Amazon Echo Club

[Keslynn]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Apple's website makes absolutely no mention of that. If you want to get your info second hand from a questionable source, then be prepared to get incorrect info.

Did wodin smoosh your hamster or something? He acknowledged that The Verge's info might be incomplete. It is possible that The Verge made up the setup information whole-cloth, but since they're a tech website, they probably got a press release from Apple.

Be nice or I'll sic Clippy on you!

Speaking of disastrous Windows assistants, I upgraded my version of Windows 10 on my tablet. The upgrade was taking forever so I ignored it. When the tablet finally booted up again, Cortana started telling me the rest of the setup steps at very high volume. Scared the heck out of me! I figured out how to mute her but only after the heart attack had already happened.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

No I was just making fun of good ol' Clippy. He was actually a good idea in theory I guess, but he mostly just annoyed the heck out of us by popping up way too often. Kind of the same issue we get with Alexa and Google Home, and no doubt with HomePod when it arrives.

Alexa play One Toke over the line.

[mlewis78]

Originally Posted by Keslynn

You can adjust the alarm volume in the Alexa app under Alerts & Alarms.

Thanks. Will try that.

Originally Posted by Keslynn

Did wodin smoosh your hamster or something? He acknowledged that The Verge's info might be incomplete. It is possible that The Verge made up the setup information whole-cloth, but since they're a tech website, they probably got a press release from Apple.

Be nice or I'll sic Clippy on you!

Speaking of disastrous Windows assistants, I upgraded my version of Windows 10 on my tablet. The upgrade was taking forever so I ignored it. When the tablet finally booted up again, Cortana started telling me the rest of the setup steps at very high volume. Scared the heck out of me! I figured out how to mute her but only after the heart attack had already happened.

My statement was just common sense...

Window 10 updates, even the relatively minor ones, have a nasty habit of resetting some of my settings, and they often replace favored drivers that I told it to leave alone with newer ones that don't work. Microsoft has become annoying insistent on forcing updates and certain settings on us. After an update, Windows 10 becomes like Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you will get. And since it updates so often, its a lot of work to keep it running the way you want it to.

I just got another "What's New with Alexa?" email, and it states:

In addition to Gmail, G Suite, Office 365, and Microsoft Outlook.com, you can now access your iCloud Calendar with Alexa. To get started, go to settings in your Alexa App and link with your iCloud ID and app-specific password.

Note: You have to set Apple ID --> Password and Security --> Two-Factor Authentication to ON before this will work. Then you have to go to applieid.apple.com web page and set up an Alexa specific iCloud paassword. It looks like Amazon has taken very good security measures.

I followed the instructions and it works. Nice to finally have support for iCloud Calendars. Hopefully we will get support for iCloud Notes and Reminders one day.

I just noticed another strange Alexa awakening from last night. The text records that my Dot in the living room heard "Echo, I am I drive." I initially assumed she heard that from a TV commercial about cars, but when I played the voice recording it actually recorded an address being given out on my radio scanner to an EMS unit. What Alexa actually heard was, "608 Kelly Drive, 608 Kelly Drive" but she thought she heard "Echo, I am I drive." Funny, not even close, and the recording BTW is crystal clear. So she definitely needs a lot more work to get her hearing corrected.

I guess when she heard "Six oh eight" she mistook that for "Echo". She certainly wakes up a lot when she hears "Oh" in a word or phrase. I think the first occurrence of 608 in the address callout probably got her attention, but she seems to have recorded only the second callout of the address. I have no idea why she would interpret "Kelly" as "I am I" as they sound nothing alike.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I just noticed another strange Alexa awakening from last night. The text records that my Dot in the living room heard "Echo, I am I drive." I initially assumed she heard that from a TV commercial about cars, but when I played the voice recording it actually recorded an address being given out on my radio scanner to an EMS unit. What Alexa actually heard was, "608 Kelly Drive, 608 Kelly Drive" but she thought she heard "Echo, I am I drive." Funny, not even close, and the recording BTW is crystal clear. So she definitely needs a lot more work to get her hearing corrected.

I guess when she heard "Six oh eight" she mistook that for "Echo". She certainly wakes up a lot when she hears "Oh" in a word or phrase. I think the first occurrence of 608 in the address callout probably got her attention, but she seems to have recorded only the second callout of the address. I have no idea why she would interpret "Kelly" as "I am I" as they sound nothing alike.

...you eavesdrop on official communications?

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

...you eavesdrop on official communications?

Yep, they watch us...we watch them.

BTW, it is perfectly legal as long as they don't encrypt their communications. It is illegal in USA to listen to encrypted communications without proper authorization, or to even own the equipment that can decrypt those communications. It is also illegal to listen in on cellular phone conversations. But for nearly all other communications, if they yack it up over the open air bands they are fair game to listen to!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Yep, they watch us...we watch them.

BTW, it is perfectly legal as long as they don't encrypt their communications. It is illegal in USA to listen to encrypted communications without proper authorization, or to even own the equipment that can decrypt those communications. It is also illegal to listen in on cellular phone conversations. But for nearly all other communications, if they yack it up over the open air bands they are fair game to listen to!

At least that's safer than videoing government buildings and installations. That really riles them up, even though it's perfectly legal to do so.

BTW, I knew it was legal to scan, but didn't know about the encrypted and cellular restrictions.

[tubemonkey]

Sure wish the Echo/Dot had playback controls (play/pause, skip, repeat) like the remote does. My Dots sit right next to me in the living room and bedroom, so they're within easy reach. Since the speaker(s) is closer to the mics on the Dot than they are on the Echo, I have to yell louder to be heard. So it's a lot easier to tap "skip" than it is to yell a voice command.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Sure wish the Echo/Dot had playback controls (play/pause, skip, repeat) like the remote does. My Dots sit right next to me in the living room and bedroom, so they're within easy reach. Since the speaker(s) is closer to the mics on the Dot than they are on the Echo, I have to yell louder to be heard. So it's a lot easier to tap "skip" than it is to yell a voice command.

TM: "Alexa, skip!"

Alexa: "I don't know what you are asking."

TM: "ALEXA, SKIP!!!!"

Alexa: "Okay, purchasing Skippy Peanut-butter."

TM: "ALEXA, STOP!"

TM: "ALEXA, SKIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Alexa: "The Skipper was a character on the 1960s TV series Gilligan's Island."

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by jswinden

TM: "Alexa, skip!"

Alexa: "I don't know what you are asking."

TM: "ALEXA, SKIP!!!!"

Alexa: "Okay, purchasing Skippy Peanut-butter."

TM: "ALEXA, STOP!"

TM: "ALEXA, SKIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Alexa: "The Skipper was a character on the 1960s TV series Gilligan's Island."

[wodin]

I just installed "Reverb for Amazon Alexa" on my Android phone, It seems to work OK on Sprint's 4G network and it has Alexa's voice. I haven't been home yet to see how it works with my SmarThings hub, but the literature says it'll work just fine.

It shows up in the Alexa App as another device, but the caveat is it doesn't support music because of licensing issues. That's on Amazon's side. The developer is trying to work it out with Amazon

I don't know if it has been ported to iThings, someone with an iPhone might want to check the App Store.

Spoiler:

Alexa's just as dumb on my phone as she is on my Echos

[WT Sharpe]

This morning I asked Alexa to add "wire nuts" to the shopping list. I'm not sure we're on the same page at all.

Also: Is it just me, or is there an option in the lower right hand corner of this screenshot to learn less? It could explain a lot about what's been going on in this country recently.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

This morning I asked Alexa to add "wire nuts" to the shopping list. I'm not sure we're on the same page at all.

Also: Is it just me, or is there an option in the lower right hand corner of this screenshot to learn less? It could explain a lot about what's been going on in this country recently.

Well I think it may be you but that was what I read too.
Oh and thanks, you reminded me that I need to look for a switch.