Amazon announces: Echo - Page 46

ApK · 05-30-2015, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catlady

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.

Actually $99+ Bluetooth speakers (just speakers) are quite popular. But so are multi-hundred dollar headphones that people use out on noisy streets with mediocre quality mp3 players, so go fig.
But Echo isn't JUST a speaker.
And apparently, they DID sell like hotcakes at $99.
Still, I don't think we'd have jumped on as an early adopter at $150 either. Maybe it's on the verge of getting it's next-gen feature upgrade?

WT Sharpe · 05-30-2015, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

My wife's entire rational was "I don't know why I want it, I just do."

That was pretty much my rational. It worked out well, so far.

copyrite · 06-05-2015, 09:21 AM

So I just read on an Amazon thread that there is now Audible integration. I just told Alexa to play audiobook and it continued playing the last book I was listening to! Way cool!

ETA: the Android app is also listing my library.

ApK · 06-05-2015, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by copyrite

So I just read on an Amazon thread that there is now Audible integration. I just told Alexa to play audiobook and it continued playing the last book I was listening to! Way cool!

ETA: the Android app is also listing my library.

Pretty neat. Nice to see that some of the stuff we all assume will coming actually gets here.

Not a huge use for that feature in our house (we rarely stay in one room listening to an audiobook without headphones) but nice to know.

tubemonkey · 06-05-2015, 09:58 AM

Yeah

There's a discussion thread for audiobook use in the Audiobook Forum.

Atunah · 06-05-2015, 10:51 AM

I still love and use my Echo. None of the other things like ok google can help me when I am walking around the house with my hands full of dough. I mean I con't carry my phone around with me in my house. Its either in a purse, or on a table somewhere. The whole point for me is that Echo stays in one place, I can talk to it from almost anywhere since I placed her strategically.

She understands me just fine now, took a while. Weather, conversions, music, radio stations from around the world, playlists, news in the morning, calendar events. I use shopping list all the time, don't go shopping without it anymore. I am not forgetting things anymore as I add it as I am cooking around, just yell it out of the kitchen.

Timer is great and I can hear it from anywhere and again, hands free.

Of course I have several other devices around the house that can do some of those things to some degree, but none can do it hands free, without having to pick one up, find it, walk to it and do it all in one.

fjtorres · 06-05-2015, 12:06 PM

Now, if only they added direct Audible support to the FireTV stick (which needs no invite)...

tubemonkey · 06-05-2015, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Now, if only they added direct Audible support to the FireTV stick (which needs no invite)...

That would definitely be neat

fjtorres · 06-09-2015, 12:08 PM

Interesting review:
http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-...want-two-more/

They call Echo stupid and annoying...
...they want two or three more.
Now.
At $99.

conan50 · 06-09-2015, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Interesting review:
http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-...want-two-more/

They call Echo stupid and annoying...
...they want two or three more.
Now.
At $99.

He didn't really sell me on one :-)
I'm kind of shocked that bluetooth speaker companies have not already done something much better with Google Now.

fjtorres · 06-09-2015, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conan50

He didn't really sell me on one :-)
I'm kind of shocked that bluetooth speaker companies have not already done something much better with Google Now.

The home Hub aspect is hard work.
Even Apple is delaying their new Apple TV hardware in part because of the Home automation they're trying to bring in.
Amazon selling what is in effect a gamma test product and bringing features in incrementally reflects both the difficulty and the urgency to get into the market.

Things are going to get interesting fairly soon, when Microsoft moves the XB1 to Win10 and with the ongoing popularization of hockey puck and stick PCs. The basic software already exists so it will be easy to repurpose cheapie Win10 products into that space. Which means competing with Dell, Asus, Acer, China Inc...

conan50 · 06-09-2015, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjtorres

The home Hub aspect is hard work.
Even Apple is delaying their new Apple TV hardware in part because of the Home automation they're trying to bring in.
Amazon selling what is in effect a gamma test product and bringing features in incrementally reflects both the difficulty and the urgency to get into the market.

Things are going to get interesting fairly soon, when Microsoft moves the XB1 to Win10 and with the ongoing popularization of hockey puck and stick PCs. The basic software already exists so it will be easy to repurpose cheapie Win10 products into that space. Which means competing with Dell, Asus, Acer, China Inc...

Microsoft always seems a day late and dollar short. They are too cautious. They have the resources to do just about anything, but they are cautious and slow at letting go of the old paradigm. They have gotten better recently by finally realizing mobile is important and services rather than software is the new money model. We need more than just Apple & Google, that is one reason I'm glad Amazon is taking some risks in various areas.

fjtorres · 06-09-2015, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conan50

Microsoft always seems a day late and dollar short. They are too cautious. They have the resources to do just about anything, but they are cautious and slow at letting go of the old paradigm. They have gotten better recently by finally realizing mobile is important and services rather than software is the new money model. We need more than just Apple & Google, that is one reason I'm glad Amazon is taking some risks in various areas.

Well, don't be so quick to write MS off.
They are careful on the hardware front and don't get credit for everything they do, but home automation is an area they are already in. The only need to jump to the head of the pack is an Echo-like voice activated system. Of which they have two: Cortana and XBOX Kinect. Both top-rank.

With Cortana integrated in Win10 the door is open for custom Windows solutions working off even sub-$100 Wintabs. Home security integrators are going to make a killing.

conan50 · 06-09-2015, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Well, don't be so quick to write MS off.
They are careful on the hardware front and don't get credit for everything they do, but home automation is an area they are already in. The only need to jump to the head of the pack is an Echo-like voice activated system. Of which they have two: Cortana and XBOX Kinect. Both top-rank.

With Cortana integrated in Win10 the door is open for custom Windows solutions working off even sub-$100 Wintabs. Home security integrators are going to make a killing.

I haven't written them off, but they have missed some opportunities. Imagine if they had given away Windows mobile OS several years ago to OEMs. Where would they be right now in the mobile space? I think they made up ground with Office Online and Onedrive, and they are certainly trying with Bing. We need competition so I hope can bring it with more tech. They should get with Intel & other OEMs and release a Cortana version like Echo.

Breathinlady · 06-09-2015, 09:25 PM

Would there be any way to control a light via echo away from home via my Fire Phone?

06-05-2015, 09:21 AM	#678
copyrite Wizard Posts: 1,841 Karma: 4985051 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Maryland Device: Kindle	So I just read on an Amazon thread that there is now Audible integration. I just told Alexa to play audiobook and it continued playing the last book I was listening to! Way cool! ETA: the Android app is also listing my library. Last edited by copyrite; 06-05-2015 at 09:28 AM.

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06-05-2015, 09:58 AM	#680
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,773 Karma: 158733736 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	Yeah There's a discussion thread for audiobook use in the Audiobook Forum.

06-05-2015, 10:51 AM	#681
Atunah Wizard Posts: 1,817 Karma: 23400001 Join Date: May 2012 Location: USA Device: K1/K3/BasicK Voyage/Oasis1/Oasis3	I still love and use my Echo. None of the other things like ok google can help me when I am walking around the house with my hands full of dough. I mean I con't carry my phone around with me in my house. Its either in a purse, or on a table somewhere. The whole point for me is that Echo stays in one place, I can talk to it from almost anywhere since I placed her strategically. She understands me just fine now, took a while. Weather, conversions, music, radio stations from around the world, playlists, news in the morning, calendar events. I use shopping list all the time, don't go shopping without it anymore. I am not forgetting things anymore as I add it as I am cooking around, just yell it out of the kitchen. Timer is great and I can hear it from anywhere and again, hands free. Of course I have several other devices around the house that can do some of those things to some degree, but none can do it hands free, without having to pick one up, find it, walk to it and do it all in one.

06-05-2015, 12:06 PM	#682
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	Now, if only they added direct Audible support to the FireTV stick (which needs no invite)...

06-09-2015, 12:08 PM	#684
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	Interesting review: http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-...want-two-more/ They call Echo stupid and annoying... ...they want two or three more. Now. At $99.

06-09-2015, 09:25 PM	#690
Breathinlady Zealot Posts: 144 Karma: 2968914 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Indiana Device: K3, Kindle Fire HD,HD6,10HD,2 Fire Phones iPod touch, iPad3, Nexus 10	Would there be any way to control a light via echo away from home via my Fire Phone?