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DreamWriter · 01-03-2015, 07:46 PM

I received my Echo late yesterday afternoon, and I've been busy playing with Alexa.

Here are my initial observations and tips:

I had to adjust European ebook prices to conform with the new VAT-inclusive pricing law that went into effect January 1st. Alexa helped by converting Euros and GBPs into US dollars! For example, if I say "Alexa, convert three point nine nine Euros," she responds: "Three Euros and ninety-nine cents is four dollars and eighty-one cents." Off by two cents, but close enough.

Prime stations aren't directly supported yet, so to get around that, I use bluetooth on my Fire HD 6 to play the station on Echo. First, I say, "Alexa, pair." I then turn on bluetooth on the tablet. Next, I go to Fire's music app and play the station. I can control Echo's volume by saying "Alexa, volume up/down," but other Echo voice control functions don't work in this mode. When I'm ready to stop, I disconnect bluetooth on the tablet.

I've used Alexa to check the weather ("Alexa, weather"), listen to news ("Alexa, news"), set a timer, and asked movie trivia questions. I will try the shopping list soon.

I'll be using Echo mostly to play music. Alexa understands when I verbally request a specific album, song, artist, or playlist in my Prime library. She complies with some TuneIn verbal requests: Radio Paradise, Grateful Dead Radio, Hawaiian Rainbow, and Tiki Bar Radio. Other TuneIn stations will not play unless I choose them in the Echo app. I haven't tried iHeartRadio yet.

We watched a Prime video last night (sent to TV via HDMI from my Fire HD 6) and used Echo as a speaker (connected via bluetooth). Picture and words may be out of sync if Echo's too far away, but it worked fine for us.

Overall, I'm VERY happy with the Echo! It seems well built, and music quality is excellent for a $99 speaker. I look forward to additional features that will be added in the future!

01-03-2015, 07:46 PM	#8
DreamWriter Books are brain food. Posts: 2,950 Karma: 4836916 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: U.S. Device: Paperwhite · Fire HD6/HD8/HD10 · Galaxy Tab A7	I received my Echo late yesterday afternoon, and I've been busy playing with Alexa. Here are my initial observations and tips: I had to adjust European ebook prices to conform with the new VAT-inclusive pricing law that went into effect January 1st. Alexa helped by converting Euros and GBPs into US dollars! For example, if I say "Alexa, convert three point nine nine Euros," she responds: "Three Euros and ninety-nine cents is four dollars and eighty-one cents." Off by two cents, but close enough. Prime stations aren't directly supported yet, so to get around that, I use bluetooth on my Fire HD 6 to play the station on Echo. First, I say, "Alexa, pair." I then turn on bluetooth on the tablet. Next, I go to Fire's music app and play the station. I can control Echo's volume by saying "Alexa, volume up/down," but other Echo voice control functions don't work in this mode. When I'm ready to stop, I disconnect bluetooth on the tablet. I've used Alexa to check the weather ("Alexa, weather"), listen to news ("Alexa, news"), set a timer, and asked movie trivia questions. I will try the shopping list soon. I'll be using Echo mostly to play music. Alexa understands when I verbally request a specific album, song, artist, or playlist in my Prime library. She complies with some TuneIn verbal requests: Radio Paradise, Grateful Dead Radio, Hawaiian Rainbow, and Tiki Bar Radio. Other TuneIn stations will not play unless I choose them in the Echo app. I haven't tried iHeartRadio yet. We watched a Prime video last night (sent to TV via HDMI from my Fire HD 6) and used Echo as a speaker (connected via bluetooth). Picture and words may be out of sync if Echo's too far away, but it worked fine for us. Overall, I'm VERY happy with the Echo! It seems well built, and music quality is excellent for a $99 speaker. I look forward to additional features that will be added in the future!