Amazon Echo Club

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Amazon Echo & Echo Dot will soon use a yellow light to indicate unheard messages

I've been seeing my Dot show a green light a few times, and was taken aback, because previously I'd only seen blue--but I use it so little, I thought it might be a matter of changes in the room lighting that were making it look different.

Still confusing, though, because I didn't sign up for any messaging or calls. Hmm.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I don't know, but she has been going off and also messing up commands a lot. Must have been an update. Maybe she is jealous of all the attention the Dash Wand has been getting.

My wife says she just likes to hear herself talk

[tubemonkey]

For those interested, here's a description of the lights used in the light ring:

About the Light Ring

Originally Posted by Conan46

My wife says she just likes to hear herself talk

Probably true!

What gets me is she screws up the smart home commands as often as she gets them correct. Here lately I can say, "Alex, porch light on." She will respond that she is turning it on but it doesn't come on. I repeat the command, followed by some choice words and the light comes on. I looked at the History tab in the Alexa app and she is definitely hearing the commands correctly, but she doesn't manage to carry them out more than about 50% of the time. Very frustrating. Maybe she is going through her teenage rebellion phase.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

For those interested, here's a description of the lights used in the light ring:

About the Light Ring

If she drapes a sock over herself, is that another way of saying "do not disturb"?

My cats used to mostly ignore her, but now that she starts babbling about who knows what on a frequent basis, they both look at her like she is crazy.

[tubemonkey]

Amazon Dash Wand Review — What Alexa can and can’t do

When Amazon added Alexa capabilities to the Dash Wand, they instantly made a mostly forgotten device interesting again. At just $20, the Dash Wand is now the least expensive Alexa-enabled device Amazon makes, and it’s even more affordable for Prime members since they get a $20 credit when activating the device, making it essentially free. Since it wasn’t originally designed to be an Alexa device, there are limitations to its voice capabilities, compared to something like the Echo Dot. Here’s an overview of the Dash Wand, as well as a detailed look into what Alexa on it can and can’t do.

Not being an Alexa-enabled device from the beginning, the Dash Wand does have a few quirks and limitations. For example, if you ask it “what can you do,” which is a standard command Amazon encourages new Alexa device owners to try, Alexa will list things it can do that are not actually available through the Dash Wand. Another quirk is Alexa tells you the device does not have a battery when you ask for the battery level, even though the device is powered by a pair of AAA batteries.

The first semi-limitation of the Dash Wand, which you’ll probably expect, is that it does not have hands-free capabilities, so you’ll have to press the physical button on the device before talking to Alexa. Since it’s powered by off-the-shelf non-rechargeable batteries, which come included, Amazon probably won’t add hands-free Alexa capabilities through a software update, like they did with the Amazon Tap portable speaker. Unlike the Tap, you have to keep holding the Dash Wand’s button the entire time you’re speaking a command. You can’t just tap and release the button, like you can with the aptly named Amazon Tap.

Streaming audio of any sort is not available through the Dash Wand. That includes all music playback, regardless of which service it’s coming from, be it Amazon, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or TuneIn. In addition to music, you also can’t listen to flash briefings, podcasts, or books, both Audible audio books and Kindle books, through the Dash Wand.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Amazon Dash Wand Review — What Alexa can and can’t do

If Alexa was actually based on AI (artificial intelligence) rather than the AI (absolute insanity) that Bezo's Bozos chose to use, the Dash Wand would be a nifty device. But as it is, my Dot is insane most days to the point of making me almost want to get a hammer and pound her into dust.

[copyrite]

There's a new SiriusXM skill for the Echo. I have a car only plan... makes me consider adding the streaming so I can listen in the house!

[DreamWriter]

I received my Dash Wand today. I noticed that it's been hammered in Amazon reviews, but I really like it!

I didn't have any difficulty with setup except that the wand timed out before I could enter my very long WiFi password into the app. So I completed entry of the password and then put the wand in setup mode again. No problem. You do need an iPhone or Android phone to set it up (it wouldn't work on my Android tablet). I have an Android phone that's not activated for calling (just used for music), and that worked. There's info on setup here.

The $20 promotional credit was added to my account immediately after wand registration. It can only be used for items sold by Amazon.com, and it shows up during the final stage of checkout. I used the credit for a Prime Pantry order since I already had a $5 credit to offset $5.99 Pantry shipping fee.

The Dash Wand scanner worked for the three items I tried. Adding items via voice also worked. If you say "Add cat food," it'll add the item to your Alexa Shopping List. If you just say "cat food," the item is added to your shopping cart. I've asked it to convert measurements and foreign currency, asked about the weather, had it spell a word, inquired about traffic, gave it a math problem...all questions were answered. This would be very useful to control Alexa-enabled smart devices (which I don't have).

I'm glad I got it.

[tubemonkey]

Just got my Dash Wand. I used a phone that isn't activated to set it up and the $20 credit popped into my account. I played with it for a bit but doubt I'll use it very much.

It would be great if I could use it as a remote to control my Echos.

[FizzyWater]

Okay, that's 2 saying they used non-activated phones. What's the problem with using an activated phone?

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Okay, that's 2 saying they used non-activated phones. What's the problem with using an activated phone?

No problem as long as the phone is an Android (running OS 4.0 or greater) or iPhone (running iOS 7.0 or greater). I don't own an activated cell phone.

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

It would be great if I could use it as a remote to control my Echos.

Yeah, that would be nice.

You can still get a "used" Echo Remote for $9.82 from Amazon Warehouse Deals. The two I bought appear to be new.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Okay, that's 2 saying they used non-activated phones. What's the problem with using an activated phone?

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

No problem as long as the phone is an Android (running OS 4.0 or greater) or iPhone (running iOS 7.0 or greater). I don't own an activated cell phone.

Yep. what DreamWriter said. I have Verizon and they force you to pay for a data plan if you activate a smartphone. I don't need a data plan and I refuse to pay for a data plan. So I use an old-school flip phone for calls and texts. I buy no-contract smartphones to use for music and audiobooks. They're great shirt pocket tablets. My current smartphone is an LG Tribute HD. I paid $20 for it.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

Yeah, that would be nice.

You can still get a "used" Echo Remote for $9.82 from Amazon Warehouse Deals. The two I bought appear to be new.

Thanks for the tip, but I'm waiting for Prime Day next month. I got a really good deal on one last year. If nothing pans out, then I'll go your route.