Amazon Echo Club

[tubemonkey]

More New Features -- from an email:


Jeopardy!

America's favorite quiz show comes to Echo this week with the new skill, Jeopardy! Step up to the podium and get ready for a wide range of categories including sports, pop culture, travel, world history, and much more. Every weekday there are 6 new clues to play—and don't forget to answer in the form of a question.

To get started, simply enable the Jeopardy! skill using the Alexa App, then ask: "Alexa, start Jeopardy."


Alexa Skills

You can now rate and review skills. Share your experience with skills, and see what other customers are saying. Simply open the Alexa App, tap "Skills" from the menu, and select any of the third-party skills. Here are some new skills for you to try:

Capital Quiz
Improve your knowledge of the 50 US State Capitals with Capital Quiz. Enable the skill, then just ask: "Alexa, start Capital Quiz."

The Name Game (banana-fana)
Kids love playing The Name Game. Just enable the skill, then ask "Alexa, open The Name Game and use Jenny" and Alexa will say "Jenny jenny bo-benny, banana-fana fo-fenny, fee fi mo-menny, Jenny." Enable the skill, then try your name!


Get to Know Echo

Echo can provide a customized Flash Briefing of the latest news from a variety of news sources including CNN, Bloomberg, NPR, BBC, ESPN Radio, The Economist, and more.

To customize your Flash Briefing, open the Alexa App, go to Settings, then Flash Briefing.

Listen to your Flash Briefing:
Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?
Alexa, what's new?

Navigate your Flash Briefing:
Alexa, next.
Alexa, previous.

[copyrite]

I was just in the app in my phone and through the app you can now do TTS with your Kindle library. Haven't checked if the app sees side loaded books too.

[Conan46]

Hope you folks don't mind me asking a few questions. The text-to-speech feature has me interested in the Echo.
Does test-to-speech work on Kindle books you get via Overdrive library?
How good is text-to-speech on the Echo? Comparable to the Kindle HD tablet?
I'm guessing it will do most of the following, but please bear with me:
Can you set it like a timer, say for 15 minutes? As an alarm clock?
Does it work well streaming Pandora music?
I'm guessing it gives weather report for today/tomorrow?
Does it do "note to self" like Google Android? For instance, "Alexa, note to self..." and have it default to a preferred app like your email?
Thanks.

[copyrite]

TTS does work with Overdrive and Kindle Unlimited on the Echo. The TTS feature is based on if the publisher allows it on that specific title, and most do.

TTS sounds pretty good on the Echo... greatly improved since my Kindle Keyboard days!

You can set multiple timers and alarms. Yes Pandora works with it. I just asked for the weather for Friday, and also, randomly the forecast for Edinburgh, Scotland. Next I asked for Pizza Hut's phone number. There is a 'to do' list and a 'shopping list feature.

Hm... didn't know my phone could do a Note to Self! Thanks!

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by copyrite

TTS does work with Overdrive and Kindle Unlimited on the Echo. The TTS feature is based on if the publisher allows it on that specific title, and most do.

TTS sounds pretty good on the Echo... greatly improved since my Kindle Keyboard days!

You can set multiple timers and alarms. Yes Pandora works with it. I just asked for the weather for Friday, and also, randomly the forecast for Edinburgh, Scotland. Next I asked for Pizza Hut's phone number. There is a 'to do' list and a 'shopping list feature.

Hm... didn't know my phone could do a Note to Self! Thanks!

That is awesome Thanks!

[Conan46]

Interesting article about how Echo is gaining ground
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/techno...2016/ar-CChfra

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Conan46

That is awesome Thanks!

I don't usually listen to TTS but I like how Alexa sounds so I've been using this feature with nonfiction. She whispersyncs with your book. I'm not sure if it goes both ways though.

Alexa can do alot. She can tell time, weather, sets alarms, timers, has shopping and to-do lists. She also is a great speller and does math. She knows some facts and definitions and she can find you the closest pizza place or whatever business. She plays Audibles and of course radio stations if they are available through TuneIn and IHeartRadio. She also plays Prime Music and your own music.

She plays the news too. If you have smart devices like lights she can turn them off and on. I joke with her to do this but she tells me she can't find any in profile. One day I will buy me some smart bulbs.

One feature I hope they add is the real feel temperature and wind speed. She does tell you about severe weather when you ask about the weather.

She does a lot more like Skills and sport scores and some entertainment stuff.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I don't usually listen to TTS but I like how Alexa sounds so I've been using this feature with nonfiction. She whispersyncs with your book. I'm not sure if it goes both ways though.

Alexa can do alot. She can tell time, weather, sets alarms, timers, has shopping and to-do lists. She also is a great speller and does math. She knows some facts and definitions and she can find you the closest pizza place or whatever business. She plays Audibles and of course radio stations if they are available through TuneIn and IHeartRadio. She also plays Prime Music and your own music.

She plays the news too. If you have smart devices like lights she can turn them off and on. I joke with her to do this but she tells me she can't find any in profile. One day I will buy me some smart bulbs.

One feature I hope they add is the real feel temperature and wind speed. She does tell you about severe weather when you ask about the weather.

She does a lot more like Skills and sport scores and some entertainment stuff.

Thanks!
Too bad Amazon blew it with the Fire phone. It would have been great to have Alexa call people via speaker phone. I think it has lots of untapped potential, but reading text-to-speech books really has my attention. Will be looking for it to go on sale again

[wodin]

Portable Echo

[copyrite]

I WANT ONE! (All caps, bad netiquette, yes I AM YELLING!)

[Conan46]

Yes, battery powered, portable, will be interested in the price when it arrives.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Conan46

Yes, battery powered, portable, will be interested in the price when it arrives.

My prediction is $99.

Reports are saying that Baby Echo is not always on. That's a shame. The ability to walk into a room and issue a voice command is a major plus. Having to directly push a button on it or use a remote to issue commands is a major step backwards.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

My prediction is $99.

Reports are saying that Baby Echo is not always on. That's a shame. The ability to walk into a room and issue a voice command is a major plus. Having to directly push a button on it or use a remote to issue commands is a major step backwards.

I suspect you are right about the price. I can see people not wanting to give up the always on feature, but I would have the device within reach so it would not be an issue for me. I can live without always on for a battery and portability
And they will likely keep the original version around for a long time.

[wodin]

This suspiciously resembles a super remote, I think it's no accident that Amazon pulled the old remotes off the market.

[WT Sharpe]

I wonder what the device will look like? I can't see slipping my present Echo into my shirt pocket. Or will it be mainly for home use?

Glad I got the original when the original still came with the remote, but this might be better than a remote.