[NA] Anyone else have an Amazon Echo? [NA]

John221us

John221us

En-Route
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
4,268
Location
Rocklin, CA
Display Name
Display name:
John
Mine just arrived a couple days ago (5 month wait). It is an always on voice recognition device that is internet attached, can play music and answer questions (lookup facts, Wikipedia, etc.). It also has some Smarthome integration for voice control of lights, etc. the voice recognition seems very accurate. The few Easter Eggs I have found have been kind of boring. Overall, not life changing, but definitely worth the $99 I paid. Even though the music playback is just OK, it is adequate and the convenience of just speaking a playlist or station is worth it (vs having to find phone and connect a Bluetooth speaker). I've heard it distorts at high volume, but I don't crank the music like I used to. The voice activated timer has been very convenient (we keep it in the kitchen) and surprisingly the the shopping list. It also has IFTTT integration, but the triggers are rather weak.
 
I've had one since Christmas. I enjoy it and think it's well worth the $99 it cost. They continuously add content/features which is nice. I've had no complaints as far as the speaker goes but I don't have it at full volume either.
 
momalley said:
I've had one since Christmas. I enjoy it and think it's well worth the $99 it cost. They continuously add content/features which is nice. I've had no complaints as far as the speaker goes but I don't have it at full volume either.
Click to expand...

The Smarthome stuff is interesting, but I'm going to wait a bit. I don't like the Hue bulbs (makes your physical switches a liability) and the Wemo stuff seems flaky (they don't support complex wifi passwords, so I would have to reconfigure mine and the reviews aren't great). I did a simple IFTTT recipe (ring cell phone), but the triggers are pretty limited (list, add or change to do or shopping list). It would be a lot more useful if it was add a specific item to the to do list. The music stuff has been great, though. Fun little toy.
 
I've played with the IFTTT a little with my Nest but it still needs a lot of refinement and additional functionality to be useful at all.

It's great for getting the weather in the morning as I'm getting the boys dressed and ready for school.

My older son (7) uses it to find out the score of the previous nights Rangers' game in the morning :)
 
Mine arrives today. Interested to see how it works. Will pirep later.
 
John221us said:
It is an always on voice recognition device that is internet attached...
Click to expand...

So Amazon wants me to pay $99 for them to bug my home? I get the 'gee whiz' factor of having the computer at your beckon call like on Star Trek, but I think it's a negligent design defect that my laptop webcam doesn't have a physical disconnect switch.
 
DJTorrente said:
So Amazon wants me to pay $99 for them to bug my home? I get the 'gee whiz' factor of having the computer at your beckon call like on Star Trek, but I think it's a negligent design defect that my laptop webcam doesn't have a physical disconnect switch.
Click to expand...


If you think every device with a microphone is there to spy on you, then this isn't the device for you. If you have a cell phone, you should probably ditch that too. Is it a smart phone?
 
John221us said:
If you think every device with a microphone is there to spy on you, then this isn't the device for you. If you have a cell phone, you should probably ditch that too. Is it a smart phone?
Click to expand...

I'm not a Luddite. I did say I own that laptop. I also own a smart phone. Fortunately, it has a power switch. It is the always-on and designed to be listening features that strike me as unnerving.
 
DJTorrente said:
I'm not a Luddite. I did say I own that laptop. I also own a smart phone. Fortunately, it has a power switch. It is the always-on and designed to be listening features that strike me as unnerving.
Click to expand...

They would have to sift through a lot of boring stuff to find anything interesting being said in my kitchen. I am not too worried. I can't remember the last time I turned off my iPhone. It is pretty much always on, as well.
 
Any more opinions on the Amazon Echo? They must be improved, as they're up to $179 now.

I'm considering it for music, radio, and audio books, but I'm not sure if it's worth it for just that. Any found any interesting uses for it?

Any aviation uses? I'd like having it in the corner of my office if I could get it to read me METARs on demand.
 
Last edited:
'Been loving mine. Planning on buying a couple for Xmas presents. It's worth it for the music alone, but will take a while to remember it's available for so much more. We now listen to a LOT more music, just because it's so easy and flexible. Anything you want is just a command away. Rock, Jazz, Classical, Nature sounds, playlists, genres etc. And Podcasts and news. Also almost any radio station in the USA. $179 is actually a price reduction, as the retail was originally $199. DRAT, I missed the $129 price during Prime Day. They sold 4,000 units in minutes.

With the Software Developer Kit just released, and a $100 Million fund announced to help developers, this thing is going to go crazy.
 
Last edited:
What's to stop the NSA or a hacker from listening to everything you do in your house, if you've got one of these things with a microphone that's networked?
 
There is a mic-mute button. And what stops the same people from using the microphone in your cell phones, tablets, or laptops? And Smart TVs with microphones, or your voice activated Roku. ?? Don't some game consoles also have mics?
 
Last edited:
It's early. For music it's pretty good. It's a well engineered device. Sounds as good as a $100 speaker, does much more. I'd say it's worth the money and will increase in value over time. Amazon is investing $100M into making it a platform.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top