Amazon Echo Club

[issybird]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Try "Alexa play ocean sound". That gives me actual ocean sounds. Saying "Alexa play sounds of the ocean" made her play a sample of an instrumental with a bit of ocean sound in the background.

Thank you! That worked. That instrumental was awful.

Originally Posted by issybird

Thank you! That worked. That instrumental was awful.

I couldn't stand the instrumental one either! I can't imagine trying to relax to that weird mix of nature and instruments.

Originally Posted by issybird

For the life of me, I can't get her to play "sound of the ocean."

Originally Posted by jswinden

Try "Alexa play ocean sound". That gives me actual ocean sounds. Saying "Alexa play sounds of the ocean" made her play a sample of an instrumental with a bit of ocean sound in the background.

Originally Posted by issybird

Thank you! That worked. That instrumental was awful.

Originally Posted by jswinden

I couldn't stand the instrumental one either! I can't imagine trying to relax to that weird mix of nature and instruments.

Sorry yes ocean sounds [by ocean sounds] was what I was thinking of. Played a a soothing volume, not gale force.

Alexa is supposed to have some good skills for playing relaxing sounds too. I haven't tried any yet. I do like Ocean Sounds by Ocean Sounds, but just remember to turn on the loop option or it will end after the 1hr 14min album is finished playing.

[Catlady]

Cool! I'm not happy with the ocean sounds, but I asked for crackling fire sounds, which will help the ambience when I have the electric logs going.

The Dot is on sale for $39.95. Back in stock on Dec 14th for white and 16th for black.

The Tap is on sale for $89.95. Back in stock on Dec 27th.

The Echo is on sale for $139.95. Currently in stock.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by jswinden

LOL! Yep they do that every once in a while. Mostly my Echo and Dot do that when the TV is on or one of my ham radios is on. Occasionaly they pick up noise from the neighborhood. But I think electronic noise can also trigger them to do that. If you could see all the radio waves bouncing around your house you would probably be quite surprised, but nearly every gadget we own creates them. Occasionally those electromagnetic waves cause interference. I've heard static from interference coming over my radios at the same time that Alexa will suddenly wake up and say she didn't understand my request, which was never asked of course. I also see Alexa light up a lot for a brief moment but never make a sound. I guess in those cases she thought perhaps I was asking a question but then determined I wasn't.

Yep, me too. I'm wondering when Alexa is going to order me a new Cadillac. After all, she can order an Uber now, why not leave the driver behind?

[Catlady]

I think the electronics gods were angry with me for a while, but now have decided I've suffered enough and have moved on to plague someone else. First my stereo, which last week was playing out of only one speaker and resisted all my minor poking and tinkering, suddenly cured itself. And then, emboldened by that miracle, I tried once again to get my Dot to play nice with my BlueGate RXT transmitter/receiver in that same stereo--and, lo and behold, I FINALLY got the Dot and the BlueGate to pair!

I did it in a counterintuitive way--I put the BlueGate in transmitter mode, set it up as a new Bluetooth device in the Alexa app (which I was unable to do when it was in receiver mode), then changed it to receiver mode and, voila, the Dot paired with it.

Of course, in honor of my triumph, I then asked Alexa to play the Hallelujah Chorus.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Of course, in honor of my triumph, I then asked Alexa to play the Hallelujah Chorus.

Originally Posted by Catlady

I think the electronics gods were angry with me for a while, but now have decided I've suffered enough and have moved on to plague someone else. First my stereo, which last week was playing out of only one speaker and resisted all my minor poking and tinkering, suddenly cured itself. And then, emboldened by that miracle, I tried once again to get my Dot to play nice with my BlueGate RXT transmitter/receiver in that same stereo--and, lo and behold, I FINALLY got the Dot and the BlueGate to pair!

I did it in a counterintuitive way--I put the BlueGate in transmitter mode, set it up as a new Bluetooth device in the Alexa app (which I was unable to do when it was in receiver mode), then changed it to receiver mode and, voila, the Dot paired with it.

Of course, in honor of my triumph, I then asked Alexa to play the Hallelujah Chorus.

[Catlady]

What's the best way to create reminders for events? I don't currently use any kind of calendar app, and don't really want to use one, but it would be helpful to have Alexa remind me that a bill is due or that I need to send a birthday card, etc.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Catlady

What's the best way to create reminders for events? I don't currently use any kind of calendar app, and don't really want to use one, but it would be helpful to have Alexa remind me that a bill is due or that I need to send a birthday card, etc.

I use Google Calendar. We share one family calendar, and it makes life much easier. I've only tried it once of twice with Alexa, but it seems to work.

Originally Posted by ApK

I use Google Calendar. We share one family calendar, and it makes life much easier. I've only tried it once of twice with Alexa, but it seems to work.

Just started using that. I can quiz Alexa for what is on my calendar and receive a verbal list of events I have added to Google calendar.

[Catlady]

But I'm never able to keep up a calendar when I have to type in the info. I would like to just tell Alexa to remind me to do X on such-and-such a date. Is there a skill to do that?

Originally Posted by Catlady

What's the best way to create reminders for events? I don't currently use any kind of calendar app, and don't really want to use one, but it would be helpful to have Alexa remind me that a bill is due or that I need to send a birthday card, etc.

I think it only works with Google Calendar. I tried to get it to work with my Apple Calendar, but no luck. There might be a way to do it, but I haven't researched it yet. But I can see where it would need a calendar app to work, and apparently Amazon doesn't have their own calendar app since Google has one already. I refuse to use the incredible, hackable Google apps, so until I figure out a way to use reminders with my Apple Calendar and Reminder apps, I won't be asking Alexa to set them.