Amazon Echo Club

[tubemonkey]

Garmin Speak with Amazon Alexa

$150 -- Garmin Speak with Amazon Alexa -- available now

What You Love About Amazon Alexa — Now in Your Vehicle

• Stream music playlists and podcasts through your vehicle’s stereo, play audiobooks, check the weather, and listen to news, sports stats or traffic updates — all while keeping your hands on the wheel and your smartphone stowed away
  
• Place orders for home delivery of goods or food, create shopping and to-do lists, update your calendar, and remotely control smart home automation such as lights, locks and thermostat
  
• Access exclusive Garmin turn-by-turn spoken directions by saying, “Alexa, ask Garmin … ”; display shows lane guidance arrows and upcoming turns
  
• Choose from thousands of skills in the Alexa Skills Store
  
• Requires download of the free Garmin Speak app to your Bluetooth®-enabled smartphone; Garmin Speak uses your phone’s data connection to stream Alexa responses through your vehicle’s stereo system via Bluetooth or AUX

Turn words into actions with Garmin Speak voice service, your always-ready driving companion¹. This small, interactive device combines the hands-free convenience of Amazon’s popular Alexa Voice Service technology with reliable Garmin GPS street navigation.

It works with the audio system in your vehicle, providing high-quality sound through your existing car stereo speakers². It also leverages the growing list of Amazon Alexa Skills to bring you a full range of voice-activated audio infotainment, smart home automation and other lifestyle-enhancing features on the go. Plus, exclusive Garmin-connected GPS navigation gives you turn-by-turn directions to specific destinations, activated by simply saying, “Alexa, ask Garmin … ” Anywhere you want to go, Garmin Speak makes the going easier, smarter and more enjoyable.

[wodin]

More on the Garmin Speak from The Verge

I think I'd like a couple of these, I'll be waiting for more reviews to come in though.

[tubemonkey]

I have no need for this Garmin. It's too expensive and requires a data plan that I don't have. Besides, I know my way around town and if I don't, I Google directions before I leave home.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I have no need for this Garmin. It's too expensive and requires a data plan that I don't have. Besides, I know my way around town and if I don't, I Google directions before I leave home.

I'll stick to my actual Garmin.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I'll stick to my actual Garmin.

I'm a guy, I don't need anyone telling me directions

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I'm a guy, I don't need anyone telling me directions

Left turn, Clyde.

[tubemonkey]

x-posted from the Deals Forum:

Sonos is offering a $25 off coupon for Echo Dots to all its customers

Sonos is offering a $25 discount on an Amazon Echo Dot to its customers starting this week, to better help them take advantage of the newly added Alexa integration that’s now in public beta.

The deal is pretty simple: if you’re a Sonos customer, you should be getting a unique code sometime this week with the discount, which marks down the Echo Dot from the usual $49.99 price tag to $24.99.

The only real restrictions are that the deal is good for only a single Echo Dot, and that it has to be bought through Amazon. The promotion will run through October 29th, and is available for customers in the US, UK, and Germany.

[latepaul]

So I've ended up with an Echo Dot. It came as part of a bundle with a new phone (cheaper than buying the phone on its own).

I had previously thought I would never have use for such a thing but as it was "free" I set it up and tried it out. I was particularly hoping it would be good for podcasts and audiobooks.

What I found was that it wasn't always able to discern that what I wanted was an audiobook, even if I spoke the word "audiobook" as part of the command. It kept telling me it wasn't able to read Kindle books. I wonder if this is because I had the book as an ebook as well as in Audible? I eventually persuaded it to simply play the last thing I had been playing in Audible. Which means that I can "queue up" a book on the app and then play it on the Echo.

My podcast experience was similar. The podcast has to be in TuneIn or Spotify. If the podcast is in TuneIn I can play the latest episode via a voice command. I wasn't able to get it to play a specific episode (by co-incidence I just found a new Serial-type podcast that's on ep 8 already). With Spotify it always seem to search the music section not the podcasts. The only way I've found to get that working is to go to the app, choose the podcast, start to play it and switch the device to the Echo.

The other thing with that is that I left it playing while I was in bed and then told it to stop, which it did. About half an hour later just as I was drifting off it started up again. I had to get out of bed and go to the app to stop it. Whether that's the Spotify app or the Echo software I don't know.

So I feel like it's almost what I want but the fact I have to resort to using the app at critical junctures makes it less useful.

[kansaskyle]

Originally Posted by latepaul

What I found was that it wasn't always able to discern that what I wanted was an audiobook, even if I spoke the word "audiobook" as part of the command. It kept telling me it wasn't able to read Kindle books. I wonder if this is because I had the book as an ebook as well as in Audible? I eventually persuaded it to simply play the last thing I had been playing in Audible. Which means that I can "queue up" a book on the app and then play it on the Echo.

Try saying "Play [name of book] on Audible"

Originally Posted by latepaul

My podcast experience was similar. The podcast has to be in TuneIn or Spotify. If the podcast is in TuneIn I can play the latest episode via a voice command. I wasn't able to get it to play a specific episode (by co-incidence I just found a new Serial-type podcast that's on ep 8 already). With Spotify it always seem to search the music section not the podcasts. The only way I've found to get that working is to go to the app, choose the podcast, start to play it and switch the device to the Echo.

Try saying "Play [name of podcast] on Spotify"

Originally Posted by latepaul

The other thing with that is that I left it playing while I was in bed and then told it to stop, which it did. About half an hour later just as I was drifting off it started up again. I had to get out of bed and go to the app to stop it. Whether that's the Spotify app or the Echo software I don't know.

Check the Home button on the Alexa app and see what Alexa heard that restarted the playback of the Spotify podcast. To do so, find the Spotify Action, click More, and it will show the "Voice Feedback" of what Alexa heard.

[tubemonkey]

Amazon’s newest Prime Exclusive phone is the Moto X4 with hands-free Alexa

Motorola’s next flagship phone has just been added as Amazon’s newest Prime Exclusive Phone. The all-new 4th Generation Moto X (a.k.a. Moto X4) has all power and features you’d expect from a flagship phone, but also adds something you won’t find on other phones, which is hands-free Alexa capabilities.

This is the first Prime Exclusive phone to come with hands-free Alexa capabilities. The phone’s 3 microphones will listen for the Alexa wake-word, even when the phone is locked, and respond with Amazon’s voice assistant, just like Amazon’s line of Echo speakers.

The regular price of the Moto X4 is $399.99, but Prime Members can save $70 and buy the phone for $329.99. It’s available in Sterling Blue or Super Black and can be pre-orered starting today. It will be released on October 26th.

[DiapDealer]

I'm now officially the guy who believes ALL multi-media devices can respond to his voice.

[tubemonkey]

[ApK]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm now officially the guy who believes ALL multi-media devices can respond to his voice.

[DiapDealer]

One of the first things that crossed my mind, ApK!

[tubemonkey]

x-posted from Deals Forum:

Woot Sale -- Today Only -- exp 19 Oct or until sold out

$54.99 -- Amazon Tap Refurbished

Limit 3 -- fulfilled by Amazon -- $5 shipping fee -- 1-year warranty
.