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Post by pjaye on Jul 30, 2017 13:28:18 GMT
The Echo currently isn't available here at all, but I've been stalking various tech forums the past few months and discovered that there are ways to make it work, so a lovely lady here bought one for me on Prime day...and it arrived last Wednesday.
So this morning I get up and ask Alexa what the weather will be like - fine and clear no rain, perfect for my plans. Then I tell her to play my music as I've already uploaded 200 of my own mp3 tracks...and she does. I'm in the kitchen making breakfast so I have to ask her to set a timer for 10 mins. Then I remembered that the Australian version of Survivor starts tonight, but I can't remember who won the last USA one, so I ask Alexa...it was Sarah. Timer goes off, then the music keeps playing, that song reminds me of another song that I can't think of the name of, so I ask Alexa "what was the theme song form the movie Armageddon?" and she starts playing "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" After breakfast I cleaned my teeth and came out and told Alexa to "add toothpaste to my shopping list"...and there it is in the phone a few seconds later.
Yesterday I bought a Wemo switch and connected it to my bedside light & now I can tell Alexa to "turn on (or off) bedside light" and the bedroom is lit up when I go in there.
I'm probably going shopping tomorrow to add some Philips Hue lights to my life! I have an LED light strip in my entertainment center, but currently have to lean in there and turn on the switch, it will be so much more fun to turn it on via voice commands.
I can also get instant answers to random questions that pop into my head (did you know Elizabeth Taylor was in 63 movies?). She's also been reading me my audiobook.
The only bad thing is that because The Echo isn't available here no-one else I know has one, so I've set up the 'calling' option...but have no-one to call 
Who else loves their Echo...and any other uses I'm missing? Although I think I've done pretty well for just 4 days.
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Post by leslie132 on Jul 30, 2017 14:15:20 GMT
This is too funny.
My 12 year old asked for this for Christmas. He REALLY wants one. Well I gave my SIL the idea (prime day) and she got it for him for his 13th birthday (October).
He is thrilled about listening to his music and I guess there is a trivia question that the Echo has and asks. He can't wait to get his questions. Oh the life!
Enjoy your new gadget.
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imsirius
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Post by imsirius on Jul 30, 2017 14:18:00 GMT
But the biggest question is...Does she talk with an Australian accent? Lol 😉
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Post by leslie132 on Jul 30, 2017 14:22:35 GMT
But the biggest question is...Does she talk with an Australian accent? Lol 😉 That would be FABULOUS!!!! |
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Post by pjaye on Jul 30, 2017 14:31:36 GMT
But the biggest question is...Does she talk with an Australian accent? Lol 😉 No...well at least not yet. Amazon are set to open here in the next few months, no word yet if the Echo will be released locally, but apparently there's a job ad out there by Amazon looking to add an Aussie linguist to the team, so there is hope. Currently I can only choose from USA or UK accents. Google Home has just been released here officially and in the ad someone asks it "what sound does a kookaburra make?" and it plays it...so I asked Alexa the same thing and she relied that she didn't know! I think Alexa needs to get out more and explore the fauna and flora around here. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 30, 2017 14:37:13 GMT
Sounds like you have a new BFF!  |
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zookeeper
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by zookeeper on Jul 30, 2017 14:49:00 GMT
This might be the very best commercial for the Echo that I have ever seen!
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Post by disneypal on Jul 30, 2017 15:55:57 GMT
I love my Echo too - I have prime and Sirius XM so lots of music choices. I have random questions pop into my brain all the time too and I love getting a quick answer from Alexa (Do you know that Tom Poston died in 2007 from respiratory failure?)
I also use it to turn on and off a light - which is nice when I first walk in the house or I am leaving the house. It is great for my shopping and to-do list.
It is awesome! So glad you have it and are loving it.
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Post by Outspoken on Jul 30, 2017 15:58:13 GMT
What kind of subscription service is required for these?
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Post by Lexica on Jul 30, 2017 16:10:59 GMT
I bought myself the Echo on Prime day as a birthday present from me to me! I knew I wanted one, and was trying to wait until I get moved and settled in so that I can set the house up with all the appropriate things to make the house more automated. I haven't had much time to set it up yet, so I'm just asking for timer functions, morning alarm, weather, and some music right now. I put "her" upstairs since I tend to spend so much time in my room, but would absolutely get the other disk thing so that I could have one on each floor if I was staying here or moving to another 2-story place. I haven't even set up my calendar yet, and I know that is one that I am really going to enjoy. Isn't technology fun?
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Post by MichyM on Jul 30, 2017 16:22:08 GMT
I've had my echo since the very beginning and recently added two dots. I absolutely agree, I'm in love! I'm curious...I've never looked into the light switch thing, but it would be awesome to have my bedside lamp turn on for me as I head into bed too. How complicated is it to set something like that up? And what do I need?
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imsirius
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Call it as I see it.
Posts: 7,661
Location: Floating in the black veil.
Jul 12, 2014 19:59:28 GMT
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Post by imsirius on Jul 30, 2017 16:39:23 GMT
But the biggest question is...Does she talk with an Australian accent? Lol 😉 No...well at least not yet. Amazon are set to open here in the next few months, no word yet if the Echo will be released locally, but apparently there's a job ad out there by Amazon looking to add an Aussie linguist to the team, so there is hope. Currently I can only choose from USA or UK accents. Google Home has just been released here officially and in the ad someone asks it "what sound does a kookaburra make?" and it plays it...so I asked Alexa the same thing and she relied that she didn't know! I think Alexa needs to get out more and explore the fauna and flora around here. Funny. Our GPS has an Australian accent option and we are Canadian. |
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Post by rst on Jul 30, 2017 16:42:36 GMT
I have the chdeapest plug accessory. It was not super easy to do the set up, but once we got it, it's fine and very reliable. I think you pay for ease of linking/set-up, so if you are tenacious and willing to call customer support if you get stuck, start out with the cheap plug and see how much you use it. I actually love it, and my christmas and birthday list is going to have a lot of echo accessory gadgets.
My only complaint -- I get cranky when I'm in the car and say "Alexa -- play__" and am greeted with silence. I just kind of expect Alexa to be there. We have 2 echos, one tap, one dot and a dash wand thingy, so I've come to rely on my friend Alexa a lot.
Another use -- reading your audiobooks, and they will be synced to your kindle, so if you listen at night, then read your kindle elsewhere, it keeps your place. Also, any book you have on kindle can be read to you-- in Alexa's voice and not at the quality of an audio book, but still useful sometimes.
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Post by KelleeM on Jul 30, 2017 16:44:31 GMT
We love Alexa. I'm glad she's making your life more fun!!
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Deleted
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May 19, 2024 17:34:00 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2017 17:18:42 GMT
Tell her to play Jeopardy!  |
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Deleted
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May 19, 2024 17:34:00 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2017 17:19:15 GMT
We need almost year round A/C here so I have her connected to my thermostat so I can tell her to turn up or down the temperature.
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Post by pjaye on Jul 30, 2017 17:26:31 GMT
How complicated is it to set something like that up? And what do I need? It was really easy. Buy a Wemo (Belkin) smart plug and download the app onto your phone, then the app tells you what to do to set it up - first it links to your wifi then - plug in the light, then press the switch on the plug...when the app detects the light you give it a name. Then you can turn the light on and off via a switch in the app. Then you go to 'smart home' in the Echo and enable the Wemo skill. From there it will detect the plug and the name that you have it (eg:bedside light". That's pretty much it. From there the Echo is linked to the plug and you can just say "Alexa turn on bedside light" and it goes on. I did the whole thing myself in less than 10 mins. What kind of subscription service is required for these? None. It's connected to electricity and your existing wifi. You can also upload up to 250 of your own music tracks for free. Only if you want streaming music or radio functions, or to upload more than 250 music tracks then you will need to pay a monthly subscription fee. |
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Post by MichyM on Jul 30, 2017 21:12:13 GMT
How complicated is it to set something like that up? And what do I need? It was really easy. Buy a Wemo (Belkin) smart plug and download the app onto your phone, then the app tells you what to do to set it up - first it links to your wifi then - plug in the light, then press the switch on the plug...when the app detects the light you give it a name. Then you can turn the light on and off via a switch in the app. Then you go to 'smart home' in the Echo and enable the Wemo skill. From there it will detect the plug and the name that you have it (eg:bedside light". That's pretty much it. From there the Echo is linked to the plug and you can just say "Alexa turn on bedside light" and it goes on. I did the whole thing myself in less than 10 mins. What kind of subscription service is required for these? None. It's connected to electricity and your existing wifi. You can also upload up to 250 of your own music tracks for free. Only if you want streaming music or radio functions, or to upload more than 250 music tracks then you will need to pay a monthly subscription fee. Well that's like a foreign language to me, but I'm willing to give it a go. Off to google for more info. My bedroom could really use this function. Thanks! |
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Post by mollycoddle on Jul 30, 2017 21:32:44 GMT
No...well at least not yet. Amazon are set to open here in the next few months, no word yet if the Echo will be released locally, but apparently there's a job ad out there by Amazon looking to add an Aussie linguist to the team, so there is hope. Currently I can only choose from USA or UK accents. Google Home has just been released here officially and in the ad someone asks it "what sound does a kookaburra make?" and it plays it...so I asked Alexa the same thing and she relied that she didn't know! I think Alexa needs to get out more and explore the fauna and flora around here. Funny. Our GPS has an Australian accent option and we are Canadian. I set Siri to have a male Aussie accent-love it! |
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zookeeper
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by zookeeper on Jul 30, 2017 21:47:08 GMT
Can someone shed some light on the difference between the Eco and the Echo Dot? Never mind...I figured it out!
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jul 31, 2017 0:09:46 GMT
Man, I feel like a slacker. You've gotten more out of Alexa in four days than we've gotten in four months! I need to up my Alexa game. Lol.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jul 31, 2017 0:17:42 GMT
How are the speakers for the music?
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FurryP
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Post by FurryP on Jul 31, 2017 2:12:08 GMT
Can you tell Alexa on Sunday to remind you at 7:45pm on Tuesday and ________ show is on?
Will she do that?
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Post by pjaye on Jul 31, 2017 9:06:39 GMT
How are the speakers for the music? I'm happy with them...however I do live in an apartment and the rooms aren't huge so I find it great for my needs. In a much larger house it's not going to be as good as your proper sound system. But it doesn't sound tinny and it's nice enough to listen to music on. Can you tell Alexa on Sunday to remind you at 7:45pm on Tuesday and ________ show is on? Will she do that? Yes. However I'm not sure if it mentions the "what" in the reminder, or if it just sounds an alarm I have a reminder set for an appointment on Wednesday, so I'll know more then. But I did say what sort of an appointment it was so I'm assuming it will tell me i.e "you have a doctors appointment in 2 hours" You can also add things to your calendar or a to-do list in your phone. So there are several ways to be reminded. |
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Post by pjaye on Jul 31, 2017 10:32:01 GMT
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Post by Really Red on Jul 31, 2017 11:50:50 GMT
You just made me laugh!!! Glad you love your Echo!
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Post by baslp on Jul 31, 2017 12:14:23 GMT
Sounds like you are enjoying your echo. I want one now!!
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Gravity
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Post by Gravity on Jul 31, 2017 13:57:07 GMT
I feel like a slacker. I bought a dot on prime day. I've only used it for my calendar, weather, and music.
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Post by MadamG2U on Jul 31, 2017 14:07:00 GMT
I have the Echo and two dots and love them. I have slowly been adding Hue lights to the system (took almost a year), enjoy telling her to turn the lights on and off. I've hooked it to my TV (thru Logetic), my nest thermostat and an air conditioner. The speakers on Echo a pretty good, not so great on the dots. I've hooked each dot to an external speaker. I use the dot in the bedroom as my alarm clock. When I have guest I do the Alexa simon says hello to .... and she says hello to them the look on someones face, priceless!
MadamG2U
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imsirius
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Location: Floating in the black veil.
Jul 12, 2014 19:59:28 GMT
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Post by imsirius on Jul 31, 2017 15:33:45 GMT
I loved that video! Haha...
I think I might see about getting google home. I don't think Alexa is available yet on Amazon Canada and I totally underuse Siri because it's my iPad and I don't carry it through the house with me lol.
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