Amazon Echo

flhrci

flhrci

Final Approach
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David
Curious if any one here has one yet and what you think of it. Tool, toy or something else? Useful or useless?

I keep seeing the commercials for it and have been wondering. No plans to buy one yet.

David
 
I am still waiting to see the value in it.
 
The value is that you can reorder your toilet paper right off the shi#er. I have used mine more as a toy. Its nice to just say something and have it play the song you asked for.
 
vkhosid said:
The value is that you can reorder your toilet paper right off the shi#er. I have used mine more as a toy. Its nice to just say something and have it play the song you asked for.
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I can already arbitrarily talk to my phone or tablet and get the same functionality. Why the Echo, then?
 
I can think of a better use for $150+

And it's always listening.
 
I have two. I was in the "invited" group for the first and liked it enough to buy another for the bedroom. It is very useful. The speaker is decent and it will stream music on command (no other device needed), has a shopping list, todo list, will control lights and stuff (with some home automation stuff installed), has a hands free timer for the kitchen (two timers), answers questions, including measurements (kitchen), history, nearby retail locations, etc. Judging from the comments above, I am the only one so far with direct experience.
 
John221us said:
I have two. I was in the "invited" group for the first and liked it enough to buy another for the bedroom. It is very useful. The speaker is decent and it will stream music on command (no other device needed), has a shopping list, todo list, will control lights and stuff (with some home automation stuff installed), has a hands free timer for the kitchen (two timers), answers questions, including measurements (kitchen), history, nearby retail locations, etc. Judging from the comments above, I am the only one so far with direct experience.
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I have one as well...but basically use it as a giant JawBone speaker. I've used it a few times to get weather and such....just for fun, but really have no need for it. As I said...its really just a fun toy.
 
I have one and have given the Echo as a gift. I love it. My 90 year old in-laws think it's great. I use it mostly for music, but also use it for alarms, timers, shopping lists, weather and odd questions. As an Ex-radio DJ I used to have upscale sound systems and gadgets, but now prefer the ease and variety offered by the Echo. I haven't begun to scratch all the new "Skills" available. I was told one of the hottest things at the latest Consumer Electronic Show (CES) was all the developers working on add-on features for the Echo.
For those who are paranoid that it's "always listening"... getta grip. So are your phones, laptop, webcams, toys, cameras, game consoles and smart TVs. There is a mute button.
 
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Like others, I recommend buying it if you want another decent music device. The other features are neat, but not worth the price of admission on their own. If you think of it as a desktop speaker on steroids then you've got the right idea.
 
vkhosid said:
I have one as well...but basically use it as a giant JawBone speaker. I've used it a few times to get weather and such....just for fun, but really have no need for it. As I said...its really just a fun toy.
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I do use the music streaming the most. The shopping list and todo list push to the app on you phone. This has been handy, as it sync's to both mine and my GF's phone, so whoever is shopping has the list (we just connected our Amazon accounts as 'family'). I use the measurement conversions in the kitchen and we use the timers a lot. I have installed a Wink Hub and some smart home switches and can control lighting (we use this quite a bit). It is also great for getting the weather in the morning or just asking the time, while lying in bed.
 
I like mine. Got it as a Christmas gift. I have it linked to Pandora, Amazon (Prime) Music, TuneIn (to play an FM station I found in Aruba).

I just recently bought an Insteon Hub for home automation for numerous devices in the house (lamps, gas fireplace, etc). Works great.
 
If the Idevice is plugged in, Siri is listening , no buttons required

Echo can't be carried with you around the house or office
 
Scrabo said:
If the Idevice is plugged in, Siri is listening , no buttons required

Echo can't be carried with you around the house or office
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Looks like that only works when the iPhone is connected to power. I have not tried that yet.
 
Shawn said:
...which freaks me out a a bit...cuz it means Siri is ALWAYS listening!
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Be more freaked out by echo because it knows who is in the room, using other non-verbal indications that can identify who is present in the home and who is not—based on audible cues such as footstep-cadence or radio/television
 
flhrci said:
http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/amazon-echo-dot/

Amazon Echo "Dots" now out./ Half the echo for more than half the price. What a deal!
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Yeah I saw that. Tap too, which is a portable model. The Dot doesn't have the quality speaker (just a little one). I guess it is meant for hooking to your home stereo or using in an area where you wouldn't play music. I might pick up a Tap for the backyard.
 
My daughter and s-i-l have one in their kitchen. My daughter seems to particularly like the app that lets her verbally add items to their shopping list (which then appears on her smart phone). BTW, Amazon says that they will again be available on the 12th, for $179.00 a pop. Seems a touch high to me, but, then, I'm old. :)
 
Scrabo said:
Be more freaked out by echo because it knows who is in the room, using other non-verbal indications that can identify who is present in the home and who is not—based on audible cues such as footstep-cadence or radio/television
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In principle it could do that if it were always streaming to the cloud. In practice, it cannot. It listens for its name and until that name is said, nothing is going to the cloud and no other processing is happening.

In principle, the privacy concern you cite is equally applicable to any device with a microphone and an internet connection. In practice, no vendor would do this because they would be free-marketed out of existence 48 hours later.
 
Both new products look great and fill a need... Tap is a portable, battery-powered, smaller unit that isn't always listening. It requires a "tap" to get Alexa's attention. Presumably, you'd use a wifi, like your phone's HotSpot, to provide content.
The Dot is an Echo for those who want to provide their own speaker or sound system (not portable). Since it uses AC power, you'd connect it to your home or office Wifi. It has a built-in so-so speaker.
 
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CT4ME said:
Both new products look great and fill a need... Tap is a portable, battery-powered, smaller unit that isn't always listening. It requires a "tap" to get Alexa's attention. Presumably, you'd use a wifi, like your phone's HotSpot, to provide content.
The Dot is an Echo for those who want to provide their own speaker or sound system (not portable). Since it used AC power, you'd connect it to your home or office Wifi. It has a built-in so-so speaker.
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I was looking at the Dot, but you can only order it through an existing Echo. Strange.
 
Ghery said:
I was looking at the Dot, but you can only order it through an existing Echo. Strange.
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1. Marketing. To push the exposure / utilization of the "Voice Ordering" feature of Echo.

2. Throttling. Until they ramp up production.

Expect to see it via conventional online ordering before long.
 
pete480 said:
I think it only works if you already have an echo.
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No. It runs independently of any other Echo you may have. It is essentially the Echo without the high performance speaker built in.
 
pete480 said:
Do you have an Echo? I think it only works if you already have an echo.
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No, I don't. Once I saw that you could only order it with an Echo I stopped looking. Now, my daughter and SIL have an Echo and they love it.
 
Ghery said:
No, I don't. Once I saw that you could only order it with an Echo I stopped looking. Now, my daughter and SIL have an Echo and they love it.
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Have them order it for you. Just re-register it, when you get it. They can order up to two.
 
ggroves said:
1. Marketing. To push the exposure / utilization of the "Voice Ordering" feature of Echo.

2. Throttling. Until they ramp up production.

Expect to see it via conventional online ordering before long.
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Fake scarcity makes people want to buy stupid things.

BigBadLou said:
People pay a lot of money for a device that allows them to spend more money. How smart!
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This.
 
The Echo actually works really well. I bought another because I see the value for what I use it for. I am not sure why a bunch of people who don't have one and have never tried one are in a position to pass judgement on those of us who feel it is worth the price. It sure seems like the pot calling the kettle black type of thing as many people will say the same type of thing about spending money on little airplanes.
 
John221us said:
The Echo actually works really well. I bought another because I see the value for what I use it for. I am not sure why a bunch of people who don't have one and have never tried one are in a position to pass judgement on those of us who feel it is worth the price. It sure seems like the pot calling the kettle black type of thing as many people will say the same type of thing about spending money on little airplanes.
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I don't own any slaves or hookers, and yet I "pass judgement" on those who do. Huh. Funny how that works. Don't worry, nobody's passing any moral judgement on you for having a cheap speaker and microphone hooked to an embedded PC in your house that only knows how to call Amazon. :)

If you think someone saying "that's expensive useless crap" is a personal judgement on you, your identity of self is waaaaaaay too attached to things you own, or what other's think about you, or both. :)

But anyway... everyone everywhere at all times is in a "position to pass judgement" on what they like or don't like, it's called... life. I think people who like raw tomatoes are strange. Big whoop.
 
I'm not an audiophile, so when my stereo died years ago I never replaced it. Instead I just used the music channels from my cable TV company, and more recently, the TuneIn app on my SmartTV. But it never quite got the sound you get from radio speakers.

I wanted an Echo from the moment I saw the first advert, but didn't order until February. I really like it and highly recommend it. Alone the Amazon Prime music library is immense, but access to worldwide radio via TuneIn and I-Heart-Radio is fantastic. Mine is on constantly now when home.
 
denverpilot said:
I don't own any slaves or hookers, and yet I "pass judgement" on those who do. Huh. Funny how that works. Don't worry, nobody's passing any moral judgement on you for having a cheap speaker and microphone hooked to an embedded PC in your house that only knows how to call Amazon. :)

If you think someone saying "that's expensive useless crap" is a personal judgement on you, your identity of self is waaaaaaay too attached to things you own, or what other's think about you, or both. :)

But anyway... everyone everywhere at all times is in a "position to pass judgement" on what they like or don't like, it's called... life. I think people who like raw tomatoes are strange. Big whoop.
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A colorful representation of how you feel and like your previous post, it brings no actual value to the thread. The actual quote I was referring to was:
People pay a lot of money for a device that allows them to spend more money. How smart!
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If you read it closely, it is actually a comment about the people that buy the device and not the device itself. I would not take exception to thoughtful criticism of the actual device, but even then, your comment saying that it is a "cheap speaker and microphone" is based on what? The microphone is a 7 piece microphone array and is designed to do it's job very well and can accurately pick up commands from two rooms away and the speaker sounds excellent for its size. I speak from direct personal experience with the device. BTW, there is an active development community out there and the Echo actually integrates with many other services other than Amazon, such as my Wink smart home hub, Pandora and IFTTT.
 
I have an Echo and just ordered the Echo Dot. At first it was a nice bluetooth speaker. Additionally, I have Amazon Prime so calling up playlists and streaming them is nice. Getting the weather is also nice. Ok, none of that is killer. Killer is its use in the kitchen. Unit conversion turns out to be useful. When your hands are messy and you just used the last of the flour you can add flour to the shopping list. Timers are very convenient. The big killer app is smart device integration. I have an extensive Wink and Hue system. This includes 9 floods in the kitchen. The microphone array on the Echo is great at pointing to where you are and listening in a noisy environment. I can turn lights on and off from the family room. Kitchen on turns on all 9. Sink on turns on the three lights over the sink area. Sink 1 on turns on only the one light. Floods on turns on the outside flood lights. At first I thought it would be a gimmick but it is my preferred way to control the lights. Better yet my girlfriend loves it and she is definitely on the non-techie side.

The Echo Dot is a request from my girlfriend. I have a bluetooth sound bar in the bedroom so no need for the good speakers in the full size echo. My girlfriend just wants to control the lights and be able to turn off the downstairs lights when it is bedtime and we forgot.
 
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