echo to your Mac via Bluetooth?


Sent from my iPad


----------



## DavidnRobin

Ken555 said:


> Good question. I haven't paired my Mac with my Echo though will try it when I get home next week (in Portland for the 100+F temp and other fun activities, including a college reunion...). I suspect the Echo is classified as an input device on the Mac, so the Mac is confused which to use, which to listen to, etc. There are lots of threads online at Amazon about Bluetooth connectivity in general though I wasn't able to quickly find a relevant answer to this issue.
> 
> I'm curious, though, what use have you found for connecting the Echo to your Mac via Bluetooth?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Weird thing is that this MacPro (work) was never paired (or setup) with Echo. Our other MacPro (home) seems unaffected - this one was used to setup Echo.

Perhaps it was a fluke.  I will recheck when I get a chance.  CIT was aware of a single-click function failure on work MacPros that are suppose to be fixed with a PRAM reboot (I think that is what they called it) - it did not work with mine.


----------



## riverdees05

Does anyone have two echos at their house?  If so, how does that work?


----------



## Passepartout

riverdees05 said:


> Does *anyone* have two echos at their house?  If so, how does that work?



I suppose someone, somewhere has put up a second one. Amazon has just started taking orders for a second one from original owners. The second ones are supposed to ship July 14th. Bear in mind, though that each one would have to have it's own unique IP address. It would be difficult if not impossible to set up using just one internet connection and Amazon account.


----------



## riverdees05

Hadn't thought of that, I was thinking of getting a unit for upstairs and downstairs, but guess I will just stick with one.


----------



## Ken555

Passepartout said:


> It would be difficult if not impossible to set up using just one internet connection and Amazon account.




Why would you think this?




Sent from my iPad


----------



## Elan

I'm pretty sure one can "name" each Echo.  So I don't see any reason a household couldn't have multiple units.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## hypnotiq

Elan is correct. You can easily have more than 1, it's not a problem. You can edit the name of each Echo in the Companion App on your phone or tablet, or from http://echo.amazon.com

I currently have 3 setup throughout my house.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Passepartout

OK. There ya go. I stand corrected. Put them all over so you (and they) won't get lonesome. Maybe they can tell jokes to each other.


----------



## MULTIZ321

The Amazon Echo: Everything You Might Not Know - by Walt Mossberg/ recode.net

"Next week, Amazon will start widely shipping its most unusual and intriguing hardware device since the Kindle: The Echo, a slender, nine-inch-tall cylinder built to respond to voice commands ranging from “What’s the weather in Hong Kong?” to “How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?” to “Play ‘Fire and Rain’ by James Taylor.”

The Echo isn’t exactly new. Selected Amazon customers have been able to get it by invitation-only since last November. Re/code’s Joe Brown penned a lyrical review of the unusual gadget, which responds to the name “Alexa,” back in February. (You can change the trigger word to “Amazon” if you like.)

But now that it’s in general release, the Echo is going to be in the hands of many, many more people, starting in about a week. And since the early units went out and the first reviews were written, Amazon has added some features. I’ve been testing it lately to see what new Echo owners will encounter.

Here’s a quick user guide to the Echo, including what it does well, what it doesn’t, and a few tips and tricks that Amazon doesn’t make obvious..."





The Echo can live on your kitchen counter.  Walt Mossberg


Richard


----------



## Jestjoan

*Remote*

It is a separate purchase now......


----------



## Passepartout

Jestjoan said:


> [*remote*]It is a separate purchase now......



Right. But the price is $20 less than when the remote control was included. If you want a remote, it's available. Amazon simply found that the majority of users didn't use it. I don't.


----------



## Elan

MULTIZ321 said:


> The Amazon Echo: Everything You Might Not Know - by Walt Mossberg/ recode.net
> 
> "Next week, Amazon will start widely shipping its most unusual and intriguing hardware device since the Kindle: The Echo, a slender, nine-inch-tall cylinder built to respond to voice commands ranging from “What’s the weather in Hong Kong?” to “How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?” to “Play ‘Fire and Rain’ by James Taylor.”
> 
> The Echo isn’t exactly new. Selected Amazon customers have been able to get it by invitation-only since last November. Re/code’s Joe Brown penned a lyrical review of the unusual gadget, which responds to the name “Alexa,” back in February. (You can change the trigger word to “Amazon” if you like.)
> 
> But now that it’s in general release, the Echo is going to be in the hands of many, many more people, starting in about a week. And since the early units went out and the first reviews were written, Amazon has added some features. I’ve been testing it lately to see what new Echo owners will encounter.
> 
> Here’s a quick user guide to the Echo, including what it does well, what it doesn’t, and a few tips and tricks that Amazon doesn’t make obvious..."
> 
> 
> The Echo can live on your kitchen counter.  Walt Mossberg
> 
> 
> Richard



  Thanks for posting, but that was a typically useless review from Mossberg.  Didn't really give much insight that isn't available from simply reading the Echo page on Amazon.


----------



## Ken555

Elan said:


> Thanks for posting, but that was a typically useless review from Mossberg.  Didn't really give much insight that isn't available from simply reading the Echo page on Amazon.




Yeah, no kidding. Remember when Walt's opinions were relevant and interesting?


Sent from my iPad


----------



## riverdees05

I asssume you can put the Companion App on more than one smart phone?  Haven't tried it yet, thought I would ask first.


----------



## hypnotiq

riverdees05 said:


> I asssume you can put the Companion App on more than one smart phone?  Haven't tried it yet, thought I would ask first.



Yes, you can absolutely do this.

You can also access the Companion App from http://echo.amazon.com from your desktop browser.


----------



## hypnotiq

Big announcement from my team today for those of you that enjoy home automation. 

*Your Amazon Echo: New Voice-Controlled Lights and Switches with Wink*







> Your Amazon Echo: New Voice-Controlled Lights and Switches with Wink
> 
> You can now control even more connected home devices with your voice using Amazon Echo. In addition to controlling lights and switches from Belkin WeMo and Philips Hue, Echo now supports Wink.
> 
> Wink is a home automation hub that allows you to control devices in your home. Today, we're introducing support for Wink compatible devices from GE, Leviton, and Lutron—with even more coming soon.
> 
> To get started, setup your Wink HUB and compatible devices, then connect Echo to your Wink HUB in the Echo App. Once this is complete, simply say, "Alexa, discover my devices." After
> Echo's confirmation, just ask:
> 
> "Alexa, turn on the stereo"
> 
> "Alexa, turn on the office light"
> 
> "Alexa, turn off the fan"
> 
> "Alexa, turn off the outdoor decorations"
> 
> Echo supports these Wink compatible products:
> 
> Leviton's Decora Plug-In Appliance Control switch
> 
> Lutron's Caseta Plug-In Lamp Dimmer
> 
> Select GE LED lights
> A full list of Echo compatible devices from Belkin WeMo, Philips Hue, GE, Lutron, Leviton, and more can be found here.



Enjoy! 
-Nico


----------



## dlca1

Hey hypnotiq

Congrats on the echo. I've seen your other posts over the years about trading SDO, etc.. Cool to see somebody on Tug working on such cool technology.

Love our Echo so much, I got a second one.  Have it hooked up to my micasaverde vera and can use Echo to turn on tv, lights, etc. I usually prefer Apple products, but voice-recognition on my Echo kicks butt over Apple Siri (or voice recognition in my car)

Cheers
dlca1









hypnotiq said:


> Big announcement from my team today for those of you that enjoy home automation.
> 
> *Your Amazon Echo: New Voice-Controlled Lights and Switches with Wink*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Enjoy!
> -Nico


----------



## dlca1

riverdees05 said:


> Does anyone have two echos at their house?  If so, how does that work?



I have two echos. Works great. One upstairs, one downstairs. Initially, the one upstairs would sometimes hear my commands for the downstairs echo.

Right now, there are only two available names/wakeup words. Alexa and Amazon. I setup one for Amazon and the other for Alexa.  Everything works great. The app sees both devices, so you can set basic settings for each device separately. They go to a shared todo list.


----------



## Glynda

*Spelling*

My husband must ask me how to spell words ten times a day.  The man just can't spell. Will Alexa spell a word for him?  It would be worth it if for nothing else!  :annoyed:


----------



## hypnotiq

Glynda said:


> My husband must ask me how to spell words ten times a day.  The man just can't spell. Will Alexa spell a word for him?  It would be worth it if for nothing else!  :annoyed:




Yes she can.

"Alexa, how do you spell kitchen"

Kitchen is spelled k-i-t-c-h-e-n.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon Looks to Decouple Alexa from Echo - by David Murphy/ pcmag.com

"Amazon is now allowing other hardware makers to integrate Alexa into their own (microphone-equipped) devices..."







Richard


----------



## Passepartout

You can now use multiple alarms/timers. "Alexa, set a timer for 30 minutes", "Alexa, set a second timer for 1 hour." Or "Alexa, set an alarm for 6:30 a.m.", and "Alexa, set another alarm for 7:00 a.m."

I still enjoy Echo. It has become a far more capable device in the 6 months we've had it, and will continue to grow in usefulness. We barely use it's functions, not having any home automation hardware, but it's a handy family member.

Jim


----------



## hypnotiq

The Amazon Echo keeps getting smarter, as promised.



> On Friday, Amazon Echo gained new smarthome product integrations as well as an early look at a trio of third-party apps. These are dubbed Alexa's "Skills" and can be enabled through the Amazon Echo companion app.
> 
> StubHub is the first big name under Skills. I enabled the feature on my my Echo and Alexa asked me to set a home city. I told her to use Philadelphia since that's the closest big town around me. Now, when asking "Alexa, ask StubHub what is happening this weekend?" she tells me about different activities taking place nearby.



And more stuff coming out form my team. 



> Alexa now works with Levitron, Lightify and Cree smarthome products, too.
> 
> On the smarthome front, both Leviton and Lightify products work with the Echo when paired with a Wink hub. I don't have any products from those brands yet, but I'm thrilled with how simple it was to add connected light bulb controls to the Echo with Wink.


----------



## ace2000

I'd be curious to know how the sales of Amazon Echo have been going, especially since they stop requiring the invitation?  I'm still amazed that Amazon was able to beat Apple and Google to the market with a device similar to this.  

Anyway, good luck to you hypnotiq, and thanks for the updates!


----------



## Passepartout

ace2000 said:


> I'd be curious to know how the sales of Amazon Echo have been going, especially since they stop requiring the invitation?  I'm still amazed that Amazon was able to beat Apple and Google to the market with a device similar to this.



(One) I don't think you're ever gonna see sales figures on ANY proprietary Amazon product. That's for them to know and us to never find out.

And (two) Apple has Siri, Google has Voice, and Microsoft has Cortana. They all had (have) different visions of what kind of personal assistant people would want. Amazon differs because they have an enormous amount of digital entertainment content that the others you mentioned simply don't have. There is nothing to stop any of the 3 from developing a voice controlled device, but where would they get the music? (Amazon Prime), or books? (Audible), plus an already assembled and paying subscriber base. Amazon, Cortana, and Siri already get much of their information from Wikipedia and Bing, but the thing that separates Echo from the rest is access to Amazon's entertainment library.


----------



## ace2000

Passepartout said:


> (One) I don't think you're ever gonna see sales figures on ANY proprietary Amazon product. That's for them to know and us to never find out.
> 
> And (two) Apple has Siri, Google has Voice, and Microsoft has Cortana. They all had (have) different visions of what kind of personal assistant people would want. Amazon differs because they have an enormous amount of digital entertainment content that the others you mentioned simply don't have. There is nothing to stop any of the 3 from developing a voice controlled device, but where would they get the music? (Amazon Prime), or books? (Audible), plus an already assembled and paying subscriber base. Amazon, Cortana, and Siri already get much of their information from Wikipedia and Bing, but the thing that separates Echo from the rest is access to Amazon's entertainment library.



I disagree completely.  Amazon is a public company and is accountable to the shareholders.  They'll provide sales data on  the Echo product, you can be sure of that.

And if Echo even appears to be remotely successful, I'm willing to bet Google (and Apple) jump into this market with both feet!  Have you ever noticed the digital entertainment library of Apple (or Google)?


----------



## Passepartout

Never mind


----------



## Patri

Some day you are all going to be sorry you invited Alexa into your house. She knows more than she is saying, and she is telling someone else!


----------



## theo

*Already sorry...*



Patri said:


> Some day you are all going to be sorry you invited Alexa into your house. *She knows more than she is saying*, and she is telling someone else!



I for one sincerely hope that Alexa knows a *lot* more than she is saying. I've grown weary of her most frequent reply of "I don't have the answer to that question". 
The Echo was an impulse purchase when I got the "invitation" some months back. I now wish that I'd just declined the invitation and instead RSVP'd "with regrets".

Looking at some of the above posted photos, I'll note that my Echo is also situated right beside the toaster on our kitchen counter. Maybe at our house the two devices have simply decided between themselves that they don't like my attitude and, as a result, just aren't going to share anything useful or interesting with me. 
I suspect that Alexa has even turned the toaster against me --- for calling her a dummy under my breath; the toaster now burns my toast even at a "low" setting.


----------



## Passepartout

theo said:


> I for one sincerely hope that Alexa knows a lot more than she is saying. I've grown weary of her most frequent reply of "I don't have the answer to that question".
> The Echo was an impulse purchase when I got the "invitation" some months back. I now wish that I'd just declined the invitation and instead RSVP'd "with regrets".



Looking at eBay completed auctions, there are tons of them. New in box, they seem to go for $200, and used ones go for around $150, so if you are really unhappy, you can recoup most of your cost. In fact if you got yours for the initial $99 price and it has the remote (new ones ship without it), you can make a tidy profit for the experience.

Jim


----------



## PStreet1

In answer to the question about having two, we do, and some of our friends do also.  We've used them both in the house and avoided having to move Alexa, but now we have one in one house and one in the other.


----------



## theo

Passepartout said:


> Looking at eBay completed auctions, there are tons of them. New in box, they seem to go for $200, and used ones go for around $150, so if you are really unhappy, you can recoup most of your cost. In fact if you got yours for the initial $99 price and it has the remote (new ones ship without it), you can make a tidy profit for the experience.
> 
> Jim



Thanks, Jim, but I'm going to keep it. Alexa does actually know enough answers about *some* things to retain her place beside her quieter buddy (BFF?) the toaster.


----------



## Passepartout

theo said:


> Thanks, Jim, but I'm going to keep it. Alexa does actually know enough answers about *some* things to retain her place beside her quieter buddy (BFF?) the toaster.



Theo, I sort of understand what you're saying about it's question answering capability. I don't use it much (I already know everything _important_ anyway), and use Echo mainly for music/NPR talk programing during the day. 'She's good company, and occasionally answers me. The dog doesn't and just stares at me. And Alexa doesn't need to be taken for walks.


----------



## hypnotiq

theo said:


> to retain her place beside her quieter buddy (BFF?) the toaster.







Passepartout said:


> 'She's good company, and occasionally answers me. The dog doesn't and just stares at me. And Alexa doesn't need to be taken for walks.








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## theo

Passepartout said:


> Theo, I sort of understand what you're saying about it's question answering capability. I don't use it much (I already know everything _important_ anyway), and use Echo mainly for music/NPR talk programing during the day. 'She's good company, and occasionally answers me. The dog doesn't and just stares at me. And Alexa doesn't need to be taken for walks.



Good and valid points, but in support of the canine advantage over Alexa here, with proper attribution I'll take the liberty of quoting Dave Barry:

"*You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, 'My God, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would have thought of that*'."

I submit that this is a more gratifying response than Alexa's unenthusiastic (even if audible) "I don't have the answer to that question".


----------



## Ken555

theo said:


> Good and valid points, but in support of the canine advantage over Alexa here, with proper attribution I'll take the liberty of quoting Dave Barry:
> 
> "*You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, 'My God, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would have thought of that*'."
> 
> I submit that this is a more gratifying response than Alexa's unenthusiastic (even if audible) "I don't have the answer to that question".




I'm sure you'll soon be able to customize that message to, perhaps, a dog whine... 


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Ken555

hypnotiq said:


> The Amazon Echo keeps getting smarter, as promised.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And more stuff coming out form my team.




This might need a separate thread, but I've slowly been looking into smart lights (for lack of a better term) again and not sure which is best for me. I'd rather not spend many hundreds, but like the idea of a color selection other than white, and which I'd prefer work with one of my existing systems: smartthings or nest. I've successfully used ifttt to connect those two systems together for certain tasks, but would prefer not to buy yet another like wink, though will if needed. Also, I believe smartthings will be supporting apple's system (which is interesting since smartthings is owned by Samsung now). I may just keep delaying this purchase as there seems to be constant change in this market and I'm not sure we know which system will be best for the next few years...and I don't want to buy new lights every year.

Still, I like the idea of simply telling Alexa to turn on the lights (which, fwiw, has been possible with ifttt for some months now, I believe).


Sent from my iPad


----------



## hypnotiq

Ken555 said:


> This might need a separate thread, but I've slowly been looking into smart lights (for lack of a better term) again and not sure which is best for me. I'd rather not spend many hundreds, but like the idea of a color selection other than white, and which I'd prefer work with one of my existing systems: smartthings or nest. I've successfully used ifttt to connect those two systems together for certain tasks, but would prefer not to buy yet another like wink, though will if needed. Also, I believe smartthings will be supporting apple's system (which is interesting since smartthings is owned by Samsung now). I may just keep delaying this purchase as there seems to be constant change in this market and I'm not sure we know which system will be best for the next few years...and I don't want to buy new lights every year.
> 
> Still, I like the idea of simply telling Alexa to turn on the lights (which, fwiw, has been possible with ifttt for some months now, I believe).
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



This is why I was waiting to respond to your post last week...   New stuff from my team...



> *Your Amazon Echo: Introducing Samsung SmartThings and New Skills to Try*
> You can now control even more connected home devices with your voice using Amazon Echo. In addition to controlling lights and switches from Belkin WeMo, Philips Hue, and Wink, Echo now supports Samsung SmartThings—including the new Samsung SmartThings Hub, the SmartThings Outlet, and the Lightify Smart Connected LED. A full list of Echo compatible devices can be found here.
> To get started with SmartThings, connect your devices to your home Wi-Fi and name them in their respective app. Then say, "Alexa, discover my appliances." After Echo's confirmation, just ask:
> •	"Alexa, turn on the television."
> •	"Alexa, turn on the stereo."
> •	"Alexa, turn off the lamp."
> •	"Alexa, turn on the porch light."
> Last week, we gave you an early look at a few third-party Alexa skills, including StubHub and Crystal Ball. Thanks @CariAL88 for showing us how you used Crystal Ball. This week, we have a few more skills for you to try. If you love playing games, you can try Bingo. If you're a cat lover, you might enjoy Cat Facts.
> 
> To use any of these new skills, you will need to enable them in the Alexa App. Simply open the app and tap on "Skills" in the menu, and then press "Enable" for the skill you want to use.
> 
> We look forward to your feedback via the Alexa App and on social media (#AmazonEcho). Missed any of our previous updates for Echo? You can always ask "Alexa, do you have any new features?", read what's new, and follow us on Twitter at @AmazonEcho.



And for the geeks out there that want to play with API's, we launched this today as well... 



> *Introducing the New Alexa Lighting API*
> https://developer.amazon.com/public...8GWHAY/Introducing-the-New-Alexa-Lighting-API


----------



## Ken555

hypnotiq said:


> This is why I was waiting to respond to your post last week...   New stuff from my team...
> 
> 
> 
> And for the geeks out there that want to play with API's, we launched this today as well...




Saw the email, looks great. At this rate you'll have it cleaning the kitchen by next year, right? (ie. control my roomba!) 


Sent from my iPad


----------



## WinniWoman

I have a hard time getting Echo to play the music I want her to play- either my downloaded songs or my Amazon prime music streaming. She doesn't seem to be able to play by song title but mostly by artist. So I can't just request to hear a particular song. She does shuffle music by an artist, but I can't ask for particular songs. 

This is also problematic for things like a sound effects album. For example, I have a Guard Dog 1 hour album on my Prime Streaming music list. The name of it- the album- is Guard Dog. (It is of barking and growling dogs- a burglar deterrent) Under artist it is listed as "Sound Effects". No matter how I request she play it, she gets it wrong. Not sure what I am doing wrong.


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon Echo Speaker Plays Music From Multiple Accounts - by Jon Fingas/ engadget.com

"Amazon's Echo speaker has been fine for playing music and audiobooks so far... unless you live in a household with more than one Amazon user, at which point it just gets messy. That won't be a problem any longer, though: Amazon has added support for multiple accounts,..."







Richard


----------



## RonB

*echo app unreliable*

I have given up on using the echo app for a shopping list. It has not loaded, or loaded a blank page too many times. And those times are when in the store ready to use the shopping list.  It's not so bad if there are only a few items on the list, but for a "major" list, I can't remember everything. If you luck is like mine, it's the most important things Your forget... :annoyed: 

I did report it and they said they would work on it. We exchanged a number of emails and it worked for four or five weeks, but it just isn't worth the effort any more ~ Ron


----------



## hypnotiq

RonB said:


> I have given up on using the echo app for a shopping list. It has not loaded, or loaded a blank page too many times. And those times are when in the store ready to use the shopping list.  It's not so bad if there are only a few items on the list, but for a "major" list, I can't remember everything. If you luck is like mine, it's the most important things Your forget... :annoyed:
> 
> 
> 
> I did report it and they said they would work on it. We exchanged a number of emails and it worked for four or five weeks, but it just isn't worth the effort any more ~ Ron




Can you PM me your info so I can look into this? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Ken555

RonB said:


> I have given up on using the echo app for a shopping list. It has not loaded, or loaded a blank page too many times. And those times are when in the store ready to use the shopping list.  It's not so bad if there are only a few items on the list, but for a "major" list, I can't remember everything. If you luck is like mine, it's the most important things Your forget... :annoyed:
> 
> 
> 
> I did report it and they said they would work on it. We exchanged a number of emails and it worked for four or five weeks, but it just isn't worth the effort any more ~ Ron




Try the connection to Evernote I mentioned earlier and see if that's better. The Evernote app is rock solid.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## hypnotiq

For those that haven't seen it yet...Alexa comes to FireTV. 

*Amazon's answer to Apple TV: a Fire TV box with Alexa and 4K video support*

http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/17/9340431/new-amazon-fire-tv-update-price-release-date


----------



## pgnewarkboy

Sirius/XM internet music service would be great on Echo.  How do I get this across to Amazon?


----------



## hypnotiq

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile, we've been busy  This should make some of you happy...

Two new Alexa devices... 

http://gizmodo.com/amazon-echosbrain-is-finally-in-gadgets-i-want-to-use-1762452486

Also, launching more thermostat support on Alexa... 

http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/3/11148624/amazon-alexa-nest-honeywell-thermostat-control


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Passepartout

Pretty cool Nico!
I have kind-of wondering how I would have a 'portable' Echo for travel or the second home. Looks like A-Z is ahead of me. I'm installing broadband there tomorrow along with Fire TV, which already has Alexa, so I'll wait a while to see if a hockey puck is needed.

Welcome back..... Don't be a stranger.

Jim


----------



## Ken555

hypnotiq said:


> Sorry I've been MIA for awhile, we've been busy  This should make some of you happy...
> 
> Two new Alexa devices...
> 
> http://gizmodo.com/amazon-echosbrain-is-finally-in-gadgets-i-want-to-use-1762452486
> 
> Also, launching more thermostat support on Alexa...
> 
> http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/3/11148624/amazon-alexa-nest-honeywell-thermostat-control
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Echo dot ordered!  (Though it seems it's also preorder and won't ship until 3/31, unlike the announcement). 

Nice to see direct control of Nest, as well. 


Sent from my iPad


----------



## WinniWoman

I'm not understanding what this "DOT" is used for. And what is "TAP" used for. I would love to have an echo upstairs. Do one of there take the place of an Echo? Is one better for travel?


----------



## Ken555

mpumilia said:


> I'm not understanding what this "DOT" is used for. And what is "TAP" used for. I would love to have an echo upstairs. Do one of there take the place of an Echo? Is one better for travel?




Just watch the videos at Amazon.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Free2Roam

mpumilia said:


> I'm not understanding what this "DOT" is used for. And what is "TAP" used for. I would love to have an echo upstairs. Do one of there take the place of an Echo? Is one better for travel?



Looks like the "Tap" has a built-in battery so you can take it on-the-go.  

I pre-ordered 2 Dots ("hockey pucks"...hahaha) one for the family room, one for my office... but I think my bluetooth speaker will suffice for portability, so I'll hold off on the Tap for now.


----------



## WinniWoman

OK. Thanks. So the DOT is essentially an ECHO without the good speaker and if you want you can hook it into another speaker. I like the DOT, but not sure I really need it. At first I thought- yes- I want this, but I have the ECHO remote which I can use when I am upstairs to add something to my shopping list. I really can wait to come downstairs after waking up to find out about weather and news and listen to music. I like the alarm, but $99 is an expensive alarm. We only sleep and get dressed upstairs and live downstairs for the most part.

The TAP you can take with you, but I see the fact that you have to be within WI-FI and the battery as a downside. I don't think I would use it if I was away.

Great ideas, though. The DOT is probably more useful in bigger homes I would think. The TAP- maybe for people who are away for a long period of time or something like that. I don't want to lug another device with me. Already have the phone, the laptop or tablet.....can take a few CD's with us or turn on the radio. But then again, we don't listen to music for the most part when we are away, except maybe in the car on the way to our timeshares, and even that is rare.


----------



## hypnotiq

It really depends how you use Alexa. 

Dot is a great extension device for Alexa if you don't want the same level of quality of speakers as the Echo (or if you want to use Line Out) for other speakers but still want the features of Alexa. For example, I use it as an extension for home automation, being able to control lights and thermostat from bedroom, using alarms/timers, shopping list/flash briefing.

Tap is by far my favorite device because its portable and I can use it on the go! My wife has been dying for this to go public so she can actually take it outside the house. We use it around the house (garage, bathroom, back deck) for playing music mostly but also is a fun "party" device when friends are over and want to play with Alexa (has been limited to work friends but now can expand to all our friends). We've also taken it on vacation with us and has been awesome to use in the timeshares. We haven't been able to take it by the pool/beach because of the secrecy of the project but looking forward to that on our next vacation.

Basically Tap replaced our portable Bose speaker.


----------



## hypnotiq

The way our house is currently laid out with Alexa. This is spread out across 3000sqft house.



Echo in the Living Room which is reachable by the Dining Room/Living Room/Kitchen


Echo in Man Cave


Dot in Daughters Room


Dot in Office


Dot in Master Room


FireTV w/Alexa in Spare Room


Wife's Tap - Usually in master bathroom or on vacation with us


Nico's Tap - Usually in loft or garage or on vacation with us


----------



## WinniWoman

I get it. But, first off, most people aren't home all day. They are working. At our job, they have piped in music in the facility. Again- can't take and play your own music. I assume most offices are like that. As far as taking TAP to timeshares- sure- why not.  But- at a pool - you would have to use headphones. Can you use headphones with it? Otherwise you are infringing on the other guests who don't want to hear your music. 

At home, if we have company- Alexa is right in the family room/kitchen.We can easily hear Alexa from the living room and office. Of course, we could just unplug her and take her in there if we wanted, but we don't need to.We hear her loud and clear. We have a 2600 square foot home. Bedrooms upstairs. But just two of us. I walk to the thermostat and lower the heat when we sleep. I walk to the thermostat and raise it when we awake. One upstairs and one downstairs. We barely keep any lights on. Call us old fashioned, but we walk to the light switch and flick it on or off if we want.We are frugal and keep most of the lights off and many things unplugged.

The DOT I think would be useful maybe in our upstairs gym. Then would be no need for the ipod/headphones I use when exercising.My husband also has his office upstairs. And I like the garage idea for the music with TAP. Right now my husband takes his kindle fire in there for that when in his workshop. Of course, again, we could just unplug Alexa and bring her in another room if we really wanted the listening feature. 

But, like many things, not sure I would want to spend the money on more devices for the limited use we would get out of it. I guess if I was bored at home all day...But, yes, very convenient to have an additional echo if you use it a lot.

Right now I just use Alexa as a cooking timer, shopping list, weather, horoscope, ask some questions about things, listen to a talk radio show I like, music maybe on a Saturday evening when I am home. Sometimes I ask her for a joke when I need some goofy humor in my life.If we went to the movies, I think it is cool she can tell you what is playing where, but we don't go to the movies.

We are real busy between work and home tasks and not a lot of play time. For that, we go away on vacations a couple of times per year.

I guess for us we don't have a lot of time to play around with her, but we do like her a lot. Just not sure we need another device. We are simple people anyway.


----------



## Elan

Haven't really kept up w/Echo.  To what extent can one control a home's A/V system with one?


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon's Alexa Now Lets Capital One Customers Manage Finances Using Their Voice  - by Paul Sawers/ Alexa/ Amazon/ Capital One/ Venture Beat/ venturebeat.com

"U.S. finance giant Capital One has announced an integration with Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices, including Echo, that will let consumers access key facets of their finances using just their voice.

Capital One claims to be the first company to let its customers access their bank account through the likes of Amazon Echo, the recently launched Amazon Tap and Echo Dot, and Fire TV. From today, if you’re a Capital One account holder who also owns one of these devices, you can gain access to information in your checking and savings accounts –including available funds, balance, recent transactions — and even pay your credit card bill..."





Image Credit: Samuel L. Jackson Capital One Ad


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321

Radio Broadcaster Hijacks Listener's Smart Home With Amazon Echo - by Aaron Tilley/ Forbes/ Tech/ forbes.com

"Smart homes can be hacked by malicious actors over the internet, but now it looks like radio hosts can hijack your smart home over the radio.

In late February, National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition took a look at Amazon Echo, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant’s tube-shaped speaker. Embedded in Echo is Amazon’s intelligent voice assistant, Alexa. To activate the speaker, users simply have say “Alexa.” From there, users can command Alexa to play music, get the weather, or even control smart home gadgets like internet-connected lights and thermostats. Following that segment, NPR listeners wrote into the program to tell let them know that their Amazon Echo was listening too.

NPR host Rachel Martin explained in a follow-up story:.."

Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon Alexa's New Feature Could Be the Best or Worst Thing for Your Bank Account -  by Abhimanyu Ghoshal / Home/ Gadgets/ TNW (The Next Web)/ thenextweb.com

"Amazon has teamed up with Capital One Financial Corporation to let you make a number of bank transactions using only your voice with the company’s Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo, Tap and Echo Dot.

Once you’ve turned on the Capital One skill in the Alexa app, you can check your credit card account’s balance, review past transactions, make payments, and get information about your checking and savings accounts.

You can ask questions like:

    “Alexa, ask Capital One for my Quicksilver Card balance.”
    “Alexa, ask Capital One for recent transactions on my checking account”
    “Alexa, ask Capital One when is my credit card payment due?”
    “Alexa, ask Capital One to pay my credit card bill.”

 Capital One says its transactions are fully encrypted so not even Amazon can see them. The new skill for Alexa also lets you set a custom four-digit security code to prevent unauthorized access.

Though I’m all for making repetitive tasks like paying bills more efficient and convenient to tackle, I can’t help but feel that this could go very badly for some people..."

Richard


----------



## Passepartout

MULTIZ321 said:


> Radio Broadcaster Hijacks Listener's Smart Home With Amazon Echo - by Aaron Tilley/ Forbes/ Tech/ forbes.com
> 
> "Smart homes can be hacked by malicious actors over the internet, but now it looks like radio hosts can hijack your smart home over the radio.
> 
> In late February, National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition took a look at Amazon Echo, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant’s tube-shaped speaker. Embedded in Echo is Amazon’s intelligent voice assistant, Alexa. To activate the speaker, users simply have say “Alexa.” From there, users can command Alexa to play music, get the weather, or even control smart home gadgets like internet-connected lights and thermostats. Following that segment, NPR listeners wrote into the program to tell let them know that their Amazon Echo was listening too.
> 
> NPR host Rachel Martin explained in a follow-up story:.."
> 
> Richard



I warned of the possibility of mischief back in post 12. The ability of user produced wake up words would solve this security issue.

Jim


----------



## MULTIZ321

The Amazon Dot Is More Than a Small Echo - by Stacey Higginbotham/ Tech/ Fortune/ fortune.com

"It’s cheaper. And that is its biggest advantage.

A few weeks ago Amazon excited the tech press by announcing two new devices that are a cross between Apple’s Siri voice-controlled assistant and an Internet-connected speaker. Both will join the Amazon Echo in working with its Alexa Voice Service, the “brains” behind Amazon’s speech recognition.

The Dot is a smaller version of the Echo, that plugs in and is always-listening, while the Tap is smaller, and battery powered. That makes it portable, but it also means that a user has to press the Tap to make it listen to voice commands.

The Amazon Dot arrived at my home today, and after running it through the basics, I can say that Amazon has delivered all of the Echo functionality at half the price. And since the Echo is a hit, I’m betting a half-price Echo will be an even bigger win. That’s good for Amazon, but the real question is whether or not the Echo is the type of device that leads people to buy other devices in the family...."





 The Amazon Echo (left) and Dot (right). S. Higginbotham for Fortune. 


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321

4 Common Amazon Echo Problems and How to Fix Them - by Taylor Martin/ How-To/ C/Net/ cnet.com

"When they work as intended, Amazon's Echo, Dot and Tap speakers are quite impressive and save the hassle of having to whip out a phone to change the color of smart lights or the temperature setting of the thermostat. And the Alexa voice assistant gets more useful the more smart-home devices you add to your collection.

But things don't always go as planned and Amazon didn't create a truly flawless product. Alexa has issues of its own. Here are some of the most common Alexa problems and how to fix them..."

Richard


----------



## GrayFal

MULTIZ321 said:


> The Amazon Dot Is More Than a Small Echo - by Stacey Higginbotham/ Tech/ Fortune/ fortune.com
> 
> "It’s cheaper. And that is its biggest advantage.
> 
> A few weeks ago Amazon excited the tech press by announcing two new devices that are a cross between Apple’s Siri voice-controlled assistant and an Internet-connected speaker. Both will join the Amazon Echo in working with its Alexa Voice Service, the “brains” behind Amazon’s speech recognition.
> 
> The Dot is a smaller version of the Echo, that plugs in and is always-listening, while the Tap is smaller, and battery powered. That makes it portable, but it also means that a user has to press the Tap to make it listen to voice commands.
> 
> The Amazon Dot arrived at my home today, and after running it through the basics, I can say that Amazon has delivered all of the Echo functionality at half the price. And since the Echo is a hit, I’m betting a half-price Echo will be an even bigger win. That’s good for Amazon, but the real question is whether or not the Echo is the type of device that leads people to buy other devices in the family...."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Amazon Echo (left) and Dot (right). S. Higginbotham for Fortune.
> 
> 
> Richard


Does anyone know why the Amazon Dot is not longer offered???

I had wanted to get it for the master bedroom for voice control and really liked the small size.  I have tap to use outside and Echo for my main living space.  
Dot would have been perfect for the MBR

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Echo-Dot-Portable-Bluetooth-WiFi-Speaker-with-Alexa/b?node=14047587011

Sold out 
Thank you for your interest in Echo Dot. It is currently sold out. Stay tuned, we're always up to something new. Explore Amazon Echo or other Alexa-enabled products like Amazon Tap.


----------



## WinniWoman

I have the DOT and in retrospect I wish I had just gotten another Echo on Prime Day (but I didn't know about Prime Day). This is because I use it upstairs in my exercise room and husband's office (off the MBR) for music and the speakers (originally for an old computer) I have that I hooked up are not the greatest. I would have rather had the great sound speaker of the Echo. I could buy different speakers, but what is the point then? I would be spending more money.

I originally got the Echo for $99. If I knew I would have wanted two at the time, I would have purchased two. But who knew?

As for the DOT, it does come in handy upstairs, but I am also disappointed because I wanted to also use it as an alarm clock and it does work for that, but I wanted to change the alarm sound and although I have done so on the app, it still keeps sounding the default one. My husband hates the sound of the default one. I asked Amazon about it and they said to reset the whole DOT set up from scratch and I just didn't want to go through all of that again.

I am not sure why they only offered DOT for a limited time, but I suspect they have something new up their sleeve for the future.


----------



## slip

I have a dot too and I like it but when I try to use it as an alarm, I have to reset it everyday. When it goes off, I say to turn it off and then it's resets so there are no settings saved. 

We use it a lot for other things though so I'm still happy I have it.


----------



## Free2Roam

I also have both the Original and Dot... I purchased 2 Dots but let my cousin borrow one until her backorder was fulfilled. Well it never was because they stopped production.  So she bought the one I let her borrow... I had planned to put the 2nd one in the kitchen.  I'm okay without it...

I suspect that quality (or lack thereof) is one of the reasons they stopped Dot's production.  Dot's speaker is no good for music, so I use a bluetooth speaker I already had. If I didn't already have a speaker to use, the cost of purchasing a decent one (added to the cost of the Dot) would make purchasing the Original Echo a better option.  Also, Dot's microphone is not nearly as good as Original Echo. I keep the Original in my family room and Dot usually lives in my bedroom.  This past weekend I temporarily relocated Dot and her speaker to the sunroom... at least 20-25 ft from Original Echo.  When the door between the two rooms was opened and I spoke to Dot (I was no more than 2 feet from her) she ignored me, but Original Echo answered in the next room.  Even in my bedroom, Dot often ignores me, while Original often perks up even when I'm not talking to her. I think Dot is hard of hearing...


----------



## Ken555

I've got two originals and a dot. They're all great.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## WinniWoman

slip said:


> I have a dot too and I like it but when I try to use it as an alarm, I have to reset it everyday. When it goes off, I say to turn it off and then it's resets so there are no settings saved.
> 
> We use it a lot for other things though so I'm still happy I have it.



When the alarm goes off you have to say "Alexa, STOP" . If you say turn it off it "thinks" you mean turn off the application.


----------



## slip

I'm in Milwaukee on business but I'll try that when I get back. Thank You.


----------



## Passepartout

[Deleted by poster]


----------



## Elan

New 2nd gen Echo Dot released:


It’s up for pre-order today and should begin shipping October 20th.  For $50, I might have to try one.

http://liliputing.com/2016/09/amazo...xa-enabled-speaker-now-comes-black-white.html


https://www.amazon.com/All-New-Echo...=UTF8&qid=1473864267&sr=8-1&keywords=Echo+dot


----------



## Passepartout

Elan said:


> It’ up for pre-order today and should begin shipping October 20th.  For $50, I might have to try one.



My, oh my. Change of heart? They have certainly become more usable since the original announcement. Mine is just a part of the household. I still haven't gotten on the home automation bandwagon, but am considering an Echo compatible thermostat for the condo so I can fire up the A/C before arrival.

Jim


----------



## Sandy VDH

I have a Echo in the bedroom, because it needs to be plugged in 24/7 .  I also have a Tap in the kitchen, which I also take when traveling as it is rechargeable and holds an 8+ hour battery life.

I really like both of the items and use the Echo daily, and the Tap when I travel or am in the kitchen.  I do wish the tap was voice activated like the echo and not tap activated, but other than that I am really happy with both devices.  

I use the Bluetooth option a lot on both units.  To play music when traveling, but also to have my Fire device "read" books that I do not have the audio version for.  This allows me to multi-task and still listen to books.  I do prefer Audible version of books, but I do get a lot of library books that my Fire will read, even though there is not audible version available.  

Don't really need a Dot.  But interesting to see that are back on production.


----------



## GrayFal

They must have heard me!!!


----------



## Ken555

As predicted by many, this is a great product and is quite reasonable at $50, and I'm glad to see they reintroduced the product. I suspect this will directly cause consternation amongst Amazon's competitors (and they'll sell a yuuge number!).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## hypnotiq

This is why I didn't answer anyone a couple weeks ago.  apologies to anyone who thought I was ignoring them. 

We also announced that we're expanding to UK and Germany. 

I'm at CEDIA right now but will post more next week. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> My, oh my. Change of heart? They have certainly become more usable since the original announcement.
> 
> Jim



  More utility, and the Dot is now more closely priced in accordance with it's utility.  As you know, I'm not a big fan of compromised technology.  It frustrates me tremendously, and it's the primary reason why I don't buy certain companies products.


----------



## slip

Passepartout said:


> My, oh my. Change of heart? They have certainly become more usable since the original announcement. Mine is just a part of the household. I still haven't gotten on the home automation bandwagon, but am considering an Echo compatible thermostat for the condo so I can fire up the A/C before arrival.
> 
> Jim



I have the Sensi by Emerson. Easy to install and the app works great. I use it to turn up the air while I'm on a trip during the summer or turn up the heat when we're returning form Kauai. Works well with Alexa too.


----------



## slip

mpumilia said:


> When the alarm goes off you have to say "Alexa, STOP" . If you say turn it off it "thinks" you mean turn off the application.



I wanted to Thank You for this. I did reset everything for my morning alarm and did just like you said and it works like a charm. I've been using it since I got back. Thanks again. It makes it really useful for me know.


----------



## slip

I just ordered a white one for our living room. I had two of the original ones ordered but I changed it down to one. The DW said it would have been handy to have one in the living room so that's where this one will go.


----------



## Passepartout

slip said:


> I have the Sensi by Emerson. Easy to install and the app works greatg. I use it to turn up the air while I'm on a trip during the summer or turn up the heat when we're returning form Kauai. Works well with Alexa too.



Yeah, I saw the reviews on that one. It's Amazon's best seller at $105. Compared to the Nest at $250, it's a no-brainer. I just haven't ordered it yet. Thanks for the testimonial.


----------



## Elan

Seems a lot of buyers of Gen 1 Dots are PO'd at Amazon for releasing a more powerful, cheaper Gen 2 version so soon after release of the first iteration.


----------



## GrayFal

hypnotiq said:


> This is why I didn't answer anyone a couple weeks ago.  apologies to anyone who thought I was ignoring them.
> 
> We also announced that we're expanding to UK and Germany.
> 
> I'm at CEDIA right now but will post more next week.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I knew you were working hard to get my request met.  Thx


----------



## scootr5

slip said:


> I just ordered a white one for our living room. I had two of the original ones ordered but I changed it down to one. The DW said it would have been handy to have one in the living room so that's where this one will go.



I just wish it was all white, rather than having a black top.

BTW, I received an email that said as an early adopter of the dot if I ordered a new one using Alexa I would get a $10 Amazon credit. It might be worth a try if you're thinking you'll order anther one...


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon Opens PreOrders for Everyone for Second Gen Echo Dot With a Crazy Six-Pack Offer - by Anthony Carcz/ Tech/ Forbes/ forbes.com

"Just six months after Amazon’s Echo Dot was announced, it’s getting a second generation.

The device is superficially the same, but once you examine it a bit closer, you’ll see there are a some evolutionary changes. The volume ring that went around the outside is gone, replaced by volume buttons on the device’s face. The bright power LED in the back has been removed, much to the relief of those who were using the Dot as an alarm clock. Oh, and it comes in white to fit in with even more decors...."

White is the new Black.


Richard


----------



## slip

scootr5 said:


> I just wish it was all white, rather than having a black top.
> 
> BTW, I received an email that said as an early adopter of the dot if I ordered a new one using Alexa I would get a $10 Amazon credit. It might be worth a try if you're honking you'll order anther one...




I did get that email too so I'll get a $10 credit when it ships. we have a few lights that Alexa operates so this will work great in the living room. We're going to Vegas next week so we'll set up the lights to go on and off. we'll take our Tap and FireTV stick with us too.


----------



## MULTIZ321

The Future Just Got Cheaper Thanks to the $50 Amazon Echo - by Todd Bernhard/ iPhoneLife Magazine/ iphonelife.com

"I've been a fan of the Amazon Echo since it came out. Even at $180, it's a reasonable price to pay to experience the future. Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, keeps getting smarter and more powerful all the time. So when Amazon released its $90 miniature version, dubbed the Echo Dot, which does pretty much the same thing but has a less powerful speaker (you can connect to an external speaker via Bluetooth or 3.5 mm jack), that became a no-brainer. The result was it sold out and was selling on eBay for nearly $300!

Now, not only is the Echo Dot back, it's available in white as well as black, and it's only $50. What's more, if you want to buy five, you get a sixth one free. You could place an Echo Dot in every room in the house. Unlike the Amazon Tap, the Echo and Echo Dot need to be plugged in to A/C power, but unlike the Tap, you don't need to press a button to get Alexa's attention. You just say, "Alexa." (or optionally, "Amazon") and ask her to play music, control lights, or order an Uber or a pizza from Dominos...."

Richard


----------



## scootr5

MULTIZ321 said:


> The Future Just Got Cheaper Thanks to the $50 Amazon Echo - by Todd Bernhard/ iPhoneLife Magazine/ iphonelife.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Slightly_ misleading, since it's a Dot and not an Echo...
Click to expand...


----------



## MULTIZ321

scootr5 said:


> MULTIZ321 said:
> 
> 
> 
> The Future Just Got Cheaper Thanks to the $50 Amazon Echo - by Todd Bernhard/ iPhoneLife Magazine/ iphonelife.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Slightly_ misleading, since it's a Dot and not an Echo...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Scott for pointing out the misleading title.
> 
> 
> Best regards
> 
> Richard
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon's Rumored Echo Streaming Music Service May Be Coming Soon - by Nathan Ingraham/ Engadget/ engadget.com

"And the company's full-fledged Spotify competitor is rumored to launch in early 2017.

Amazon has offered a very basic streaming music service for a few years now, but it looks like the company is nearly ready to significantly revamp its offerings. An Echo-only streaming music option may be coming in the next few weeks, claims a report from The Verge -- and a full-fledged Spotify competitor that isn't tied to the Echo might be available in early 2017. The Echo-only service would cost $5 a month, while the more expensive $10 per month option would work across any device. 

A second report today from AFTVnews contains info showing the service may be known as Amazon Music Unlimited, a boring but logical name. The publication found an Amazon Music Unlimited banner and ad inside the Amazon music app on the Fire TV...."







Richard


----------



## scootr5

scootr5 said:


> BTW, I received an email that said as an early adopter of the dot if I ordered a new one using Alexa I would get a $10 Amazon credit. It might be worth a try if you're thinking you'll order anther one...



I received an email from Amazon this morning that my gift certificate had been loaded into my account.


----------



## scootr5

Amazon is running a very rare sale on the Echo today, for $140.39.


----------



## MULTIZ321

Amazon Echo Now Talks You Through 60,000 Recipes
by Jon Fingas/ Food and Drink/ Engadget/ engadget.com

*"Allrecipes' Alexa skill helps you cook, even if you're not sure what you want to make.*

*Believe it or not, there hasn't really been a comprehensive recipe skill for Amazon Echo speakers. Campbell's skill is focused on the soup brand, IFTTT integration is imperfect and Jamie Oliver's skill won't read cooking instructions aloud. Allrecipes might just save the day, though. It just launched an Alexa skill that guides you through cooking 60,000 meals -- and importantly, helps you find something to cook in the first place. You can ask what's possible with the ingredients you have on hand, find a quick-to-make dish or check on measurements...."

Richard

When you're in the middle of cooking, you can pause, repeat or advance steps.
*


----------



## Iwant2gonow

I have an echo in my home but I use my son's Prime college account even though he lives in a different state. If I buy him an echo for his residence can we both use the same Prime account  to activate his? Will we have separate shopping and to do lists etc when we voice activate these features? Or is what I am trying to do not feasible?


----------



## Passepartout

Iwant2gonow said:


> I have an echo in my home but I use my son's Prime college account even though he lives in a different state. If I buy him an echo for his residence can we both use the same Prime account  to activate his? Will we have separate shopping and to do lists etc when we voice activate these features? Or is what I am trying to do not feasible?



I think this will work, as family members can share a Prime account. DW and I share my Prime account and have Echo's at home, in our second home and they just put 'Alexa' on my Fire 8. They all work independently- though I haven't activated the shopping or to-do lists. Why not use A-Z support and ask them. Just follow the 'Help' tree on every Amazon page and have them call you. Piece of cake, and no time on hold.

Jim


----------



## pedro47

How do you change Alexa name?


----------



## Sandy VDH

pedro47 said:


> How do you change Alexa name?



You can change the wakeup name from the app on your phone or tablet.

You need an app to set up the network access the the Echo will use.  It is the same app where you change the name you use to wake up the device.


----------



## John Cummings

Our daughter received an echo (Alexa) from Amazon for free just before they came out a couple years ago. She was on a list for testing it out. It seems to work very well.


----------



## Passepartout

pedro47 said:


> How do you change Alexa name?



I think you can only choose between 'Alexa', or 'Amazon' for wake-up name.


----------



## Passepartout

John Cummings said:


> Our daughter received an echo (Alexa) from Amazon for free just before they came out a couple years ago. She was on a list for testing it out. It seems to work very well.



If correct (Initially they only issued invitations), she was VERY fortunate. I was in the first group (Nov. 22, 2014) and had to pay $100 and it was still several months before I actually got mine. Yes, it does (still) work well. Amazon has put Alexa in Fire TV and Fire Stick, as well as in the newish Kindle Fire HD8.


----------



## slip

They also upgraded the Firetablet 7 to have Alexa.


----------



## John Cummings

I received an e-mail from Amazon that they are selling the Amazon Fire 7 for $33.33. I already have 3 of their tablets but maybe I wil get a couple for my grand children.

I see that it includes Alexa.


----------



## Passepartout

John Cummings said:


> I received an e-mail from Amazon that they are selling the Amazon Fire 7 for $33.33. I already have 3 of their tablets but maybe I wil get a couple for my grand children.
> 
> I see that it includes Alexa.



That's the Cyber Monday price for the 8 gb model w/ads. 3-yr old model. Good deal, but for the better display and faster processor the HD 8 is 59.99. And it's brand new with all day battery power and stereo sound especially built for video.


----------



## slip

I moved up to the 8 this year. They had it on sale too and I love it so far. It's easier to type on.


----------



## Passepartout

I moved up to the 8 about a year ago from a 6. to me it's the perfect size. DW has a 9-or 10 whatever it is, and it's too big/heavy.


----------



## John Cummings

Passepartout said:


> That's the Cyber Monday price for the 8 gb model w/ads. 3-yr old model. Good deal, but for the better display and faster processor the HD 8 is 59.99. And it's brand new with all day battery power and stereo sound especially built for video.



I don't like the 8" as it is too big to fit in my hand comfortably. The ads only occur at startup so it is no big deal.

I don't know what you are looking at but this 7" is not 3 years old and has the exact same processor as the 8" at the same speed. Here is the link. Scroll down and you will see a table that compares them. The Amazon Fire was called the Amazon Kindle Fire 3 years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...c20-4a7c-b70f-db6b57eee2cc&pf_rd_i=6669703011

I can buy it today, don't have to wait until tomorrow.


----------



## Passepartout

That's why they make all those different sizes. Whatever floats your boat. Wish my gift buying was so easy!


----------



## slip

Yes, the 7 that's on sale came out in September 2015. It's a great deal too. The more I use the 8 the more I like it over the 7 but I can see why the 7 is popular. The price and the size fits in a pocket.


----------



## John Cummings

Well, I bought both a new 7" and an 8" Fire tablets last night. I am thinking that the 8" will be better for watching movies etc. because of the Dolby sound and larger screen. I will just have to stretch my fingers to hold it. This makes 7 Amazon tablets that I have purchased since they first came out. My original one has problems with the display now. I have one from just about all generations of them. I now use my tablet more than my laptop. There isn't much I can't do on the tablet. I have the Office Professional app.


----------



## slip

I had the same thoughts in mind when I purchased my 8. I really like it. It's my favorite size and reminds me of my IPad mini at a fraction of the price.


----------



## John Cummings

I received both of my Fire tablets last night. The first thing I noticed is that the physical size of the tablet is smaller than the previous ones for the same screen size. The 8" one is exactly the same size as my older 7" one and the new 7" is smaller. The 8" fits comfortably in my hand.

So I have to agree that the 8" is much better considering the larger screen size, Dolby Sound and twice as much memory. It was well worth the extra $20.00. I have been having fun playing with Alexa on them.


----------



## WinniWoman

I don't get how to use Alexa on my Fire. I have the app. on it,  but there is no sound. I try to play my music from my Prime Library on the Fire- nothing. I click on things and it says App support not available.


----------



## Passepartout

mpumilia said:


> I don't get how to use Alexa on my Fire. I have the app. on it,  but there is no sound. I try to play my music from my Prime Library on the Fire- nothing. I click on things and it says App support not available.


Remember, Alexa is only on Fire 7" & HD 8. To use it press the start (center- round) 'button'. If installed you get a blue line. Ask away.


----------



## John Cummings

mpumilia said:


> I don't get how to use Alexa on my Fire. I have the app. on it,  but there is no sound. I try to play my music from my Prime Library on the Fire- nothing. I click on things and it says App support not available.



Make sure the sound is turned on. The volume button is the silver one at the top on the left. You have to hold the home button ( bottom center round one ) down until the blue line appears at the bottom of the screen.


----------



## WinniWoman

OMG! Thanks! Yes, the sound was on but I didn't know you had to hold the start button on the middle of the Kindle!


----------



## hypnotiq

In case you guys haven't seen this yet, just announced this morning! Welcome Echo Show, Alexa now has a screen!

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...azon-echo-show-touchscreen-price-release-date 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQqxCeHhmeU

And for you Smart Home fans, you'll now be able to see your camera feeds from your home on the Echo Show.


----------



## hypnotiq

Oh yeah, and Alexa now supports calling/messaging on Echo devices.

http://www.aftvnews.com/voice-calling-and-messaging-comes-to-all-amazon-echos-and-echo-dots/


----------



## WinniWoman

Isn't there one that takes pics of you also? The Echo Look. It also just came out.


----------



## WinniWoman

I wish our son had bought the Echo but he went for the Google Home one. This option for messaging and calling would be great for us.


----------



## Cropman

Ordered it!!  Have to wait until end of June, but I think we will find it useful.

JC


----------



## scootr5

hypnotiq said:


> In case you guys haven't seen this yet, just announced this morning! Welcome Echo Show, Alexa now has a screen!
> 
> https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...azon-echo-show-touchscreen-price-release-date
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQqxCeHhmeU
> 
> And for you Smart Home fans, you'll now be able to see your camera feeds from your home on the Echo Show.



Thanks for helping to push the tech forward!


----------



## Elan

I just ordered one of these (combo battery pack and speaker for Dot).  Great idea!  Will post an update on sound quality once I get it.

https://www.amazon.com/Ninety7-Inc-...6851564&sr=8-4&keywords=echo+dot+speaker&th=1


----------



## Elan

So, I got my Vaux speaker on Friday.  Listened to it pretty extensively while cleaning my garage yesterday.  I'd give the sound an 8 or so out of 10.  Reasonably clear, but lacking in bass.  Not really all that surprising, given the small size.  It does go loud, however, which is nice.  I wish they made a larger unit with better sound and bigger battery for $60-$70, or so.  

  Overall, I'm pretty happy with the product thus far.  Definitely adds a huge level of utility/convenience to the Dot.


----------



## Iwant2gonow

I've had my Echo since the first invitation came out and I love it. Recently though when I talk to it, it takes an extended amount of time to answer. Her blue light comes on immediately when I say echo, but her response takes approximately 10 seconds to begin. The she answers in the normal fashion. This is for *everything*, including simply adding something to my grocery list. We unplugged her and ran through her set up again but to no avail. Anyone else have this happen? Any idea if they repair these things?


----------



## Passepartout

Iwant2gonow said:


> I've had my Echo since the first invitation came out and I love it. Recently though when I talk to it, it takes an extended amount of time to answer. Her blue light comes on immediately when I say echo, but her response takes approximately 10 seconds to begin. The she answers in the normal fashion. This is for *everything*, including simply adding something to my grocery list. We unplugged her and ran through her set up again but to no avail. Anyone else have this happen? Any idea if they repair these things?


Have you called Amazon Support? Click 'Help' at the top of just about every Amazon page, and after chasing a little, you can have them call you rather than waiting on hold. I also have one from the initial invitation period, and have had to power cycle it a few times when it's acted up and that's always set it right. Have you tried putting it on a different network? The latency might be from your router. That might be worth trying.

The first stem would be to talk to support.

Jim


----------



## WinniWoman

Iwant2gonow said:


> I've had my Echo since the first invitation came out and I love it. Recently though when I talk to it, it takes an extended amount of time to answer. Her blue light comes on immediately when I say echo, but her response takes approximately 10 seconds to begin. The she answers in the normal fashion. This is for *everything*, including simply adding something to my grocery list. We unplugged her and ran through her set up again but to no avail. Anyone else have this happen? Any idea if they repair these things?




Sometimes that happens with ours but we think it is the wireless connection that sometimes gets spotty.


----------



## ace2000

Excellent deal on Echo today (refurbished) for $89...

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-SK705DI-Certified-Refurbished-Echo/dp/B00Y3QOH5G?tag=b0c55yh-20


----------



## Passepartout

ace2000 said:


> Excellent deal on Echo today (refurbished) for $89...
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-SK705DI-Certified-Refurbished-Echo/dp/B00Y3QOH5G?tag=b0c55yh-20


A good buy to be sure. I bought a new (not refurb) Echo two weeks ago for $50 off the $180 price. But since 'Prime Day' is next Tuesday- 7/11, I think I'd hold off on any significant Amazon purchases until then and see what they deeply discount. It might also be telling about new, or upgraded products.

Incidentally, We spent the 4th with my SIL, who brought along a new 'developer model' Harmon Kardon *Microsoft* Cortana speaker unit. It will be made to compete with Alexa and Google Home. I can say that Alexa is FAR more developed, but the H-K unit sure sounds nice. It has MUCH larger speakers. Expect to see it hit the stores for Christmas sales.

Jim


----------



## ace2000

I picked up a refurbished Dot for $29 last week to set up in my basement downstairs.  I also own the Google Home upstairs.  Not really a whole lot of difference between Google Home and Amazon Alexa though - really nothing significant at all.  My Google device is connected to Google Play music and my Amazon is connected to the Prime music service.  Google Home is supposed to allow you to make calls to any phone in the near future, so that may be a nice extra feature (Amazon currently allows you to call other Amazon Echo devices).  It'll be interesting to see where the market stands a year or two from now.

On another note, Amazon is offering a four month trial of the Unlimited Prime music service today for 99 cents.


----------



## Elan

Just read this (on Engadget).  The bolding is mine:

_Prime Day, the Amazon-invented holiday that celebrates the holy tradition of buying things from Amazon, is back again for a third year. As usual, the event will showcase a number of deals that will run through the day, and the company is offering its usual massive discounts for its own branded hardware. Topping the bill is the *Echo smart speaker which, for the 30-hour event, is selling for $90*, half its usual price.

If you want to dip your toe into the world of a smart speaker without spending that much, the *Echo Dot is also available for just $35*. Reading fans, meanwhile, can pick up the Kindle Paperwhite for $90, or snag a Fire 7 for $30 -- and purchase any of the above devices, and you're entitled to buy four months of Amazon Music Unlimited for $1. You can begin throwing your money at the high altar of Bezos from 6PM PT tonight, and can continue to do so all the way through to tomorrow._

  I currently own two Dots and a Vaux.  Really like the Vaux due to it's portability.  Was great on vacation to be able to have a voice controlled, fully portable, decent sounding unit to drag out to the deck.  Anyone considering an Echo should consider a Dot+Vaux combo as well, IMO.


----------



## hypnotiq

Lots of Prime deals around Alexa. Some pretty awesome deals if you order from your Alexa device. 

Don't forget to check out the deals for Smart Home devices too (self plug for my features!).


----------



## Passepartout

I'm looking for a wi-fi echo compatible thermostat for our second home. I really can't justify the Nest's cost. Other suggestions?


----------



## hypnotiq

Passepartout said:


> I'm looking for a wi-fi echo compatible thermostat for our second home. I really can't justify the Nest's cost. Other suggestions?



I have a Honeywell 9000 and ecobee3 in my house. They're both solid choices. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## slip

I have the Emerson Sensi. I love it through Alexa or the easy to use app.


----------



## Passepartout

Thanks, I will check those out. We usually shut down the whole place when we leave, but it would sure be worth keeping the router on to be able to turn on the A/C before we arrive. It doesn't need winter heat, but in warmwe


----------



## ace2000

I'd love to see an Amazon deal on the Ecobee this week.  If anyone sees a deal, pleast post.  

Anyway, if you're thinking about a smart thermostat, check out this article regarding a C-wire.  I don't happen to have one with my setup, so I've been looking into buying the Ecobee myself.

http://smartthermostatguide.com/what-if-i-dont-have-a-c-wire/


----------



## rhonda

During Best Buy's sale a couple weeks back I added an Echo Dot for my truck.  I _love_ having that silly thing in my truck for listening to Pandora, the Flash Briefing, random Q&A, etc.  Tonight I was running late getting home and to amuse myself along the drive asked my Dot (in the truck) to "drop in" on my Echo at home.  I talked to the dog and the bird ... explaining I'd be home soon.  The bird talked back.  Quite a bit, actually.  How fun!

FWIW, I couldn't get the Dot to tell me tonight's Powerball numbers. She knew of Powerball, the current jackpot value and time of drawing ... but not the numbers.  Oh, well.


----------



## Passepartout

rhonda said:


> During Best Buy's sale a couple weeks back I added an Echo Dot for my truck.  I _love_ having that silly thing in my truck for listening to Pandora, the Flash Briefing, random Q&A, etc.  Tonight I was running late getting home and to amuse myself along the drive asked my Dot (in the truck) to "drop in" on my Echo at home.


Forgive my ignorance, but since the Echo (Dot) needs an internet connection to work, how do you provide this in the truck? Tether to your phone? Or? I can see the appeal to having Alexa along for the ride, but haven't found a reliable (and cheap) mobile internet connection. How do you do it?

Jim


----------



## rhonda

Passepartout said:


> Forgive my ignorance, but since the Echo (Dot) needs an internet connection to work, how do you provide this in the truck? Tether to your phone? Or? I can see the appeal to having Alexa along for the ride, but haven't found a reliable (and cheap) mobile internet connection. How do you do it?
> 
> Jim


I have an AT&T Connected Car plan.  $20/m for the ZTE Mobley on a standalone, unlimited data plan; plugs into the car's OBDII port for power and provides 5 simultaneous device connections over MiFi.  Works great in rural areas provided you have strong AT&T coverage.  In congested areas, the unit is a lousy performer given its lack of carrier aggregation.  There are long discussions over on HowardForums, SlickDeals and other places.

Edited to add copy/paste from the att.com/mobley page concerning the standalone, unlimited data plan:


			
				att.com/mobley said:
			
		

> *AT&T Connected Car Unlimited Plan: U.S. only. *Consumer and Individual Responsibility Users only. *Eligibility: *Requires eligible vehicle, eligible aftermarket device and new or existing AT&T wireless account. *Data Restrictions: After 22GB of data usage on vehicle Wi-Fi hotspot in a bill cycle, for the rest of the cycle AT&T may slow data speeds on vehicle Wi-Fi hotspot during periods of network congestion. Pricing:* $20 per aftermarket device monthly plan charge (3 aftermarket devices on plan results in $60 monthly plan charge). *Devices: *Sold separately. *Limits: *3 aftermarket devices per plan. *Hotspot: *Connects up to 5 Wi-Fi capable devices per vehicle hotspot. Devices connected to vehicle’s hotspot use data from your plan. Once a device connects, it will automatically reconnect and use data from your plan unless hotspot is removed from returning device settings or hotspot password is changed. Performance varies based on number of devices connected and other factors. *Video Streaming: *Plan includes Stream Saver, which allows you to save data by streaming higher definition video at Standard Definition quality (about 480p). AT&T will activate it. Check your account online to see if active. You may then turn it off or back on at any time at att.com/myatt. Stream saver will not recognize all video content. Ability to stream & video resolution vary, and are affected by other factors. Restrictions apply. See att.com/streamsaver for details. *International:* Wi-Fi hotspot functionality not available outside of U.S. *General Wireless Service Terms: *Subject to Wireless Customer Agreement (see att.com/wca). Services are not for resale. Credit approval and deposit may apply. *Other Monthly Charges per Line: *May include taxes, fed. & state universal svc. charges, Reg. Cost Recovery Charge (up to $1.25), gross receipts surcharge, Admin. Fee, & certain gov’t assessments which are not gov’t req’d charges. *Pricing, promotions & terms subject to change & may be modified or terminated at any time without notice. *Coverage & svc. not avail. everywhere. You get an off-net (roaming) usage allowance for each vehicle Wi-Fi hotspot. If you exceed the allowance, your svc(s) may be restricted or terminated. Other restr’s apply & may result in svc termination.


----------



## Passepartout

rhonda said:


> I have an AT&T Connected Car plan.


Thanks. And I think I MIGHT have understood about half of what you said.    ^^^^ (the important stuff)


----------



## hypnotiq

Passepartout said:


> Thanks. And I think I MIGHT have understood about half of what you said.    ^^^^ (the important stuff)



All you need to do is plug your Dot into the USB port (if you have one, or portable power like smoothie if you don't).

For Internet, use your phone as a wifi hotspot and connect the Dot to that WiFi access point. 

Good to go.

Most car cup holders are the perfect size for a Dot. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## rhonda

hypnotiq said:


> For Internet, use your phone as a wifi hotspot and connect the Dot to that WiFi access point.


Yeah ... but ... my $20/m unlimited data is cheaper for my personal habits than tethering options.  FWIW, the 22GB is a 'soft' cap.  Once over that limit, my usage _might_ become deprioritized (based on present conditions, congestion) but it isn't arbitrarily throttled.


----------



## hypnotiq

rhonda said:


> Yeah ... but ... my $20/m unlimited data is cheaper for my personal habits than tethering options.  FWIW, the 22GB is a 'soft' cap.  Once over that limit, my usage _might_ become deprioritized (based on present conditions, congestion) but it isn't arbitrarily throttled.



Yes, I know. I was distilling it down it down to people that aren't as versed in these areas 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## shorts

rhonda said:


> Yeah ... but ... my $20/m unlimited data is cheaper for my personal habits than tethering options.  FWIW, the 22GB is a 'soft' cap.  Once over that limit, my usage _might_ become deprioritized (based on present conditions, congestion) but it isn't arbitrarily throttled.



And if you purchase a power adapter from Amazon or eBay, you can use that unlimited data on the mobley outside of your vehicle anywhere (house, timeshare, RV, etc) $20 for unlimited data is a pretty good deal!


----------



## rhonda

shorts said:


> And if you purchase a power adapter from Amazon or eBay, you can use that unlimited data on the mobley outside of your vehicle anywhere (house, timeshare, RV, etc) $20 for unlimited data is a pretty good deal!


Oh, yes, of course.  Been doing that since March ;-)

And if you peel the secret sticker off the side of the unit you can USB-tether it to the home router ... and voila, it has replaced the more expensive home internet service.  (I'm waaaaaay rural with strong AT&T signal.  No worries for congestion here.)


----------



## rhonda

Whoo-hoo!  Echo can now stream music to multiple devices at the same time.  "*Alexa, play music everywhere*"!


----------

