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Old 05-29-2015, 09:14 PM   #661
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I saw that the other day. I think they are going in the wrong direction. You can pick up one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D6OHHEE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o03_s00
pair it to an Android tablet or phone and have more functions and uses.
You can have just a smart phone and have more functions and uses, but it's not the same.
The Echo is a well designed, well engineered, well integrated appliance. If it sells well somewhere between $99 and $199 then that's that.
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Old 05-29-2015, 10:31 PM   #662
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I saw that the other day. I think they are going in the wrong direction.
I agree. I'd pay $99 for a 2nd Echo, but no way am I paying $149 for another one unless they really bump up functionality - Audible, OverDrive, TTS, Siri-like intelligence, rechargeable, synching between multiple units, etc.
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Old 05-29-2015, 10:35 PM   #663
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Mine just sits mostly. I use her for weather and sometimes for music. If I am cleaning but I prefer Okay Google because Alexa gets 85% of what I say wrong and lately she acts possessed by turning on and talking for no reason. I actually use the app for music or she never play the right thing. It takes 3 tries for her to understand I want the weather forecast. She's a novelty more than anything.
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Old 05-29-2015, 10:50 PM   #664
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I'm still having fun with her. She reads audiobooks to me from my paired iPad. And slowly, Alexa's functionality is increasing. If you have the money to set it up, she can now control the lights in your house. And just today I got an email letting me know I can link her with my Google Calendar through the Echo app. Unfortunately, she has yet to learn of any of my upcoming appointments. That may due to be my phone's slow performance. The wife is asleep now, so I'll check again in the morning.

I think the reason the Echo is only available by invitation is that we're all beta testers. We're finding the bugs and testing her potential. Once she's up to speed, there will be a big announcement and a big push on the main Amazon site.
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Old 05-29-2015, 10:59 PM   #665
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I think the reason the Echo is only available by invitation is that we're all beta testers. We're finding the bugs and testing her potential. Once she's up to speed, there will be a big announcement and a big push on the main Amazon site.
No doubt. I don't mind being a beta tester. For what it does now, my $99 is well spent.
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Old 05-29-2015, 11:07 PM   #666
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You can have just a smart phone and have more functions and uses, but it's not the same.
The Echo is a well designed, well engineered, well integrated appliance. If it sells well somewhere between $99 and $199 then that's that.
I think it has amazing potential, but I can't find a good reason to buy it. With my bluetooth speaker I can listen to text-to-speech books and audiobooks from my Kindle tablets and Android tablets. With OK Google I can launch my Google Music, get the weather, etc.
If it ever gets more functional I will reconsider, but as I said, the price is going in the wrong direction and functionality hasn't increased enough to match it. I hope they do improve it, and I expect Google and Apple may copy Amazon and release something similar in the future, but probably more functional.
Forgot to mention, my bluetooth speaker is battery powered and can be moved easily from room to room. Amazon has to make the Echo battery powered in the next iteration IMO.
Last edited by conan50; 05-29-2015 at 11:11 PM.
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Old 05-30-2015, 12:52 AM   #667
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...And just today I got an email letting me know I can link her with my Google Calendar through the Echo app. Unfortunately, she has yet to learn of any of my upcoming appointments. That may due to be my phone's slow performance. The wife is asleep now, so I'll check again in the morning....
It must have been my phone. I fiddled around with the settings and now my Google Calendar is accessible by Alexa.
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Old 05-30-2015, 12:54 AM   #668
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...I don't mind being a beta tester. For what it does now, my $99 is well spent.
I agree. It's kind of exciting, actually.
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Old 05-30-2015, 09:48 AM   #669
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I'm still having fun with her. She reads audiobooks to me from my paired iPad. And slowly, Alexa's functionality is increasing. If you have the money to set it up, she can now control the lights in your house. And just today I got an email letting me know I can link her with my Google Calendar through the Echo app. Unfortunately, she has yet to learn of any of my upcoming appointments. That may due to be my phone's slow performance. The wife is asleep now, so I'll check again in the morning.
I know of bad scifi/horror films that have started this way...
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Old 05-30-2015, 11:38 AM   #670
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No doubt. I don't mind being a beta tester. For what it does now, my $99 is well spent.
Agreed worth $99 but not much more than that yet. Okay Google, Cortana and Siri surpass Alexa in Intelligence and Usefulness. Amazon is being very slow on adding features that are needed. The Calendar is the first step I've seen I'd like to see Severe Weather Alerts added. She will tell you there is one already when you get the forecast but it would be great for her to alert you by maybe a flashing red ring or something like that. Now that would be useful.
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Old 05-30-2015, 02:39 PM   #671
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I think it has amazing potential, but I can't find a good reason to buy it
My wife's entire rational was "I don't know why I want it, I just do."
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Old 05-30-2015, 03:55 PM   #672
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My wife's entire rational was "I don't know why I want it, I just do."
I've been tempted. But not at $149 I hope they get more features like they did with Google Calendar. More features and drop the price to about $79 and they will sell like hotcakes.
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Old 05-30-2015, 04:30 PM   #673
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I'm not sorry I canceled my order. As Blossom said, it seems to be a novelty. The price point would have to be around $50 before I'd even consider it.
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Old 05-30-2015, 06:01 PM   #674
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She works great as a Bluetooth speaker and for $99 the price was good but if I was to pay $149 I would want portability above all things. Being powered by a power supply is the biggest downfall for Echo.
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Old 05-30-2015, 07:12 PM   #675
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She works great as a Bluetooth speaker and for $99 the price was good but if I was to pay $149 I would want portability above all things. Being powered by a power supply is the biggest downfall for Echo.
I just got a little rechargeable Bluetooth speaker that I was trying out today--it cost all of $13 and sounds just fine. It's hard for me to wrap my head around $100 for a speaker. Maybe some people have hearing that is sensitive enough to pick up every nuance, but I don't.
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