topic Re: Amazon Echo in Electronics

Amazon Echo

Puggirl — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 00:25:04 GMT

Love my Amazon Echo listening to Christmas music and everything else it can do.. Bought the Amazon Dot for my bedroom. So cool.....

Re: Amazon Echo

Roni18 — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 00:31:32 GMT

I got one but haven't had time to set it up yet. Hope i can do that this week.

Re: Amazon Echo

Bobbieg — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 00:51:48 GMT

What's the difference between the Dot and the Echo, I think I would like the Echo

Re: Amazon Echo

GCR18 — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 00:56:45 GMT

I have an echo. I tried it when it came, then put it in the closet. That was about a year ago. I got it from Amazon when they first came out. That's a great idea to play Christmas music.

Re: Amazon Echo

froggy — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 01:03:58 GMT

Forgive me if I'm being dense but can't I do the same thing with a radio or with the music channels on my cable system? Why do I need an Echo?

Re: Amazon Echo

Mz iMac — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 01:09:03 GMT

@Bobbieg wrote:
What's the difference between the Dot and the Echo, I think I would like the Echo

Dot

Echo

Dot is cheaper than the Echo yet does the exact same thing.

I have the Dot which I keep in my bedroom. I use it for everything but music. I have my own stero/receiver old school music setup w/huge speakers that will blow the clothes off your body.

Re: Amazon Echo

Mz iMac — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 01:12:29 GMT

@froggy wrote:
Forgive me if I'm being dense but can't I do the same thing with a radio or with the music channels on my cable system? Why do I need an Echo?

It's "hands off" technology. You talk to it, it answers & does the things you ask of it. The things you set up in your Alexa app that is.

Re: Amazon Echo

Puggirl — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 01:15:06 GMT

You have more volume to the larger speaker BUT the Dot is the only one you. Can connect to another speaker.

Re: Amazon Echo

froggy — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 01:26:24 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@froggy wrote:
Forgive me if I'm being dense but can't I do the same thing with a radio or with the music channels on my cable system? Why do I need an Echo?
It's "hands off" technology. You talk to it, it answers & does the things you ask of it. The things you set up in your Alexa app that is.

Eeeew! I don't want electronics answering me back.

Re: Amazon Echo

Moonchilde — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 02:32:35 GMT

@Puggirl wrote:
You have more volume to the larger speaker BUT the Dot is the only one you. Can connect to another speaker.

I've paired my Dot with a nice big fat JBL Bluetooth speaker and it sounds great.

"Alexa, play Christmas music."

Done!

Re: Amazon Echo

Moonchilde — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 02:35:36 GMT

I had read, I thought in more than one place, that one of the options for activating a Dot was that you could say "Dot, do such-and-such" (as opposed to Alexa, Echo and Amazon choices) but "Dot" was not listed among my choices during setup.

Anyone have any input?

Re: Amazon Echo

Mz iMac — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 03:37:06 GMT

@Moonchilde wrote:
I had read, I thought in more than one place, that one of the options for activating a Dot was that you could say "Dot, do such-and-such" (as opposed to Alexa, Echo and Amazon choices) but "Dot" was not listed among my choices during setup.

Anyone have any input?

@Moonchilde

I called Dot tech support. "Dot" is not an option "at this time." I named mine Echo. Dot had trouble understanding my deep voice and/or its tone for "Alexa."

SIDEBAR: My Dot updated itself yesterday w/o any notice. I was using it a the time when it just stopped working. Went to the Alexa app & noticed the software version changed. Went to the update site & confirmed the update.

I called Dot CR to report I did not get a notification from Dot. CR confirmed you will not get a notice from Dot. You will need to either check Amazon's update site or Alexa app. Told CR that was unacceptable. Was informed, there are many feedbacks from customers of Echo & Dot about this.

FWIW...

Tech support is US based.

Re: Amazon Echo

Moonchilde — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 03:48:30 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@Moonchilde wrote:
I had read, I thought in more than one place, that one of the options for activating a Dot was that you could say "Dot, do such-and-such" (as opposed to Alexa, Echo and Amazon choices) but "Dot" was not listed among my choices during setup.

Anyone have any input?
@Moonchilde

I called Dot tech support. "Dot" is not an option "at this time." I named mine Echo. Dot had trouble understanding my deep voice and/or its tone for "Alexa."

SIDEBAR: My Dot updated itself yesterday w/o any notice. I was using it a the time when it just stopped working. Went to the Alexa app & noticed the software version changed. Went to the update site & confirmed the update.

I called Dot CR to report I did not get a notification from Dot. CR confirmed you will not get a notice from Dot. You will need to either check Amazon's update site or Alexa app. Told CR that was unacceptable. Was informed, there are many feedbacks from customers of Echo & Dot about this.

FWIW...
Tech support is US based.

Thanks for all this, @Mz iMac!

I was listening to Xmas music earlier and it just stopped after about 45 min. It could have updated, like yours, or it might just be a signal interruption. I read where people that were streaming music just had it stop - and then it would suddenly start playing hours later! They suggested it's because no one had said "Alexa stop" so I did that. Hope I didn't stop an update, lol.

My wifi is totally sucky and there's nothing I can do about it. I expect that will affect my interaction with Alexa. I could spend hundreds, but geographically I'm in a near-dead zone 😩 so *-O-O-L.

I love that Amazon's M-F tech support is in the US. Maybe their Echo support is US all the time. That would be super.

Re: Amazon Echo

Mz iMac — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 03:59:18 GMT

@Moonchilde

You did better than me! When mine shut off I unplugged it, replugged it, pressed the "action" button a thousand times which I didn't realized was the resetting button.

I was ready to throw that hocky puck out the window when I noticed the v# looked different on the Alexa app.

I had to calm down before I called CR. Dot started working perfectly the next day.

Re: Amazon Echo

Nuttmeg — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 12:31:54 GMT

@froggy wrote:
@Mz iMac wrote:
@froggy wrote:
Forgive me if I'm being dense but can't I do the same thing with a radio or with the music channels on my cable system? Why do I need an Echo?
It's "hands off" technology. You talk to it, it answers & does the things you ask of it. The things you set up in your Alexa app that is.

Eeeew! I don't want electronics answering me back.

This is a video about Alexa

I was in Lowes the other day. The store has a display with Alexa and the home products.

Re: Amazon Echo

Puggirl — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 13:32:12 GMT

You always need to Alexa to ask a question or give a command.

Re: Amazon Echo

mima — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 14:50:21 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@Bobbieg wrote:
What's the difference between the Dot and the Echo, I think I would like the Echo

Dot

Echo

Dot is cheaper than the Echo yet does the exact same thing.

I have the Dot which I keep in my bedroom. I use it for everything but music. I have my own stero/receiver old school music setup w/huge speakers that will blow the clothes off your body.

It does the same thing EXCEPT that the Echo already has awesome speakers built in. So if you don't have external speakers or you want this on your kitchen counter without speakers hooked up to it (taking up room) you would want the Echo.

I have the Echo in the kitchen and a dot in the bedroom.

Yes they do the same thing. Sound quality is the only difference.

Re: Amazon Echo

BayonneJrsyGal — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 13:21:53 GMT

Tried downloading the app from Amazon and I don't have an android or Fire or Kindle or anything else they listed. Is there another way to sownload it?

Re: Amazon Echo

Marp — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 14:39:35 GMT

@BayonneJrsyGal, if you are using a PC you can control the Echo/Dot/Tap by signing into your Alexa account. This article explains how:

http://www.howtogeek.com/243364/how-to-control-your-amazon-echo-from-the-web-instead-of-a-cramped-smartphone-app/

Re: Amazon Echo

Mz iMac — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 18:51:15 GMT

@BayonneJrsyGal

YUP!

I do not own any mobile devices. Only computers (desktop & notebook). I downloaded the browser version which works w/Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Internet Explorer (10 or higher) on your Wi-Fi enabled computer.